Ken Barrington

Kenneth Frank Barrington (24 November 1930 – 14 March 1981), was an English international cricketer who played for the England cricket team and Surrey County Cricket Club in the 1950s and 1960s.

He was a right-handed batsman and occasional leg-spin bowler, known for his jovial good humour and long, defensive innings "batting with bulldog determination and awesome concentration".

His batting improved with the quality of the opposition; he averaged 39.87 in the County Championship, 45.63 in first-class cricket, 58.67 in Test cricket and 63.96 against Australia.

Of players with a completed career, only Don Bradman with his average of 99.94 made more than Barrington's 6,806 Test runs at a higher average, which is the seventh highest of batsmen who have made 1,000 Test runs, and the highest by a post-war England batsman.

His children grew up in the barracks and led a rather spartan life during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

In 1945 Barrington left school aged 14 and took up work as a motor mechanic in Reading, Fred Titmus saying "he could drive anything from a tank to a scooter".

After a year he joined Reading Cricket Club as the assistant groundsman, a job that allowed him unlimited opportunity to practice cricket.

It is here that he learned the art of leg-spin.

His old boss told him "You will never make a living in cricket".

Barrington played for the White Hart Hotel XI on Sundays and the Reading Wednesday XI where he was spotted by the ex-England and Surrey batsman Andy Sandham.

Sandham invited him to play for the Surrey Colts at the age of 16.

Barrington took 5/43 and made 4 not out in his first game and became a regular player in their Saturday cricket matches.

Here he came under the tutorage of Andrew Kempton, a friend of Sir Jack Hobbs.

He took 30 wickets at an average of 13, but batted down the order.

Percy remained at Brock Barracks in the Second World War, left the Army in 1947 and took up work as a watchman for Handley Page.

When Ken became a professional cricketer he often gave his family tickets for the Oval so they could see him play.

Percy Barrington was a keen cricketer, played for the regimental cricket team as an all-rounder and taught all his children how to play, using a piece of wood as a cricket bat.

Ken attended Wilson Central primary school.

When he moved to Katesgrove Secondary school at the age of 11 he joined the school cricket team, as a batsman and fast bowler.

In one early game he opened the bowling with Ray Reeves (who later played football for Reading F.C.) and dismissed the opposition for 10 runs in 15 minutes.

In August 1947, Barrington was asked to join the groundstaff of the prestigious Surrey County Cricket Club at the Kennington Oval in South London for the following season.

From April 1948, he commuted to London by railway for his training, having yet to see a first-class cricket match.

The Chief Coach was Andy Sandham who thought his leg-spin bowling lacked accuracy (Surrey had Jim Laker and Tony Lock so did not need another spinner) and made him concentrate on his batting.

Alec Bedser predicted that Barrington was a future Test player and Sandham later stated that Barrington was his best pupil.

He worked on preparing the vast Oval ground for first-class cricket and played for the Surrey Club and Ground cricket team, though still down the order.

In the 1949 season he only had time to play one game, making 52 against Kew, before he was called up for National Service.

Barrington served as a Lance-Corporal in the Wiltshire Regiment stationed in Germany.

He grew from 5 ft to 5 ft during this time and he was encouraged to pursue sports.

Apart from cricket, he represented his battalion at football, won the battalion boxing championship and a small arms competition at the Mons Officer Cadet School.

His leg-spin was helped by the matting wickets used by the British Army cricket team.

As he was the only NCO in the team, when they played the officers travelled in staff cars and Barrington by himself in an army truck.

Barrington had strong army connections and remained in the Territorial Army after his National Service ended in 1950.

His 256 in the Fourth Test at Old Trafford in 1964 is the third highest score for England against Australia and the highest since the Second World War.

Barrington twice made centuries in four successive Tests, and was the first England batsmen to make hundreds on all six traditional Test grounds: Old Trafford, Edgbaston, Headingley, Lord's, Trent Bridge and The Oval.

His Test career ended when he had a heart attack in Australia in 1968, even though he had several potentially fruitful years ahead of him.

From 1975 to 1981 he was an England selector and a regular tour manager.

He died from a second heart attack on 14 March 1981 during the Third Test at Bridgetown, Barbados, where he had made his maiden Test century 21 years before.

Ken Barrington was the eldest child of Percy and Winifred Barrington and had two brothers, Roy and Colin, and a sister, Sheila.

His father was a career soldier who served in the British Army for 28 years, 24 of them in the Royal Berkshire Regiment.

Despite winning a row of medals for service around the world including the First World War Percy Barrington remained a private and when Ken was born was a batman in the officer's mess at Brock Barracks in Reading, Berkshire.