Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge CBE (
December 24,
1932 -
December 4,
2000) was an English
cricketer, born in
Ootacamund (
India). His father named him Michael Colin Cowdrey, to give him the same initials as cricket's most famous club the
Marylebone Cricket Club. He was educated at
Bishop Cotton Boys School,
Tonbridge School and
Brasenose College, Oxford. He became the youngest player ever to represent his school at
Lord's when in 1946 he played for
Tonbridge aged 13. Four years later he made his first class debut for
Kent County Cricket Club, where he would remain a player until his retirement in 1976. He played for
Oxford University in 1952-1954 (Captain). He was appointed captain of Kent in 1956 and in 1970 he led Kent to their first County Championship since 1913.
Cowdrey made his England debut on the 1954/55 tour of Australia and New Zealand and made his maiden Test hundred at Melbourne in the Boxing Day Test match 1954. He was appointed
England Captain in 1959 for a
Test match against the country of his birth, and became captain on a regular basis during the 1960s.
In 1963, facing the
West Indies in a Lord's Test match, he came in to bat with a broken wrist in plaster (fortunately he did not have to face a ball; if it had been necessary, he said he would have done so holding the bat with one hand). Had he not batted, England would have lost, but his appearance caused the match to be drawn. He played his final Test against
Australia in 1974-5. Cowdrey briefly held the world record for runs scored in a Test career between 1970-71 and 1971-72, before it was bettered by
Garry Sobers . Cowdrey ended his career with 7624 Test runs.
Following his retirement in 1976, Colin Cowdrey worked closely behind the scenes at Kent, became President of the MCC in 1986 and was later chairman of the
International Cricket Council. He was President of
Kent County Cricket Club in 2000.
Colin Cowdrey was awarded a CBE in 1972, a
knighthood in 1992 and became
Lord Cowdrey of Tonbridge in 1997, on the recommendation of outgoing Prime Minister
John Major to whom he had become a personal friend and confidant. While many cricketers have been awarded a knighthood, Cowdrey was one of only two to be given a life peerage for their services to cricket (the other being
Learie Constantine).
Cowdrey was twice married:
* Penny Chiesman (1956-1985), with whom he had four children:
** Hon.
Christopher Cowdrey, the
cricketer (born October
1957)
** Hon.
Jeremy Cowdrey, an
investment banker (born
1960)
** Hon.
Carolyn Cowdrey (born
1961),
** Hon.
Graham Cowdrey, the
cricketer (born
1964).
*The 14th Baroness
Herries of Terregles (née Lady Anne Fitzalan-Howard) (1985-2000) the eldest daughter of
the 16th Duke of Norfolk.
|
Blue line Cowdrey's cumulative Test match batting average. Red lines individual Test innings scores |
The graph shown takes into account only the runs made in
official Test matches . The matches between a
Rest of the World and England in
1970 were given Test status at the time, but are not now officially Test matches.
For more information, the most complete guide to Colin Cowdrey's Test career is 'Colin Cowdrey in Test Cricket', a privately published compilation which includes the score cards of each match. This can be obtained from
amazon.co.uk or directly from the author's
website.
He died in his sleep in December 2000, aged 67, having suffered a
stroke earlier that year. His memorial service at
Westminster Abbey on March 30, 2001 was attended by many luminaries of the game of cricket and the tribute was given by
John Major.
*
Cricinfo Player Profile: Michael Colin Cowdrey*
'Colin Cowdrey in Test Cricket', the definitive guide to Colin Cowdrey's Test Cricket career.
