Don Kenyon
FullnameDonald Kenyon
Birth date15 May 1924
Birth placeWordsley, Staffordshire, England
Death date12 November 1996 (aged 72)
Death placeWorcester, England
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium
Columns2
Column 1Test
Matches 18
Runs 1192
Bat avg 112.80
100s/50s 10/1
Top score 187
Deliveries 1–
Wickets 1–
Bowl avg 1–
Fivefor 1–
Tenfor 1–
Best bowling 1–
Catches/stumpings 15/–
Column 2First-class
Matches 2643
Runs 237,002
Bat avg 233.63
100s/50s 274/180
Top score 2259
Deliveries 2206
Wickets 21
Bowl avg 2187.00
Fivefor 20
Tenfor 20
Best bowling 21/8
Catches/stumpings 2326/–
Internationaltrue
CountryEngland
TestdebutagainstIndia
Testdebutdate2 November
Testdebutyear1951
Lasttestdate7 July
LasttestagainstSouth Africa
Lasttestyear1955
Sourcehttp://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/15866.html CricInfo
Date7 November
Year2022

Donald Kenyon (15 May 1924 – 12 November 1996) was an English first-class cricketer, who played in eight Tests for England from 1951 to 1955. He captained Worcestershire between 1959 and 1967.

Cricket writer, Colin Bateman, noted, "A polished batsman who relished taking on fast bowlers, he became the heaviest scorer in Worcestershire's history with more than 37,000 first-class runs to his credit".[1][2]

Life and career

Kenyon was born in Wordsley, Staffordshire on 15 May 1924,[1] and lived most of his adult life in nearby Wollaston, West Midlands.[3] He played all his county cricket for Worcestershire, but when international opportunities came along, Kenyon was unable to produce his run-making abilities on the highest stage. He fell in single figures in eleven of his fifteen England innings, although his Test career was rather sporadic in nature. Kenyon played three Tests on the 1951/52 tour to India, two more in 1953, with three more appearances in 1955, but life in the fast lane did not seem to suit his temperament.[1]

He was a popular and successful captain of Worcestershire and captained the club in its first ever County Championship winning season in 1964 and second title the following year. He retired from first class cricket in 1967 and later became an England Test selector, and President of his beloved county side.[1]

Kenyon died in November 1996, in Worcester, at the age of 72.

References

  1. ^ Bateman, Colin (1993). If The Cap Fits. Tony Williams Publications. p. 101. ISBN 1-869833-21-X.
  2. ^ "Lord of the crease". ESPNcricinfo. 14 May 2007. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  3. ^ H.O.W. Group (2004). A History of Wollaston. Stourbridge: HOW. pp. 208–9. ISBN 0-9547053-0-0.