Chris Cowdrey follows in father’s footsteps

Press, 24 October 1984, Page 34

Chris Cowdrey follows in father’s footsteps

NZPA-Reuter London The name of Cowdrey is in England’s cricket squad again, conjuring memories of sweetly-timed cover drives, brilliant slip catches, and outstanding achievements to fill the record books. Those were the hallmarks of former England captain, Colin Cowdrey, whose son Chris has put the family name back in the world cricket spotlight with his selection for England’s forthcoming tour of India and Australia. Chris Cowdrey, a 27-year-old all-rounder and eldest of three sons, has won his first England call after immensely improved performances with his county, Kent, where he is also following in his father’s footsteps.

Colin was a Kent player for 25 years and led the county for 15, and Chris has been given cause for double celebration with his appointment as Kent captain shortly after being named in England’s 16-strong tour party. Chris Cowdrey’s rise to the international ranks will inevitably prompt comparisons with his father, who retired from first-class cricket nine years ago. Colin, who was born in Bangalore, India, will be remembered essentially as a graceful batsman, a superb close fieldsman and a dignified and courteous competitor. He played in a world record 114 tests and has the fourth highest test aggregate of 7624 runs behind

India’s Sunil Gavaskar, compatriot, Geoff Boycott, and West Indian, Sir Garfield Sobers. His 120 test catches are second to Australia’s Greg Chappell’s world record of 122. Colin Cowdrey, of swarthy complexion and rather portly build, was a touch player, relying on perfect timing and placement to reduce the best out-field to tatters, while he enhanced his reputation by taking difficult slip catches with deceptive ease. Cricket followers in India and Australia will find Chris Cowdrey a contrasting character in many respects. Sturdy, but slimmer than his father, Chris is an instinctively aggressive middle-order batsman who hits the ball more powerfully than Colin and seeks to carry the attack to the bowler. The England new boy has batted with increasing maturity for Kent in the last two seasons, marked by his ability to play outstandingly well in a crisis. The county champions, Essex, will vouch for that. Kent, having dismissed Essex for 90 at Colchester in August, was reduced to 15 for three when Cowdrey arrived to rescue his team with a magnificent, unbeaten 125 out of a final total of 201. Essex was routed for 118 when it batted again and lost by 10 wickets. Chris Cowdrey has supplemented his batting with useful medium-paced bowling which has been particularly effective in limitedover matches, while he has

developed into a fine allround fieldsman. He has been Kent’s acting captain several times, leading the side with drive and success, and after narrowly losing the vote for skipper to Chris Tavare in 1983, was the obvious choice to take over from the county’s discarded England batsman. England will hope Chris Cowdrey’s debut in India is impressive, though it could not rival that of Colin when he arrived early in 1964 as a replacement in an England tour party hit by illness and injury. Cowdrey senior had not played since having his left arm broken by a delivery from West Indian, Wes Hall, at Lord’s seven months previously, but he hit 107 in his first tour innings in the third test, followed by 151 in the fourth test. If Chris follows Colin into the test side they will be the seventh father and son ,to play for England, and the first since Richard Hutton in 1971 followed Sir Leonard Hutton, another former England captain. Colin Cowdrey just missed fulfilling his wish to play in the same Kent team as Chris, whose debut was in 1977, but the eldest and youngest of Cowdrey’s three boys seem set to line up together regularly for the county. Graham Cowdrey, aged 20, has already made an impact as a heavy scorer in Kent’s second team and seems destined to keep his family’s name, already linked with the county for 34 years, firmly in the cricketing spotlight,