Derek Underwood rip | Vital Football

Derek Underwood rip

Another fragment of my youth gone.

The folks used to take me and my brother to John Player League games in the early to mid seventies at Canterbury, Maidstone and Folkestone and Kent never seemed to lose.

Deadly now probably taking his turn with Bob Woolmer to bowl to Brian Luckhurst, Mike Denness and David Nicholls. RIP Derek.

Quite a few from that era still with us though, I believe. Graham Johnson, Asif Iqbal, Alan Ealham, Alan Knott, John Shepherd, Bernard Julien and Norman Graham.
 
GillsBluenose said:
Another fragment of my youth gone.

The folks used to take me and my brother to John Player League games in the early to mid seventies at Canterbury, Maidstone and Folkestone and Kent never seemed to lose.

Deadly now probably taking his turn with Bob Woolmer to bowl to Brian Luckhurst, Mike Denness and David Nicholls. RIP Derek.

Quite a few from that era still with us though, I believe. Graham Johnson, Asif Iqbal, Alan Ealham, Alan Knott, John Shepherd, Bernard Julien and Norman Graham.
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And not forgetting Graham Dilley in that heavenly team.
 
Watched him a good few times down at Canterbury and if I am not mistaken, once against Yorkshire at the old Garrison ground (as we called it then) on the Brompton road. Loved Derek, a great ambassador for cricket but hated Trueman (waited for over an hour after days play had finished and when he came out, I asked for his autograph and he told me to "fuck off kid, I need a beer". My admiration turned into detesting him and even though he has been dead for years, I never forgave him.
 
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I have a clear recollection of a superbly crafted wicket taken by Underwood. I think it was something like a B&H quarter final at Canterbury against Leicestershire. They had a very dangerous player who I think was Brian Davison. Underwood came in against him and bowled as tightly as ever for the first 5 balls then dropped one very short which was completely out of character. Davison promptly hit it for 6. Next over Underwood did exactly the same again with same result. In his third over he was bowling against Davison again. The third ball he dropped short but not so short. At the start of the over he’d brought long on a bit off the fence. Davison attempted to hit the same shot that had yielded the sixes but this time he it straight to where Underwood had placed the fielder.

It struck me as a superb bit of cricket cunning coupled with the talent to execute it.
 
RIP Deadly condolences to friends and family. My memories of Derek were the control he had.I remember matches at Folkestone on wet drying pitches one game v Notts and Richard Hadlee amongst others when he was unplayable. Another stunning performance was at Hastings in a Sunday league game when he total controlled Sussex something like four wickets and 8 runs in his 8 overs .I had one regret I missed the following day when he scored a ton in the championship match against Sussex.They had some decent bowlers too.
 
Devastated. I didn’t see this news but just posted in wx’s greatest players thread but was talking about Boycott v Underwood in a game I saw back in the 70’s.

Deadly was a superb bowler as well as a gent. I got his autograph when he signed his own picture (at an earlier game) in my “MCC Cricket Coaching Book”. He was about to leave the ground in his car, but pulled up, got all the kids lined up and then sat there signing for probs 15 mins or more.

RIP “Deadly”.
 
I will always remember the air of expectation when the announcement went out. For example "From the pavilion end Derek Underwood".
I am sure bowlers like Bob Woolmer John Shepherd and Graham Johnson gained wickets because Deadly was at the other end.
 
Kent legend
England legend
Legendary person who I was privileged to see play a great loss a true gentleman
 
Also the great Bernard Juilian in the '70's then the late Andrew Symonds much late.When Kent had a team to fear.
 
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