Kent Cricket | Page 4 | Vital Football

Kent Cricket

Happy birthday to my cricketing hero Derek Underwood.
76 today.

Favourite memories are his 7 for, v Aussies at the Oval to dramatically win the test with a few minutes to spare in 1968. Also his century v Sussex as nightwatchman in a county game that ended in a tie (1984 iirc).

Sadly I heard that he is suffering from Alzheimers.
 
Happy birthday to my cricketing hero Derek Underwood.
76 today.

Favourite memories are his 7 for, v Aussies at the Oval to dramatically win the test with a few minutes to spare in 1968. Also his century v Sussex as nightwatchman in a county game that ended in a tie (1984 iirc).

Sadly I heard that he is suffering from Alzheimers.
There was a test v India on an uncovered pitch when he took a shed load of wickets. He was quite simply unplayable. He was also surprisingly quick.

Boycott reckons he was one of our finest ever bowlers and totally unique in style. Also a very brave nightwatchman in pre helmet days.
 
Last edited:
There was a test v India on an uncovered pitch when he took a shed load of wickets. He was quite simply unplayable. He was also surprisingly quick.

Boycott reckons he was one of our finest ever bowlers and totally unique in style. Also a very brave nightwatchman in preparation helmet days.
Got Gavaskar out more times than any other bowler. Was actually bordering on medium pace.

My idol in my young days (and Wilks for football of course). I wanted to be Underwood. Ended up right hand bat/wicketkeeper at Sunday pub cricket level.
:-(
 
I watched Derek Underwood a good few times at Canterbury (and even in Gillingham while there were still matches played there), sat on the roof of an old Land Rover and keeping score the during the whole match. What a great bowler he was.

As a youngster, this was one of my favourite pastimes during the summer months and only one player ever let me down. I remember waiting for about an hour to get Fred Truemans' autograph at the end of play and when he finally came out of the dressing room, I politely asked him for his signature and was told to "fuck off, I want to get a beer"........ I detested him from that moment on until the day he passed away. I did not shed a tear at his passing (which I am not ashamed of) but he was just a nasty git in my eyes.

How many others on here have been let down when it turned out their sporting heroes did not have the personality they portrayed in the papers or on tv? A good few I would guess.
 
I watched Derek Underwood a good few times at Canterbury (and even in Gillingham while there were still matches played there), sat on the roof of an old Land Rover and keeping score the during the whole match. What a great bowler he was.

As a youngster, this was one of my favourite pastimes during the summer months and only one player ever let me down. I remember waiting for about an hour to get Fred Truemans' autograph at the end of play and when he finally came out of the dressing room, I politely asked him for his signature and was told to "fuck off, I want to get a beer"........ I detested him from that moment on until the day he passed away. I did not shed a tear at his passing (which I am not ashamed of) but he was just a nasty git in my eyes.

How many others on here have been let down when it turned out their sporting heroes did not have the personality they portrayed in the papers or on tv? A good few I would guess.

Paul Baker pissed us off at Hereford but I think we all forgave him after he scored that goal against Halifax! If you don't know what I'm talking about scroll down to the paragraph that begins:

*Former Gillingham striker Paul Baker had written to the fanzine and his letter, in response to a tribute piece on him that had appeared in issue 44, was printed in BMH46."

https://www.gillinghamfootballclub.com/news/2020/august/bmh-20/
 
What is the point of Alex Blake being in the side for 20-20 matches. He isn't even playing top level Kent League cricket this season.

Atrocious form so far. Hope I eat my words later.
 
What is the point of Alex Blake being in the side for 20-20 matches. He isn't even playing top level Kent League cricket this season.

Atrocious form so far. Hope I eat my words later.

How dare you have a dig at our groundsman's son!

Seriously though, he's not in the best form. He is contracted to white ball only cricket for Kent, and was going well last night before deciding to try to hit consecutive sixes, which is usually his downfall...

Not 100% sure why he's playing for Hayes, but I expect it's because he's their head coach too now.
 
Ha yeh, I saw the article after I posted it.

Bromley Town ones played them earlier this season, and apparently they lost their groundsman 2/3 years ago, and haven't been able to replace him, so now the ground maintenance has just declined and declined leaving to poorer results, players leaving etc. They almost lost their twos in 2019 I believe, which would've meant both sides getting expelled from the Kent league.

It is a real shame, I've never played there, but been to the club house plenty of times playing hockey, and it always looked a beauty.

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/sittingbourne/sport/cricket-clubs-first-win-in-1-072-days-249890/
 
Ha yeh, I saw the article after I posted it.

Bromley Town ones played them earlier this season, and apparently they lost their groundsman 2/3 years ago, and haven't been able to replace him, so now the ground maintenance has just declined and declined leaving to poorer results, players leaving etc. They almost lost their twos in 2019 I believe, which would've meant both sides getting expelled from the Kent league.

It is a real shame, I've never played there, but been to the club house plenty of times playing hockey, and it always looked a beauty.

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/sittingbourne/sport/cricket-clubs-first-win-in-1-072-days-249890/
Used to be a really nice place to play cricket.
Back in my cricketing days (which admittedly seems a long time ago) they were Kent League and good quality Kent League at that.
 
They won a game ! (think it was first time in 3 years) Court used to be a good team...
I didn't live nearby but a watched cricket there a few times .it is actually a nice place to watch cricket. I often wondered if the county would play there.i think had it been further from Canterbury it might well have got use.
 
There was a test v India on an uncovered pitch when he took a shed load of wickets. He was quite simply unplayable. He was also surprisingly quick.

Boycott reckons he was one of our finest ever bowlers and totally unique in style. Also a very brave nightwatchman in pre helmet days.

Agree about speed. Underwood usually bowled about medium pace not slow.

I watched a days play at Canterbury back in the day. Yorkshire were trying to set us a target on the last day of a county game. Boycott got a superb ton, and quite quickly before they declared. He was superb to watch. Dancing up and down the wicket to Underwood before usually having to play a dead bat.

Our attack had iirc Underwood plus Jarvis, Dilley, Chris Cowdrey and others of that ilk.

Boycs was patrolling the boundary at long leg in front of us late in the day and was surprisingly friendly and funny (he had just scored a ton I suppose), signing autographs and talking with the crowd.

He was asked about our attack and echoed what you said about Deadly Derek. He said all he had to do that day was keep Underwood out and the rest of our attack was “ordinary”. Underwood, he reckoned, could have had his wicket at any time if he’d blinked.
 
Top order being blown away by Jimmy Anderson - 5-3! Why are we suddenly so crap with the red ball?
 
19 for 6 now, why on earth did we decide to bat, when they've lost a day to rain, in overcast humid conditions against Jimmy Anderson? congratulations to Anderson, reached 1000 first class wickets when he took his 5th.
 
Last edited: