Following the sad news of the death of Graham Cowdrey at just 56, there have been many warm tributes from the cricketing world. By consensus a gifted player who, whilst he had a good and lengthy career at Kent scoring 8,858 first class runs at an average of 34.73, perhaps always lived in the shadow of his brother Chris and of course his father - the great Colin Cowdrey.
For those who knew him his cricketing ability though was secondary to the many things that made him the man he was. He was natural, warm, charming and very funny. He was best man to Rory Bremner who thought him ‘the funniest man I’ve come across’.
Roger Alton (former editor of the Observer and Independent) wrote ‘Graham Cowdrey was king of the dressing room, and so charming that it didn’t feel like charm.’
The YG’s welcomed a young Cowdrey to the club during his days at Durham University and Roger Hinchcliffe has a wonderful tale to tell of the visit that seemed to typify Graham.
“I was very saddened to read of the death of the younger Cowdrey and recall an amusing incident when he came down to play at Escrick for Durham University many years ago.
He arrived in a car driven by a team mate with one foot heavily bandaged. He got out of the car and hobbled on one leg to the Pavilion. Where he was greeted by his team mates and the hugely popular Granville Holland who was the University senior Geology lecturer and President of the University Cricket Club. Holland was the most delightful chap and always came down with the team to umpire.
Cowdrey said that he had trodden on some broken glass before leaving and could not play but had turned up to explain himself...!!! They all knew that they had only travelled with 11 players . The only solution was for Granville to play and as the University were in the field, we provided an Umpire, Granville borrowed some kit and out he went. So play started and after about half an hour, they admitted that the whole thing was a set up to have some fun at “the expense” of the popular Granville Holland who retired from the field of play to be replaced by Graham Cowdrey...!!!”
Roger