Derek Underwood

The world of cricket has lost an English icon in Derek Underwood. He was a great supporter of West Kent Lord’s Taverners and was the region’s President for many years. What a friend he was to me as I captained him at Kent for six years and was able to witness from close quarters one of sport’s great partnerships. You’ve heard of Torvill & Dean, Toshack & Keegan, Lillee & Thomson, Redgrave & Pinsent maybe. But for me the double act between the greatest wicket keeper Alan Knott and the freak left arm medium paced spin bowler Derek Underwood was unparalleled.

Derek, nicknamed Deadly (and he truly was on a wet pitch when the sun started to dry the surface and it became like plasticine), would spin the ball into the pitch at pace and it would rear up often into the throat of the batsmen. More importantly he was a lovely man, modest, friendly, ruthlessly competitive and I will always have this memory of him, having bowled all day under a hot sun, he would sit on the balcony at the Kent County Cricket ground in Canterbury with his favourite pint of bitter in hand.

He was a great supporter of the Lord’s Taverners work as a long-term member and he will be sorely missed by all who were lucky enough to know him.

Rest in peace Deadly.

Chris Cowdrey