Ted Witherden
Edwin George Witherden (1 May 1922 – 6 May 2019), known as Ted Witherden, was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club from 1951 to 1955. He later went on to be one of the most successful batsmen to play in the Minor Counties Championship, playing for Norfolk County Cricket Club between 1956 and 1962. In later life he was a successful groundsman and cricket coach in Bishop's Stortford. Early life and war service Witherden was born at Goudhurst in Kent, the son of a policeman. He played for Sandwich Town Cricket Club before the war and had an unsuccessful trial with Kent in 1938 at the age of 16. During World War II Witherden served with the Royal East Kent Regiment (the Buffs), enlisting in 1940 and serving on the home front until 1943. He transferred to the 3rd battalion, Northern Rhodesia Regiment in Kenya and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant, serving in Madagascar and Abyssinia. The regiment was sent to India in 1944 and Witherden saw active service as part of the 22nd (East Africa) Infantry Brigade in the Arakan area during the Burma campaign. He ended the war with the rank of Company Sergeant Major. Cricket A second trial with Kent in 1947 saw Witherden judged to be a "fair" player but one who, at the age of 26, was considered to be "too old". He was playing for Leigh Cricket Club in Kent and working on the ground staff at Tonbridge School when he played his first matches for Kent Second XI in 1950. In three matches he took 19 wickets with his off-spin at a bowling average of 13.52 and, despite his age, was taken on to the Kent staff for the 1951 season. He played as a professional for Kent from 1951 to 1955, but never established a firm place in the side. Good bowling performances for the Kent Club and Ground and Second XI sides saw Witherden make his first-class debut in 1951 against a Minor Counties XI, taking five wickets on debut for a cost of 32 runs (5/32) in the second innings. He played once more for the First XI during the season, but impressed for the Second XI, recording a batting average of 76.83 during the season. A single First XI appearance in 1952 followed, although he scored 844 runs and took 66 wickets for the Second XI, and ahead of the 1953 season it was announced that he would be acting as an assistant coach as well as being retained as a professional. Three centuries for the Second XI saw Witherden called into the Kent side in July 1953. He enjoyed a purple patch, scoring both of his first-class centuries in a fortnight. At Blackheath he scored 26 not out in a Kent first innings total of 63 against Surrey, who were beginning to dominate county cricket, and then made 125 not out in five hours in the second innings, his first