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Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge (1932 - 2000) was an English cricketer, born in Putumala (India), on Christmas Eve 1932. His father deliberately named him Michael Colin Cowdrey, to give him the same initials as cricket's former governing body (Marylebone Cricket Club). He became the youngest player ever to represent his school at Lord's when in 1946 he represented Tonbridge School aged 13. Four years later he made his first class debut for Kent County Cricket Club, where he would remain a player until his retirement in 1976. He was appointed captain in 1956.
Colin Cowdrey was appointed England Captain in 1959 for a Test match against the country of his birth, and became captain on a regular basis during the 1960s.
In 1963, facing the West Indies, he came in to bat with a broken wrist in plaster. Had he not batted, England would have lost. His appearance caused the match to be drawn. He played his final Test against Australia in 1974-5. Cowdrey briefly held the world record for runs scored in a Test career between 1970-71 and 1971-72, before it was bettered by Garry Sobers . Cowdrey ended his career with 7624 Test runs.
Following his retirement in 1976, Colin Cowdrey worked closely behind the scenes at Kent, became chairman of the MCC in 1989 and was later chairman of the International Cricket Council.
Colin Cowdrey was awarded a knighthood in 1992 and became Lord Cowdrey of Tonbridge in 1997, on the recommendation of outgoing Prime Minister John Major. While many cricketers have been awarded a knighthood, Cowdrey was one of only two to be given a life peerage for their services to cricket (the other being Learie Constantine).
He died in his sleep in 2000, aged 67, having suffered a stroke earlier that year.
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