Former England star spinner Derek Underwood passes away

     

   England and Kent spin legend Derek Underwood has died at the age of 78.

     Underwood made 86 Test appearances for his country after making his debut against the          West Indies at Trent Bridge in July 1966, claiming 297 wickets at an average of 25.83. He        is still England's sixth-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket and the leading spinner on that         list.

     Underwood represented Kent his entire first-class career, making over 900 appearances         for the club since his debut at 17. He claimed 2523 wickets at an average of just over 19         from 1963-1987, and was the youngest to the 100 mark in the initial season. He captured         his 1000th first-class wicket aged just 25, and took 100 wickets in a season 10 times,              notably 157 in 1966. He was the leading bowler in England on four occasions: 1966, 1967,      1978 and 1979.

 

    Kent Cricket's Chair, Simon Philip, said: "The Kent Cricket family is in mourning following          the passing of one of its greatest ever players.

    "An advocate for growing our game worldwide whilst protecting our sport's rich heritage,           Derek also made substantial contributions off the field as well as on it, and he will be                 sorely  missed by everyone at Kent Cricket."