Emotional tributes pour in after ‘classy legend’ who played for England dies aged 87

TRIBUTES have flooded in for cricketing legend Ken Palmer who has died at the age of 87.

At the age of 24 he became the youngest player to achieve the double of 1,000 first class runs and 100 first class wickets.

Ken Palmer had an illustrious cricketing career

Ken then served as an international umpire for 31 years before retiring.

He was awarded the MBE for his services to cricket.

Ken was born in Winchester on April 22, 1937 and grew up in Devizes and was invited to Hampshire for trials.

But he wasn’t offered terms and went on to sign for Somerset and made his first appearance at the County Ground when he was just 16 in the spring of 1954.

He made his first team debut against Middlesex at Bath in June the following year, where he claimed two wickets in their first innings.

Ken then quickly built a name for himself as a right-handed batsman and a fast medium bowler.

Between 1955 and 1969 he made 302 appearances for the county, scoring 7,567 runs at an average of 20.67 which included two centuries and a best of 125 not out against Northamptonshire in 1961, the year in which he topped 1000 runs for the only time.

As a bowler, Ken took 837 wickets at an average of 21.10, with his best performance being nine for 57 against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 1963.

Ken achieved taking 100 first class wickets in a season four times, his best being in 1963 when he claimed 126.

He made 12th man for England in 1963 and then in 1965 he was called up to play in the Fifth Test Match against South Africa at Port Elizabeth, which was to be his only appearance for his country.

After retiring from playing he become a highly respected umpire, going on to officiate 22 Test Matches and 23 One Day Internationals.

Peter Robinson who played alongside Ken in the Somerset and was a good friend said: “Ken was a gutsy cricketer – what I would call a muck and bullets player, he would always get stuck in with the bat and bowl all day.

“He was a tough cricketer and was unlucky not to have played more Test matches- he should have played in England really.”