Colin Cowdrey
Cowdrey won a Heath Harrison Exhibition award and a place at Brasenose College at Oxford University to study geography in the autumn of 1951. He played for the Oxford University Cricket Club in 1952 and 1953 at the start of the season and the rest of the summer for Kent. He made 50 and 57 for the Gentlemen vs the 1953 Australians at Lords. In 1954 he captained Oxford University and was a surprise choice for the MCC tour of Australia, replacing Willie Watson. Len Hutton later told him that his selection was a gamble, but it was thought that his technique would be good on the hard Australian wickets. At 21, Cowdrey was the youngest man in the side and the schoolboy photographs used in the brochures made him appear younger. He had yet to make a century in the County Championship, go on tour or play a Test, though he was made twelfth man for the Fourth Test against Pakistan and fielded for 20 minutes, but was so nervous he could barely watch.
Colin Cowdrey
With a pair of centuries against the strongest state side in Australia Cowdrey was called up for his debut in the First Test at Brisbane, even though he made 4 and 0 against Queensland. Hutton put Australia in to bat and saw them pile up 601/8. The only good news was that Cowdrey took the first of his record 120 Test catches to dismiss both Australian openers Les Favell and Arthur Morris. When England finally got to bat on the third day they promptly collapsed to 25/4, but Cowdrey made 40 and added 72 for the 5th wicket with Trevor Bailey. This did not prevent the follow on, where Cowdrey made 10, and England lost by an innings.