Kent Cricket President Mike Denness made OBE in New Year Honours

Kent Cricket President for 2012, Mike Denness has been made an OBE in the New Year Honours, for Services to Sport.

As a player and captain, he served Kent with distinction for 15 seasons. In total he played 333 times for the county, scoring 17,047 runs at an average of 32.90. Mike scored 21 centuries with a highest score of 178 against Somerset, at Maidstone, in 1975.

A former England international, Mike played 28 Test matches for England – including 19 as captain. He scored 1,667 runs, including four hundreds. His best of 188 came against Australia, in Melbourne on the 1974/75 tour. He also scored seven half centuries and averaged 39.69 in Test match cricket. Mike also played for Essex, before becoming an ICC match referee, and later holding the position of Chairman of the Kent Cricket Committee.

Mike Denness commented; “I am absolutely delighted, and over the moon that this has come my way. I never expected this and it really is a great honour.

“This completes a thrilling year, during which I have served as Kent Cricket President. It really has been outstanding, there has been so much commitment from everybody; I thoroughly enjoyed Canterbury Week and all that it involved, and I will treasure the memories for the rest of my life.”

Kent Cricket Chairman, George Kennedy CBE commented on the announcement; “I am delighted that the Club President, Mike Denness has been awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours. This is richly deserved for all he has done for the game of cricket in so many capacities.

“Mike has made a great contribution to Kent Cricket, as a player, as Club captain, as Chairman of Cricket and then most recently as our President. I am sure that all the Club's supporters will join me in congratulating him.”