KCHT Chairman congratulates Derek Carlaw on Award

“As we go into the 2021 season, it is good to know that Kent Cricket has already won a trophy, of sorts.

“Derek Carlaw, the noted cricket historian who has been contributing to the Kent Cricket Annual for over three decades, has been awarded the prestigious Brooke-Lambert Trophy by the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians.

“This trophy is awarded annually to the person who has done most for recording cricket’s heritage over the past year.

“The award was given in recognition of his immense work over many years on the more than half a million words of the Kent County Cricketers A to Z, a work too large to be printed out, but which is available on the ACS website.

“The A to Z lists all 616 players who represented Kent between 1806 and 1939, and many more post-war (the A to Z is not yet complete, but Derek is still working on it). Each player has an entry which could be anything from a few words, to as many as 4,000 words.

“Among those who Derek records as playing for the county are a nephew of Jane Austen, the father of H.G. Wells, the scorer of the first goal in an FA Cup Final, a diabolo champion, and at least one burglar, not to mention the Sixth Earl of Aboyne, who managed to appear for the Players against the Gentlemen because he had bet on them. There is also a certain William Gilbert Grace.

“Derek was in his late 70s when he began the A To Z, openly assuming he would only get so far before he was incapable to carry on. He is now 91 and has been through it compiling and revising it three times.

“Those who know him know that his brain is as active as ever, even though in a mood he will say on occasion he wished he had never started it!

“Derek, who was a useful club cricketer in his youth, has been following cricket since 1939 and was at Lord’s for all three days of England v Dominions match at Lord’s in 1945.

“From Metropolitan Kent, he has always been a supporter but has been following Kent more seriously since moving to Canterbury in 1978. He was a freelance copy writer for technical journals who could always organise his time to get to cricket.

“Before his A To Z his extensive knowledge of Kent cricket history has been confined to the Kent Cricket Annual, although his name appears with others on four publications, including the last official Kent history.

“Oddly the only publication that he is the sole author of is “100 Great Derbyshire Cricketers”. His main historical Kent interest lies in the Victorian era post 1870.

“He is happy to acknowledge that his favourite cricketer is Fred “Nutty” Martin, the Kent opening bowler.

“He has always kept such an incredibly low profile so that although, in the past at least, he has hardly missed a first-class cricket’s play at Canterbury, barely anyone knows who he is!”

By Jonathan Rice, Kent Cricket Heritage Trust Chairman & Kent Cricket’s 2018 President, and Club Statistician Howard Milton

Kent Cricket would also like to share its congratulations to Derek for his outstanding work in chronicling the Club’s history, as we move into our next 150 years of existence, as well as his continued contributions to Club literature.

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