Sir Tim Laurence appointed Club President for 2025
Friday 26th April 2024
Kent Cricket is delighted to confirm that Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence KCVO, CB, ADC(P) will be the Club’s President once more in 2025.
Sir Tim was originally appointed as the President for 2020, the Club’s 150th Anniversary Year, but the outbreak and management of the COVID-19 Pandemic hampered both his Presidency and the Club’s celebrations. He will succeed Judy Ufton as Club President on 1 January 2025 until the end of that calendar year.
Sir Tim has a strong connection to Kent and a lifelong passion for the game. Having been brought up in Ightham, he was educated at Sevenoaks School, where he was a key member of their 1st XI, batting at the top of the order with former Kent captain Chris Tavaré and former Kent Director of Cricket, Paul Downton.
He attended Durham University, where he represented his College cricket team. Upon leaving Durham, he completed his initial training at the Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth. During his distinguished naval career, Sir Tim commanded four warships and held several Ministry of Defence positions, including Chief Executive, Defence Estates.
Since his retirement from the Navy in 2010, Sir Tim pursues a number of non-executive and charitable interests. These included being Chairman of English Heritage which has many historic sites across Kent, Vice Chairman of The Commonwealth War Graves Commission and a Trustee of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and HMS Victory.
Sir Tim will be the Club’s eighth multi-year President after The 3rd Lord Harris (1870-71), A.C. Norman (1914-18), The 4th Lord Northbourne (1930-31), Major H.S. Hatfield (1938-45), Sir Edward Hardy (1957-58), Lt. Col. W.O.H. Joynson (1959-60) & Lady Kingsdown (2015-16). He will be the first Kent Cricket President to have more than one year in the role inconsecutively.
Kent Cricket’s Chair, Simon Philip, said: “We are delighted that Sir Tim has accepted Presidency of the Club once more after holding the post five years ago.
“Our 150th Anniversary Year and Tim’s presidency did not turn out as planned and so it is great that Tim will now be able to enjoy fully being President and we will be able to benefit from his input into the Club and our Men’s and Women’s cricket.”
Sir Tim Laurence said: “It is both an honour and a privilege to be asked to take on the Presidency for a second time.
“I much look forward to becoming more closely involved with the Club again and to providing whatever support and encouragement I can.”