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

He was awarded the MBE for his services to cricket in 2003.

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 for 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.”

The flag at Somerset County Cricket Club flew at half-mast in tribute to Ken.

The club has plans also pay tribute to Ken ahead of the club’s Metro Bank One Day Cup match against Kent Spitfires on Friday.

The sad news comes after another cricketing legend, Sir Geoffrey Boycott, was rushed to hospital earlier this month.

The national cricket icon, 83, went under the knife this week after revealing he had been diagnosed with throat cancer for a second time.

His family issued an update on social media, telling fans that Boycott had successfully undergone a three-hour operation.

However, a new statement on Sunday afternoon revealed that Boycott’s health has now “taken a turn for the worse.”

After returning home from his cancer surgery, the former batsman was struck down with pnuemonia.

He is “unable to eat or drink” as a result of the illness.

And Boycott is now back in hospital “on oxygen and a feeding tube.”