Kennedy to stand down as Colchester captain (From Gazette)

Kennedy to stand down as Colchester captain

9:59am Monday 14th September 2009 in

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Cricket clubs tend to have a figure who is not just a player or a member, but an institution.

At Colchester and East Essex, that man is Andrew Kennedy.

Not merely a persona at the centre of all things happening at the club, Kennedy has been regarded as one of the finest players in Essex club cricket for well over a decade.

But an era has come to an end after he announced his resignation as Colchester’s Shepherd Neame Essex League premier division captain following their final match of the season.

Part of the reason is that cricket is not his only talent.

“I am on the FIH (International Hockey Federation) promising list which means I am in the top 100 umpires in the world,” he said.

“I am umpiring a World Cup Qualifying tournament in Quilmes, Argentina in November which will be my biggest test yet.

“If this goes well this could put me on track to appear at perhaps the 2014 World Cup or the 2016 Olympic games.

“I’ve been captain for ten of the last 12 years at Colchester.

“Twelve years is a long time and it’s time for a change. I have more umpiring commitments expected in the future making me less available on Saturdays and I’m not getting any fitter or better as a cricketer.”

From captaining Colchester Royal Grammar School’s first XI and Essex’s youth sides, moving on to the captaincy at Colchester and East Essex was a natural progression.

Years were spent playing under the tutelage of Nigel Hilliard, currently chairman of Essex County Cricket Club, before Kennedy was able to do it his way in 1998.

He was captain of Colchester’s Sunday first team at the time, and armed with a jovial but intelligent demeanour which sat well with team-mates, he was the obvious choice.

Being one of the best players Colchester has produced in recent times has helped as well, with his unique but destructive style of batting bringing thousands of runs, and tidy medium pace bowling hundreds of wickets.

He said: “My first year in charge was the last year of there being 20 team divisions and we finished in the bottom half which meant we would be in division one and not the premier division.

“We came third in 1999 and were promoted in 2000 when we won division one.

“Ian Flanagan was captain in 2003 and 2004 as I was away because of work and we were relegated in 2003.

“However, we were promoted again in 2005 by finishing runners-up and my highest premier division finish came in 2001 and 2007 when we came fifth.”

Colchester’s biggest successes have come in the limited overs formats, where Kennedy’s quick-thinking has really been put to the test.

They won the League Cup in 2002, 2003 and 2008 and also won the Essex League Twenty20 in 2008 – a double which Kennedy sees as one of his best achievements.

He said: “Being division one champions in 2000 to get promoted to the premier division for first time was a real highlight, as the second XI won Second XI division one on the same day to get promoted to their premier division – there was a great night of celebrations after that.”

Kennedy, who led his team to a sixth place finish this season, has captained many cricketers over the last decade, some of whom have starred not just on the club scene, but in county cricket and international cricket.

“Playing with Napes (Graham Napier) was always a bonus – he was more destructive as a batsman in his days of club cricket than he was with the ball – but a fantastic talent nonetheless,” he said.

“I remember his 164 before lunch against Shenfield in 2001 at the age of 20 and his innings of 132 out of 170 on a wet wicket at Hutton when he was just 16.

“Ian Flanagan was one of the most prolific run scorers, although he’s been more recently surpassed by Julian Russell, who has done incredibly well in his four seasons at the club.

“The best overseas was John Ivulich – he was always reliable for a 50 and a few wickets and was regularly the best all rounder in the premier division in his four-year stint at the club.

“Captaining Peter Such shortly after he retired from first-class cricket was a pleasure.

“The best young talent I have seen is undoubtedly Reece Topley who made his first XI debut just a few weeks ago.

“At 15 he is one of the quickest bowlers in the league and took 4-36 last week so watch this space – this guy could go all the way.”

He may have resigned from the captaincy, but it’s not all over yet for Kennedy.

There is more cricket left in the man who can claim to have hit six sixes in an over and has regularly hit the ball out of the ground with his trademark hockey-style swat over mid-wicket.

“I will still be available for whatever team needs me and will still be on the club’s management committee doing whatever is required of me, but will take a step back from running the cricket,” he said.

“I may consider further captaincy opportunities in the future whether that be the Saturday twos or Sunday ones but not at this time – I want to just turn up and enjoy my cricket for a bit.

“I’ve played in many sporting teams throughout my career as a non-captain and to be perfectly honest will now quite enjoy a more relaxing day in the field.”

l Julian Russell has agreed to take over the captaincy from Kennedy, subject to approval at the club’s Annual General Meeting.