BORN TO BOWL
The life and times of Don Shepherd
Douglas Miller
Foreword by Tony Lewis
There
are few men in the history of cricket in Wales who have inspired greater
affection than Don Shepherd. In a recent poll to select an all-time
Glamorgan side, he received most votes.
Born
and brought up on the Gower Peninsula, he had played almost no organised
cricket when his potential as a bowler was spotted during National Service. He
served a year’s apprenticeship with the MCC at Lord’s, then returned to
Wales to play for Glamorgan from 1950 to 1972. A fast bowler in his early
years, he turned to off spin, and for many summers he was a reassuring
presence in the Glamorgan side, a man who could bowl all day and never lose
heart or fall from the high standards he set himself.
He
started out as a quiet young man in the rumbustious years of Wilf Wooller’s
captaincy, and he matured to become one of the wisest and most popular
cricketers on the county circuit, a valued lieutenant at the side of first
Ossie Wheatley, then Tony Lewis. His partnership with the latter, a perfect
example of the theory of captaincy as a two-man job, was so successful that
Glamorgan brought home the County Championship in the summer of 1969.
In
almost a quarter of a century of bowling, Don Shepherd took 2,218 first-class
wickets, yet he was never selected to play for England and thus holds the
record as the greatest wicket-taker never to play Test cricket. His lack of
recognition puzzles many of his contemporaries. ‘Had he been an
Australian,’ Richie Benaud is quoted as saying, ‘he would have played for
his country many, many times.’
In
a perceptive chapter Douglas Miller seeks an explanation for his
non-selection, but Don is not one to dwell on disappointment. “I’ve had a
wonderful time in cricket,” he says. “If the chance arose, I’d love to
do it all again.”
Douglas Miller’s book is a fitting tribute to a great Welsh sportsman.