🌟 Famous Faces at Linton Park

Laura Boorman

Laura Claire Boorman is a Kent cricketer, born in Chatham on 26 October 1985. A right-handed batter, she represented Kent Women in limited-overs cricket between 2003 and 2007, and played in the 2005 European Cup, scoring 109 runs in three matches with a top score of 53. She now plays for Linton Park, a mainstay of the club's women's cricket and a genuine all-rounder — passing 500 runs and taking 18 wickets across 2025 and 2026.

Mark Benson

Mark Richard Benson is an English former cricketer and umpire. A left-handed batsman, Benson played for Kent for 17 years and represented England in one Test match and one One Day International in 1986. He later took up umpiring and was on the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires. In January 2016 he retired as an umpire.

Wykeham Stanley Cornwallis

Colonel Wykeham Stanley Cornwallis, 2nd Baron Cornwallis, was a British peer, cavalry officer and amateur cricketer. He served during the First World War and was later prominent in public life in the county of Kent, holding a range of public offices. He played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club, captaining the team between 1926 and 1928 and succeeded his father Fiennes Cornwallis, 1st Baron Cornwallis as Baron Cornwallis in 1935.

David Fulton

David Paul Fulton is a former English professional cricketer who played for 15 seasons for Kent County Cricket Club. He played as a right-handed opening batsman who occasionally bowled left-arm orthodox spin. Since retiring from first-class cricket in 2006 he has been a cricket journalist with The Times and Sky Sports. Fulton was born in Lewisham in Greater London in 1971.

Alan Dixon

Alan Leonard Dixon is a former English professional cricketer. He played for Kent County Cricket Club between 1950 and 1970.

Alex Tait

Alex Ross Tait is a New Zealand cricketer. He played in five One Day Internationals for New Zealand in the late 1990s.

Arran Brindle

Arran Brindle is an English former cricketer who played as an all-rounder. She was a right-handed batter and right-arm medium bowler. She appeared in 11 Test matches, 88 One Day Internationals and 35 Twenty20 Internationals for England between 1999 and 2014. She played county cricket for Lancashire and Sussex, and played in the Women's Cricket Super League for the Southern Vipers.

Arthur Phebey

Arthur Henry Phebey was an English cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club between 1946 and 1961. He played in 327 first-class cricket matches during his career as a right-handed opening batsman.

Austin Parsons

Austin Edward Werring Parsons is a Scottish-born former cricketer who played for Auckland and Sussex.

Bailey Wightman

Bailey John Wightman is an English-born Australian cricketer. He made his first-class cricket debut for Kent County Cricket Club against Sussex on 12 July 2021 in the 2021 County Championship. Wightman made his debut as a second-day replacement for Nathan Gilchrist who had been asked to self-isolate following a close contact testing positive for COVID-19. Wightman was the sixth Kent debutant in the match. Five other players made their debut on the first day of the match, following another member of the county's First XI squad testing positive for COVID-19, which required the players involved in the county's previous match to all self-isolate. As a result, a number of Second XI players or "homegrown prospects" were drafted into the squad and made their senior debuts for the county.

Ben Phillips

Ben James Phillips is an English cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club until his release in 2013. He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium pace bowler.

Brent Arnel

Brent John Arnel is a New Zealand former professional cricketer who has played six Test matches for the national side. A fast bowler, he represented Northern Districts and Wellington in a domestic career that began in 2006.

Chris Dale

Christopher Stephen Dale is an English former professional cricketer. Born at Canterbury in Kent, Dale was a spin bowler who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and Kent County Cricket Club during the 1980s.

Claire Taylor

Samantha Claire Taylor is a former cricketer who represented England more than 150 times between 1998 and 2011. A top order batter, Taylor was the first woman to be named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year. Along with Charlotte Edwards, she was the mainstay of England's batting during the first decade of the 21st century, and played a key role in the team's two world titles in 2009.

Colin Cowdrey

Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge was an English cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club from 1950 to 1976, and in 114 Test matches for England from 1954 to 1975. He was born in Ootacamund, Madras Presidency, British India and died in Littlehampton, West Sussex.

Darren Scott

Darren Anthony Scott is an English former professional cricketer. Scott played for Kent County Cricket Club as a left-handed batsman who bowled off break deliveries. He was born at Canterbury in Kent in 1972.

David Clark

David Graham Clark was an English cricketer, cricket administrator and British Army officer.

David Sayer

David Michael Sayer was an English professional cricketer. He played for Kent County Cricket Club between 1955 and 1976.

Derek Ufton

Derek Gilbert Ufton was an English professional cricketer and footballer, and later a football manager. Playing professionally for Kent County Cricket Club as a wicket-keeper and Charlton Athletic Football Club, Ufton won a single international cap for the England national football team in 1953. He went on to manage Plymouth Argyle. At the time of his death, in March 2021 at the age of 92, he was England's oldest living international footballer.

Derek Underwood

Derek Leslie Underwood was an English international cricketer. In retirement he became president of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 2008.

Dilip Doshi

Dilip Rasiklal Doshi was an Indian cricketer from Bengal though his origin goes back to Gujarat. He played in 33 Test matches and 15 One Day Internationals from 1979 to 1983.

Eddie Stanford

Edward John Stanford is a former English cricketer. Stanford was a left-handed batsman who bowled slow left-arm orthodox. He was born at Dartford, Kent.

Fred Ridgeway

Frederick Ridgway was an English professional cricketer who played in five Test matches for the England cricket team on the 1951–52 tour of India. Ridgway played county cricket as a fast bowler for Kent County Cricket Club between 1946 and 1961.

Gayashan Munasinghe

Gayashan Ranga de Silva Munasinghe is a Sri Lankan-born Italian cricketer. Munasinghe is a right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm medium-fast.

George Downton

George Charles Downton was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club. He played as a wicket-keeper.

Grace Scrivens

Grace Elizabeth Scrivens is an English cricketer who currently plays for Essex and Trent Rockets. An all-rounder, she is a left-handed batter and right-arm off break bowler. She previously played for Sunrisers.

Graham Cowdrey

Graham Robert Cowdrey was an English cricketer.

Harry Houillon

Harry Fraser Houillon is an English cricketer. He made his first-class cricket debut for Kent County Cricket Club against Sussex on 11 July 2021 in the 2021 County Championship following a member of the county's First XI squad testing positive for COVID-19 which required the players involved in the county's previous match to all self-isolate. As a result, a number of Second XI players or "homegrown prospects" were drafted into the squad and made their senior debuts for the county.

James Graham-Brown

James Martin Hilary Graham-Brown is a former English professional cricketer and schoolteacher. He is now a playwright who writes under the pen name Dougie Blaxland.

James Hockley

James Bernard Hockley is an English former professional cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club.

Jim Howgego

James Alan Howgego, known as Jim Howgego, was an English cricketer who played in one first-class cricket match for Kent County Cricket Club during the 1977 season. He was born in Folkestone in Kent in 1948.

Joe Denly

Joseph Liam Denly is an English professional cricketer who plays for Kent County Cricket Club. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional leg break bowler who plays as a top-order batsman. Denly played age-group cricket for Kent and began his professional career with the county before moving to Middlesex for three seasons between 2012 and 2014. He won the Professional Cricketers' Association Player of the Year award in 2018 and was named the season's Most Valuable Player.

John Dye

John Cooper James Dye is a former English professional cricketer.

John Prodger

John Michael Prodger is an English former cricketer. He played in first-class and List A cricket matches for Kent County Cricket Club between 1956 and 1967 as a right-handed middle-order batsman. He also played football as a goalkeeper.

John Salako

John Akin Salako is an English former professional football player, coach, and sports television pundit.

Julian Wilson

Julian David Bonhote Wilson was an Englishman who was BBC Television's horse racing correspondent from 1966 until his retirement in 1997. He was succeeded by Clare Balding. Between 1969 and 1992, he was one of the commentators for the Grand National and, for a time, had editorial control over the BBC's midweek racing coverage. He was born in Sidmouth, Devon. His father was the Daily Mirror sportswriter Peter Wilson, his grandfather the Times and Mirror sportswriter Frederic Wilson.

Ken MacLeay

Kenneth Hervey MacLeay is a former English-born Australian cricketer.

Kevin Jarvis

Kevin Bertram Sidney Jarvis is a former English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Kent and Gloucestershire. He was an out-and-out bowler and poor batsman who almost always batted at number 11.

Kevin Masters

Leslie Compton

Leslie Harry Compton was an English sportsman who played football and cricket for Arsenal and Middlesex, respectively. He gained two England caps late in his football career, and remains the oldest outfield player to debut for England. His brother, Denis, was also a footballer and cricketer for Arsenal and Middlesex, though Leslie was more successful in football and Denis in cricket.

Mark Rushmere

Mark Weir Rushmere is a former South African cricketer who played one Test match and four One Day Internationals (ODIs) for South Africa in 1992.

Martin McCague

Martin John McCague is a former professional cricketer who played for the England cricket team in three Test matches in 1993 and 1994. McCague was born in Northern Ireland and grew up in Australia where he began his professional career.

Matt Walker

Matthew Jonathan Walker, known as Matt Walker, is a retired English professional cricketer and former head coach of Kent County Cricket Club. Walker was appointed as head coach in January 2017 having been assistant coach at the county since the 2014 season and held the role until the end of the 2024 season. He played for Kent for 16 seasons until 2008 and then for three seasons for Essex until he retired in 2011.

Matthew Fleming

Matthew Valentine Fleming is a former British Army officer and professional cricketer who represented Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team. He was President of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) from 2016 to 2017.

Mike Denness

Michael Henry Denness was a Scottish cricketer who played for England, Scotland, Kent and Essex.

Min Patel

Minal Mahesh Patel is a retired Indian-born English cricketer who made two appearances in Test cricket for the England cricket team. He was a right-handed batsman and a slow left arm bowler, who primarily played for Kent County Cricket Club. As of 2018 he is the Second XI coach at Kent.

Neil Taylor

Neil Royston Taylor, is a former cricketer who played first-class and List A cricket for Kent and Sussex for 20 seasons between 1979 and 1998.

Paul Downton

Paul Rupert Downton is a retired cricketer and cricket administrator.

Paul Farbrace

Paul Farbrace is the Head Coach of Sussex and a former professional cricketer.

Pranav Dhanawade

Pranav Prashant Dhanawade is an Indian cricketer from Kalyan, Maharashtra who holds the world record for the most runs scored in one innings. Stretching across two days on 4 and 5 January 2016, he became the first person to score more than 1,000 runs in one innings in an officially recognised match. Dhanawade scored 1,009 not out from 327 balls for K. C. Gandhi High School of the Kalyan administrative district, breaking the 116-year-old record of 628 not out set by English schoolboy A. E. J. Collins in 1899.

Richard Hills

Richard Hutton

Richard Anthony Hutton is a former English cricketer, who played in five Test matches for the England cricket team in 1971. A right-handed batsman and right-arm seam bowler, Hutton's bowling was probably his stronger discipline, but he was considered an all-rounder. He played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club. He is the son of cricketer Len Hutton, described by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack as "one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket."

Ron Thresher

Ronald Stanley Thresher, known as Ron Thresher, was an English cricketer who played five first-class cricket matches between 1957 and 1958.

Simon Hinks

Simon Graham Hinks is a former English professional cricketer. He played for Kent County Cricket Club and Gloucestershire County Cricket Club between 1982 and 1994, scoring over 8,700 runs in first-class cricket. Since retirement he has coached cricket and worked in sports administration at the University of Bristol.

Simon Willis

Simon Charles Willis is an English former professional cricketer. A wicket-keeper, he enjoyed a seven-year career with Kent County Cricket Club, before moving into a variety of coaching roles at the club.

Steve Marsh

Steven Andrew Marsh, is a former English cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper, and played for Kent County Cricket Club for his entire career, between 1982 and 1999. He was appointed club captain in 1997 and continued in that role until the end of the 1998 season. He was capped by Kent in 1986.

Stuart Waterton

Stuart Nicholas Varney Waterton is an English former professional cricketer. Waterton was a right-handed batsman who fielded as a wicket-keeper. He was born at Dartford in Kent in 1960.

Tim Booth-Jones

Timothy Douglas Booth Jones is a former English cricketer. Booth Jones was a right-handed batsman. He was born at Dover, Kent, and was educated at Hastings Grammar School, before attending St Luke's, Exeter. He now teaches history at a school in Tunbridge Wells.

Tim Wren

Timothy Neil Wren is an English former professional cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club during the 1990s.

Vince Wells

Vincent John Wells is an English former professional cricketer. He played nine Limited Overs Internationals for the England cricket team during January–April 1999 and was a member of the squad for the 1999 Cricket World Cup. A career highlight was an all-round performance in the first final of the Carlton & United Series against Australia, when Wells took three top-order wickets and then scored a quick, stroke-filled 33.

Andy Zaltzman

Andrew Zaltzman is a British comedian and cricket statistician. His comedy largely deals in topical and sport-related material. He has worked with John Oliver, with their work together including Political Animal, The Department and The Bugle. Since 2016 he has been a cricket statistician for BBC Radio's Test Match Special cricket commentaries, and since 2020 the presenter of Radio 4's The News Quiz. On television, in 2024, he won the eighteenth series of Taskmaster against Babatunde Aléshé, Emma Sidi, Jack Dee and Rosie Jones famously coining the catch phrase “Nexus of Truth”.

Charlie Shreck

Charles Edward Shreck is an English former professional cricketer who has also played first-class cricket in New Zealand. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler.

David Halfyard

David John Halfyard was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club and Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club between 1956 and 1970. He was primarily a bowler and took nearly 1,000 wickets during his first-class career. He also played Minor County cricket for Northumberland, Durham and Cornwall. Following a road traffic accident in 1962, Halfyard retired from cricket to become an umpire but was able to return to the game in 1968.

Geraint Jones

Geraint Owen Jones is a former cricketer who played for both England and Papua New Guinea. Born to Welsh parents in Papua New Guinea, Jones was the first-choice wicketkeeper for the England cricket team between 2004 and 2006. He later played international cricket for Papua New Guinea from 2012 to 2014. He announced his retirement from first-class cricket in July 2015 following his resignation as the first-class cricket captain of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.

Grahame Clinton

Grahame Selvey Clinton is a former English professional cricketer. He was an opening batsman who played for Kent County Cricket Club from 1974 to 1978 and for Surrey County Cricket Club from 1979 to 1990.

Ryana Macdonald-Gay

Ryana Lucelle MacDonald-Gay is an English cricketer who currently plays for Surrey and Manchester Super Giants. She plays as a right-handed batter and right-arm medium bowler.

Played age-group cricket against Linton Park for Addington Village CC - Under 15 Pythons (2017–2017) on the way up.

Scott Mckechnie

Scott McKechnie is an English-born cricketer who plays for the Hong Kong cricket team.

Bob Wilson

Robert Colin Wilson is a former cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club from 1952 to 1967. Born in Bapchild in Kent in 1928, he appeared in 365 first-class cricket matches for the county as well as in five List A cricket matches towards the end of his career. He was awarded his county cap in 1954.

John Larking

John Gordon Larking was an English cricketer who played briefly for Kent County Cricket Club after the Second World War. Larking was a right-handed opening batsman. He was born at Loose in Kent and was educated at Charterhouse School.

John Pocock

Howard John Pocock was an English amateur cricketer. He played for Kent County Cricket Club between 1947 and 1949.

Mark Beeney

Mark Raymond Beeney is an English football coach and former professional footballer, who is a goalkeeping coach for Premier League side Chelsea's reserve and youth teams.

Matt Coles

Matthew Thomas Coles is an English former professional cricketer. He played as a bowling all-rounder who bowled right-arm fast-medium pace and batted left-handed. He most recently was contracted to Essex County Cricket Club and has represented the England Lions cricket team. Coles played for Kent for two spells either team of spending 18 months at Hampshire in 2014. In 2016 he joined Bangladesh Premier League team Dhaka Dynamites for part of their season.

Maurice Fenner

Maurice David Fenner was an English military airman and amateur cricketer. He rose to the rank of Group Captain in the Royal Air Force, played first-class cricket for Combined Services and Kent County Cricket Club and was secretary of the county club in later life.

Tom Parsons

Thomas William Parsons is an Australian-born English former professional cricketer who played as a bowler for Kent, Hampshire, and Middlesex in county cricket, and for Loughborough UCCE in varsity cricket.