Doug Padgett

Douglas Ernest Vernon Padgett (20 July 1934 – 20 January 2024) was an English cricketer, who played more than 500 first-class matches and represented England in Tests twice, both in 1960. Cricket writer Colin Bateman recorded Padgett was, "nimble, happy anywhere in the order, he was a great technician and one of the best batsmen of his era on a bad wicket". Padgett had an elder brother, Granville, who was also a professional cricketer. He played for Idle Cricket Club in 1951. In 1951, he became the youngest player then to play first-class cricket for Yorkshire, aged just 16 years and 320 days. Paul Jarvis broke Padgett's record in 1981.

In 1960, a tour by the South Africans, widely perceived as weak, led the England Test selectors to experiment with new batsmen, and Padgett played in the fourth and fifth matches. He was not a great success, and was one of a number of England players criticised in The Oval Test match for slow batting in the second innings.

Padgett went to New Zealand the following winter on an extensive Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) tour, but he was never picked again for England. Padgett failed to convert his innings into big scores, albeit registering 50 one hundred and twenty nine times in his first-class career, he reached the century mark only on thirty two occasions. This counted against him when the England selectors considered his promotion to further international duty.

Padgett retired from playing in 1971, much to the frustration of the new captain, Geoffrey Boycott, who relied on his counsel. Padgett then captained Yorkshire's second eleven, becoming assistant, then head coach.

Padgett died on 20 January 2024, at the age of 89.