Friday, October 6th, 2023

PRIDE AT PLAYERS’ PLAYER AWARD NAMED AFTER LEGENDARY TOM GRAVENEY

Tom Graveney’s son has spoken of his pride after Worcestershire renamed their annual Players’ Players award after the legendary batter.

Tim Graveney presented the trophy to the 2023 winner, Jake Libby, during Saturday’s Gala Awards Evening in the Chestnut Marquee.

He believes the newly named trophy will every year bring back memories for Worcestershire supporters of Tom and the first golden era for the club.

They won the County Championship in 1964 and 1965, finished runners-up in 1963 and 1966, and also reached the final of the Gillette Cup (One Day Cup) in 1963 and 1966.

Tom completed 100 first class centuries during that first Championship triumph, the first player who began his career after the Second World War to achieve that feat.

He earned a Test call against the West Indies in 1966, scoring a memorable 165 during the Oval Test, and was Worcestershire captain from 1968 until his retirement in 1970.

Tim Graveney said: “It is a great honour, a lovely and a fantastic memory for the family connection with the club, and wonderful for myself to hand over the award to Jake Libby.

“Every year, when the award is made, it will have people looking back to the side which won the County Championship in 1964 and 1965 and relate it to dad (Tom), Don Kenyon, Basil D’Oliveira and all those great players.

“It brings the legacy forward and hopefully also the young players will hear that name and go and dig into who Tom was and see the 122 hundreds and look back at things like three of the players in history who have scored 100 first class hundreds played for Worcestershire.”

New Zealand opener Glenn Turner and another legend in Graeme Hick also achieved the feat, and the latter actually hit 100 centuries for Worcestershire.