The Surfer

Living with the Cowdrey name

It is a name as famous as any in English cricket, but the grandsons of Colin Cowdrey (and sons of Chris) - Fabian and Julius - are determined it will not be a burden as their careers take very different paths. Fabian is in the Kent first team, but Julius' life lies away from cricket. Richard Edwards spoke to both of them for the Indepedent.
The family name brings added pressures, of course. Chris followed in his father's footsteps when captaining England for a single Test match in a truly dismal summer in 1988 and their uncle, Graham, was also part of the Kent furniture for 13 seasons from 1984-97. There are clear signs, though, that Fabian is comfortable with the levels of expectation that have followed him since he broke his grandfather's scoring records at Tonbridge as a schoolboy. "The only pressure [the name brings] really is the pressure that I've created myself," he says. "Pressure can build up in your head but it's all in your hands.