Ken Suttle

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack obituary

SUTTLE, KENNETH GEORGE, died on March 25, 2005, aged 76, while on holiday in Mauritius. Ken Suttle was a left-handed bat who was, in Robin Marlar's words, "the spirit of Sussex on the cricket field" for nearly two decades and, between 1954 and 1969, set a record that will almost certainly never even be remotely threatened: 423 consecutive County Championship appearances. Innate fitness helped him sustain that run, but he was also always available for Sussex because the England selectors remained uninterested. Suttle did get close to a cap on his only England tour, to the West Indies in 1953-54, when his 96 and 62 against a strong Barbados side put him in line for a place in the Bridgetown Test, but Len Hutton, the captain, preferred Charles Palmer, the amateur manager. Fred Trueman was incensed on behalf of his fellow pro: "I thought it was grossly unfair," he wrote. Suttle was a quick-footed, unorthodox player who loved to cut and pull, and a fidget at the crease: "an endless bat-kicker and a real heel-kicker," according to Marlar. He made his debut in 1949, and played on for Sussex until 1971, passing 1,000 runs in 17 successive seasons from 1953 to 1969. He finished with 30,225 runs at 31.09 in 612 first-class matches, with 49 centuries - one of them a double, 204 not out against Kent at Tunbridge Wells in 1962. He also took 266 wickets with his flat slow left-armers, 384 catches, and three stumpings as a stand-in wicketkeeper. After leaving Sussex he played for Suffolk for two seasons, ran an equipment shop, then turned to coaching at Christ's Hospital. He made three first-team appearances on the left wing for Brighton in 1949. Les Lenham, a long-time friend and team-mate, recalled: "Ken was an amazing cricketer and the consummate professional."