Norman Kilner

Norman Kilner, who died at his Birmingham home on April 28, a few weeks short of his 84th birthday, was a sound right-hand bat who played for Yorkshire from 1919 to 1923 and Warwickshire from 1924 to 1937. In all first-class matches he scored 17,522 runs (ay. 30.37) with a highest score of 228 at Worcester in 1935 (during which he made a pre-lunch century), and 24 other hundreds. Kilner was also a fine fielder and an occasional, though eccentric, bowler who once bowled three balls of an over with his right arm and then switched to his left. Kilner, brother of England player Roy and uncle of Yorkshire left-hander Irving Washington, was a Yorkshire professional of the old school immortalised by Sir Neville Cardus. Cricket was a serious business and woe betide anyone who tried to treat the subject lightly. After his retirement he continued to visit Edgbaston, and even last season he remained marvellous company with his sensible and hard-headed views on current cricket, spiced by the unconscious humour caused by his intense seriousness -- all given in an accent which to his dying day remained as broad as the Yorkshire acres which he had left more than fifty years before. He will certainly be missed at Edgbaston this season - not least by his old 'sparring partner', 'Tiger' Smith. Their verbal joustings were wonderfully educational - while although their friendship was based more on mutual respect than affection I am certain that those two outwardly abrasive characters were the kindest of men. Norman has gone - long may Tiger flourish.
Wisden Cricket MOnthly