Kent County Cricket Club announce 2014 President
Tuesday 28th January 2014
Kent County Cricket Club today announced the Club President for 2014. Former Kent Cricketer, and current Chairman of Cricket, Graham Johnson will assume the position at the Club’s AGM on 2nd April.
In time honoured tradition the outgoing President Bob ‘the Cat’ Bevan MBE, nominated his successor at a recent meeting of the Past Presidents of the Club.
Bob ‘the Cat’ Bevan MBE, who first got involved with the Club through Graham Johnson’s Benefit Year in 1983 commented, “Graham Johnson was a “stand out” candidate to become President given almost a half a century of service to the Club as a player and official. He will continue, as he always been, to be an excellent ambassador for Kent”.
Graham Johnson, born in Beckenham, Kent, made his first class debut for the county in 1965 and was a key player throughout Kent’s ‘glory years’ of the 1970’s. He played 376 first class matches for Kent – scoring 12,509 runs (11 hundreds and 13 fifties) and took 560 wickets (including five wickets in an innings on 23 occasions). He also played 302 one day matches amassing 5666 runs and taking 104 wickets. He was capped in 1970 and became Chairman of Cricket in 2004.
Reacting to the news, he said “I have seen firsthand, over many years, the delight shown by past Kent Presidents in their appointment and the way they have enjoyed their year in office. That has been particularly evident in “the year of the Cat”. I particularly appreciate having been his nomination for President and to hear his reasoning for that nomination. Being President is a great honour.
I want to be a “hands on” President hence my desire to combine the role of President with the work of continuing to build the foundations for the future of our Club. This is a very positive time for the Club, it having emerged stronger and better equipped through the challenges of the recent past and to be President in a year which builds on recent achievements is hugely pleasing. In particular as someone who grew up at the London end of Kent, playing in the Metropolitan Area team of the old Association of Kent Cricket Clubs and now seeing the development of a real presence back in the area with all that is being done at Beckenham ready for 2015.
My formative years at Kent were at a time when success on the field had been a while coming but then, as now, the support in and around the county was never in doubt. The various strands built in such a positive way that meant special times emerged. Again being part of that sort of atmosphere on and off the field will be a huge privilege and I hope will put a smile on the faces of many”.
A graduate of the London School of Economics he enjoyed a corporate career with Barclays Bank, Save and Prosper, Flemings,Egg Plc. and Prudential Plc. He is currently a Director of TALTalent Ltd– a specialist search, recruitment, assessment and people development company. He has been a supporter of TheLord's Taverners for many years both as amember of theCricket Committee and player until his body told him enough was enough. He has also been a leading light in Kent's own Hoppers' Tie Club.