Roger Vowles 1932 - 2023 RIP

 

Roger Vowles, born on 5th April 1932, was a right-hand bat and right-arm medium pacer. The all-rounder was playing cricket for Grimsby Town CC when Joe Hardstaff junior spotted him during a coaching session at his home club in the nets during the winter of 1952-53 which got him a successful trial with Notts in 1953. Vowles joined the Notts staff in 1954 appearing twice that season for Notts Seconds in friendly matches versus Derbyshire. He made his Minor Counties debut for Notts Seconds versus Lincolnshire the following season, in the town of his birth, Grimsby; not a notable home-coming, he bowled 13 wicketless overs across two innings and did not bat in Notts’ only innings. In 13 Minor Counties fixtures for Notts that summer, Vowles scored 509 runs @36.35 including an innings of 145* versus Leicestershire at Aylestone Road. He appeared in nine Minor Counties games in 1956 but achieved little.

In 1957, Vowles took four wickets in an innings for Notts Seconds three successive times and he was called up to make his first-class debut later that summer in a drawn fixture against Derbyshire at Ilkeston on 27th, 29th and 30th July. Batting at number seven he made his highest first-class score (54) in his maiden innings. In the second innings of the match, Vowles took 3-47. He appeared in a further three first-class matches that summer. Vowles only appeared in two first-class matches in 1958 and left the playing staff at the end of the season to become Secretary of the Notts CCC Supporters’ Association. He continued to make the odd appearance for the first-team, namely one in 1959, three in 1960 and six in 1961. His final first-class appearance was at Trent Bridge on 9th, 10th and 11th August 1961 when Yorkshire beat Notts by 207 runs with seven minutes to spare. His best first-class bowling figures was 4-106 against Essex at Chalkwell Park, Westcliff-on-Sea in June 1961. His career record for Notts was as follows:

 

BATTING	M	I		NO		RUNS		HS		AV’GE		CT		100	50		30		0
First-Class	16	28		3		292		54		11.68		7		-	1		2		4
BOWLING	OVERS		M		RUNS		W		AV’GE		ARPO		BPW			BB		5wI
First-Class	283		56		920		23		40.00		3.25		73.82			4-106		-

He carried on playing occasional games for Notts Seconds until 1969 making a total of 80 appearances for them scoring 1,778 runs @22.79 and taking 96 wickets @23.87. He played club cricket for Nottingham Mitre CC, Forest Amateurs CC and Woodborough CC. He also played soccer for Nottinghamshire FC in the Midland Amateur Alliance and in the Notts Thursday League with Notts Corinthians FC.

His role with the Supporters Association, whose office was situated within the ground at the back of the old ladies pavilion on the Hound Road side, was the first of a series of important administrative roles within the club. Making the move to a clerical post was something of a return for Vowles whose first job on leaving school, and before he tried to make his way playing cricket, was as a clerk in the fishing industry in Grimsby. In 1969, he retired from the job of Assistant Secretary to Notts CCC, a post he had held since April 1967, to take up a post outside cricket running a travel agency (Apartair Travel) with his former Notts team mate Norman Hill. He later ran Shire Holidays and Travel Limited based in Keyworth.

Roger Vowles died on 29th December 2023 aged 91 years in Nottingham. MAG