Vale Kevin Howell
It is with great sadness that the Mitcham Cricket Club informs our members & supporters of the passing of Kevin Howell after a short battle with illness.
Kevin arrived at MCC as a junior in the 1973/74 season and played 7 seasons with Mitcham junior sides. It was a very successful period for the club & Kevin, as he was a big part of 3 premierships.
The 1978/79 season saw Kevin join the senior ranks and it took only 2 seasons until he made his debut in the First XI. The start of the 1980/81 season saw Kevin become the 433rd Mitcham 1st XI player, an honour he cherished until the end.
His stat's are outstanding;
• 142 senior games
• 2850 runs
• 2 centuries (122 no v Bulleen Templestowe S2 86/87 & 104 v Wattle Park C1 78/79)
• 105 First XI games for 2005 runs (Top score 80)
• 1986/87 McIntosh Shield premiership
• 96 Veterans games for 1984 runs
• 4 Veterans premierships
• Junior coach
Overall Kevin played 300 games for Mitcham and played in 8 premierships, a club record.
For his years of service, Life Membership was awarded in 2013. In 2014 he was admitted to the MCC Hall of Fame for his outstanding ability as a wicketkeeper, many would rate him as being one of the best seen in the BHRDCA.. These are the 2 highest individual awards that can be bestowed on any member of the club.
Kevin will be remembered as one of the toughest competitors the club had seen and a hard hitting, left handed, middle order batsman, that made valuable runs for his team. As previously mentioned, he was certainly regarded as possibly the best wicketkeeper in our long history, a job that seemed to run in the Howell family, as Bill, John & Reg were also were fine wicketkeepers for Mitcham.
Kevin standing up to the stumps to the fast bowlers was a common sight. His words of "your not a real keeper unless you take a legside stumping, off the opening bowler, with the new ball" will echo in the changerooms for years to come. He took many catches and stumpings over the years by keeping up to the stumps, and any balls he missed and hit him, the bruises were treated as a badge of honour.
A final honour was awarded in the 2020/21 season when one of our nets was named after the Howell family in recognition of the enormous contribution they have made to the MCC.
Kevin will be sorely missed by all at Mitcham CC and the wider cricket community, we will remember his innings, not the dismissal, and our heartfelt condolences go out to wife Lesa, daughters Rebecca, Jessica, Samantha & Gemma, mum Myrle, and brothers John & Reg and extended family.
Rest in Peace KH
#wearemitcham
