John Prodger

English cricketer

John Prodger

Personal information

Full name|

John Michael Prodger

Born|  (1935-09-01) 1 September 1935 (age 89)
Forest Hill, London
Batting| Right-handed
Role| Batsman
Domestic team information
Years| Team
1956–1967| Kent

Source: Cricinfo, 5 April 2014

John Michael Prodger (born 1 September 1935) is an English former cricketer. He played in first-class and List A cricket matches for Kent County Cricket Club between 1956 and 1967 as a right-handed middle-order batsman.[1] He also played football as a goalkeeper.

## Life and career

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Prodger played in 161 matches for Kent, scoring three centuries and taking 175 catches for the county. He made his highest score when he opened the innings against Essex in 1961 and scored 170 not out before Kent declared at 377 for 5.[2][3] Regarded as an excellent fielder, Prodger took eight catches in a match against Gloucestershire in 1961, the record for catches in a match by a Kent outfielder.[4][5] In a match in 1963 he had the distinction of taking a catch whilst fielding as a substitute fielder for Middlesex and later scoring a half-century in the same innings, the only player known to have done so in first-class cricket.[4][6] He was awarded his county cap in 1965.[7]

Prodger also played football as a goalkeeper.[2][8] He began his career at Charlton but did not play a match for the side in the football league before moving to Dartford in 1953, playing for the side whilst he completed his national service. He moved to Margate where he played the majority of his career, making 102 appearances for the side. He also played in short spells at Gravesend and Northfleet and Sittingbourne in the Kent league and finished his career with Dartford in 1965.[9]

Prodger worked as a draughtsman at an engineering company in Dartford.[9]

## References

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1. ^ "John Prodger". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
2. ^ a b Kent Cricket's footballers, Kent County Cricket Club, 19 November 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
3. ^ John Michael Prodger, Past player profile, Kent County Cricket Club. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
4. ^ a b Rice J (2017) The curious incident of the umpire in the pond and other oddities of Kent cricket, Kent Cricket Heritage Trust, 5 October 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
5. ^ Milton H (2016) 'Fielding and Wicketkeeping Records' in Reid J (ed) 2016 Kent County Cricket Club Annual, pp.225–227, Canterbury: Kent County Cricket Club
6. ^ Mukherjee A (2015) Kent vs Middlesex: Umpires close innings as only three players turn up, Cricket Country, 6 November 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
7. ^ Kent County Cricket Club - Capped Male Players, Kent County Cricket Club. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
8. ^ "John Prodger". CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
9. ^ a b John Prodger, Margate Football Club History. Retrieved 24 December 2020.