A discussion on Test Match Special yesterday regarding England's latest Test player Oliver Pope, went on to remember other players with the same Christian name. One that came up was Roland Oliver Jenkins, known to everyone simply as 'Roly'. He was a leg spinner who played for Worcestershire and England with great distinction and was a good enough batsman to have completed the double of one thousand runs and one hundred wickets in a season.
I remember him so well from my schooldays in the early 1950s when I watched him play for Worcestershire at Worcester and Dudley. Always outwardly cheerful, he bowled with his cap on often in partnership with slow left armer Dick Howarth, who did likewise. He appeared to walk with a nautical, rolling gait and was always good for a laugh. In a team of memorable characters including stalwart opening bowler Reg Perks, wicketkeeper Hugo Yarnold and a young batsman called Don Kenyon, Jenkins was always the life and soul of the party.
Chris Oldnall, former cricket correspondent of the Worcester News recalls Jenkins' first ever wicket in county cricket which came against the very strong Yorkshire side of 1938 at Bradford Park Avenue. The 19 year old had the temerity to clean bowl none other than Yorkshire and England batsman Maurice Leyland. To his credit Leyland strolled down the wicket to say ' Very well bowled, sonny'. The first bit would be appreciated, but not sure about the final comment.
His sense of humour apparently did not go down well with the powers that be and he was only selected to play in nine Test matches when many people thought he should have been a regular. Never one to appreciate the amateurs who dominated the game he wrote a piece on spin bowling for the Cricketer and R.W.V. Robins of Middlesex said to him 'That was a very good article, Jenkins. Who wrote it for you?'. To which he immediately replied 'I wrote it myself, sir. Who read it for you?'.
Stephen Chalke recalls a remark he made once in Glasgow when he beat the Rev. Jim Aitchison, a very useful basman, repeatedly before coming down to the wicket to come out with the following -
'They say your a vicar. With your luck you'll be Archbishop of Canterbury. Other sources suggest a similar remark was once made to the Rev. David Sheppard of Sussex.
After touring South Africa in 1948-49. without much success in the Tests but plenty of wickets in other matches, he probably had his best season in 1949 when he took most wickets and also completed over a thousand runs to become one of Wisden's five cricketers of the year. He continued to play the odd game for England in 1950 and 1952, but his later cricketing years were spent as a valuable senior professional and occasional captain of his beloved Worcestershire.
After problems with injuries his form deserted him in 1957 and his contract was terminated
during 1958. However his cricketing days were far from over as he joined West Bromwich Dartmouth as professional in the Birmingham League and continued to play for them for a full fifteen seasons. A remarkable record for this splendid cricket enthusiast. He would still watch Worcestershire, walking round the ground, smoking his pipe, and always willing to talk to anyone about cricket.
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