Neil Durden-Smith

Last updated

Neil Durden-Smith

OBE
Governor General Lord Cobham at the Kelliher art exhibition.jpg
Durden-Smith (left) with Lord Cobham in 1958
Personal information
Born (1933-08-18) 18 August 1933 (age 91)
Richmond-upon-Thames, Surrey, England
BattingRight-handed
RoleBatsman
Relations Judith Chalmers (m. 1964)
Mark Durden-Smith (son)
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches4
Runs scored111
Batting average 22.20
100s/50s0/1
Top score50
Catches/stumpings 0/–
Source: Cricket Archive, 27 November 2014

Neil Durden-Smith (born 18 August 1933) is an English former sports commentator. He was previously a naval officer and played a small number of first-class cricket matches.

Contents

Life and career

Durden-Smith was educated at Aldenham School and the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon. His service as an officer in the Royal Navy from 1952 to 1963 included a period as aide-de-camp to the Governor-General of New Zealand, Lord Cobham, from 1957 to 1959. [1] He worked as a radio and television sports commentator and producer in England from the 1960s to the 1990s, often covering hockey.

He played four matches of first-class cricket in the 1960s. His highest scores were 33 and 50 in his first match, for Combined Services against Nottinghamshire in 1961. [2]

Durden-Smith was appointed OBE in 1997. [3] He has been married to Judith Chalmers, a television presenter, since 1964. They have a son, Mark, who is also a television presenter, and a daughter.

References

  1. "People of today: Neil Durden-Smith".
  2. "Nottinghamshire v Combined Services 1961". cricketarchive.com.
  3. NEIL DURDEN-SMITH OBE British Sports Commentator Pictured at Buckingham Palace after receiving his OBE