Kevin Howells opened the autumn programme with his unique insights, humour and enthusiasm, which have made him one of our most popular speakers over the years. A surprise was in store before Kevin even began: our perennial favourite arrived armed with a laptop. “I’ve brought my laptop, maybe mainly because I’ve seen other speakers have laptops with them now,” he quipped, setting the tone for an entertaining evening.
It began with an engaging discussion of the One-Day Cup, Kevin’s favourite. Many may have expected him to start with Yorkshire and the season Anthony McGrath’s men had enjoyed across the formats. Instead, the celebrated broadcaster took members on a journey through the domestic circuit, covering the One-Day Cup, County Championship Divisions One and Two, and a few quick deliveries on The Hundred.
“I want to go through every team, all of them, briefly,” he explained. “I’m going to start at the bottom of Division Two and work my way up to Warwickshire.”
From the County Championship to another noteworthy international home summer, Kevin kept the room enthralled and ensured members were part of the discussion from start to finish. During the interval, he enjoyed a warm catch-up with Don Root, Joe Root’s grandfather, before closing another interactive session.
“What keeps me going is that I genuinely love the coaches, I love the players, I love the teams,” Kevin added. “I love the stories of who’s going to win and who’s not going to win.”
By Siddharth Thakur, Journalist