Doug Slade was 17 when he made his county debut for Worcestershire in 1958, and with his second ball he took a wicket, finishing the summer with 52 wickets at 17.11. In 1960 he took 97 wickets, his best return, and also chipped in with 573 runs, but he missed almost all of the following season after sustaining a serious ankle injury playing football in the winter. He returned midway through 1962, and in 1963-64 was chosen in a Commonwealth XI to tour Pakistan, playing in three unofficial Tests - he made 74 not out in the second match and took 6 for 126 in the third. His contributions to the back-to-back Championships was significant, and as his career progressed he became a useful late middle-order batsman, hitting his only first-class hundred in 1969. He left the county after his benefit in 1971 but continued playing in the Birmingham League. In 1978 he scored 1407 runs for West Bromwich Dartmouth, including seven hundreds. He also played Minor Counties cricket for Shropshire. He was on the Worcestershire committee between 1981 and 1992.
Martin Williamson

• The first one-day final (Aug 18, 2007)