KENT’S greatest post-war bowler Derek Underwood has led the tributes to former county team-mate Bob Woolmer who died in hospital at the weekend after being found unconscious in a hotel room in Jamaica.

Underwood, who this week stood down as Kent president and who played alongside the all-rounder in 16 of his 19 Test appearances, said Woolmer's boyish enthusiasm for the game was infectious.

He said: “It was desperately sad news and my immediate thoughts were for his wife Gill and their boys Russell and Dale. It was devastating for them and all came completely out of the blue.

“This possibly reflects on the amount of pressure put on cricket managers and coaches these days and, what with the disappointment of losing to Ireland, it must have been worrying and very pressurised time for Bob."

Recalling the start of Woolmer’s career, Underwood said: "When he joined us in 1968 Kent were a fully experienced side and Bob had to bat at eight or nine, even though he was clearly going to be a good player.

"It was just a case that he had to start in those positions and gradually work his way though the order.

"He became a very high quality player, scoring two hundreds against Australia at Lord’s and Old Trafford in 1977 that were pretty instrumental in us winning the Ashes, and I was staggered he only played 19 Tests.

"He had a boyish enthusiasm for the game and I believe that contributed toward making him such a successful coach and manager. Generally, if the coach is enthusiastic it rubs off on the players.

"In my time, if ever a player was worried about his form they would turn to Knotty (Alan Knott) or Bob for advice and he would always offer a different view.

"He was a good man to have on your side. He was the best ball-shiner we had and a great close fielder. He fielded at short-leg to my bowling in the days before helmets and was as courageous as they came."

Another member of Kent’s side of the glory years and Woolmer’s former room-mate, Graham Johnson, recalled his love for the game.

Johnson, who is nowadays Kent's chairman of cricket, said: "He was a fun person to be with, with a big passion for the game and its traditions, but at the same time always wanting to move the game forward. The underlying feeling was that he always wanted Kent to do well.

"At that time Kent were on a roll. There was an atmosphere about the side that Bob helped build.

"If you look back at it, at that stage the county hadn’t won anything since 1913, yet we had a bunch of four or five Test players, some good overseas players and a band of youngsters including Bob, who came in and helped us develop into a winning side.

"We had a Kent A team and a Kent B team in those days. We used to joke and enjoy a fair bit of banter about that back then, and it is testament to Bob that he quickly moved into the A team.

"The way he played the game was impressive for his age. He was serious and concentrated about it, but he had a good balance between wanting to win and having a bit of fun at the same time.

"When I heard the news I thought back to one particular performance that epitomised Bob as a man. It was when Kent beat the Australians at Canterbury in 1975 when we chased 350-odd to win.

"I remember 'Kipper' (Colin Cowdrey) scored a hundred with Bob playing carefully, supporting and watching from the other end. It was almost the master and protege seeing off the Aussies together, which was pretty special.

"The Australians had set us a target that they believed impossible and they had hoped to be on the bus and away early with a draw safely under their belts.

"There is a sadness now that, because of his international commitments of late, we had not had more contact over the past few years.

“The last time we really had time for a chat was at Beckenham a couple of years back when he came to collect his numbered Kent cap, but it was clear then that he was in touch and fully up to speed with what was happening at Kent and that the club was always close to his heart."

Former England seam bowler and ex-Warwickshire skipper and committee man, Tim Munton, said Woolmer will be remembered as one of the game's most innovative coaches and the first to embrace computerised video coaching techniques.

Munton said: "I worked very closely with him back in the early 1990s, but he has since become renowned as one of the most challenging and innovative coaches of his generation.

"Wherever he’s been around the world he has won respect. He challenged everything, from the way you prepared for the game to the technology and how that should be used.

"I am ure his team-mates from Kent will tell you what he was like as a player, but I had some great times with him when he was our coach and I am sure the guys from South African and Pakistan would say the same of him since. He will be sadly missed by us all."

Chairman of Kent County Cricket Club, Carl Openshaw said: “Everyone at the club is shocked and saddened.

“Bob was one of Kent's finest all-round cricketers and played a key role in the club’s hugely successful side which won so many trophies in the 1970s.

“He was a dedicated and highly professional player and carried these same qualities into his subsequent career, when he became one of the most innovative and highly regarded coaches in world cricket.

"Although he had lived in South Africa for many years, he always retained a keen interest in Kent cricket and will be greatly missed by his many friends in Kent.”

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