Kenneth 'Austin' Weeks RIP
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After doing well in the Camborne second eleven Austin was a leading member of the County Championship winning Camborne teams of the early sixties.
In 1963 he was fifth in the Senior Division 1 West batting averages just behind local legends Troon’s Jimmy Vincent and Brian Carter and brother Raymond Weeks.
He had a great all round season in 1966 averaging 31 with a top score of 60 and taking 36 wickets.
In 1968 he moved to Hayle as a professional and it saw success especially with the ball taking 51 and 44 wickets in successive seasons.
Then in 1970, along with brothers Raymond and John, he moved to St Gluvias where he featured as a fine all-rounder for a dozen seasons.
He hit a century and took 39 wickets at an average of only seven in successive seasons to see St Gluvias promoted to the top flight in 1971.
As well as making runs he took fifty or more wickets each season throughout the seventies to feature highly in the rankings.
By 1982 he was back home at Camborne and still performing well at the top level finishing seventh that year with 42 wickets.
He took 45 wickets the following season then in 1984 topped the Senior 1 West Averages with 55 wickets at an average of 10.49.
continued to take wickets each season in Senior 1 and celebrated his 50th year with a 12th-place ranking in 1987.
His one Cornwall Minor Counties Championship appearance was against Somerset Seconds at Falmouth in July 1965.
A Cornwall team that included the likes of Brian Laity, Robin Harvey, Brian Carter, Peter Kendall, Brian Read and Redruth wicketkeeper Martin Tobin who was making the last of 54 County appearances.
Batting at number eight Austin was dismissed for only 10 – but it did include a four and a six!
He was caught by Graham ‘Budgie’ Burgess and bowled by Peter Wight who both became First Class Umpires after ending their notable first-class Somerset careers.
In the Second innings, Austin was dismissed by Roy Palmer, another future first-class Umpire. who took 11 wickets in the match.
A young Terry Willetts, who went on to captain Falmouth and Cornwall in later years. hit the winning runs in Somerset’s nine-wicket win.
