Kevin Lyons has had a lifetime in professional cricket – as a player, coach, umpire and talent scout.
The Cardiff-born cricketer joined the Glamorgan staff in 1967 and showed promise as a top-order batsman and medium-pace bowler. He was the regular 12th man during the Championship-winning summer of 1969 before playing a match-winning innings at Sophia Gardens against the 1971 Pakistani’s. However, with Glamorgan opting for Bryan David, and then Roy Fredericks as their opening batsman, Kevin found his opportunities restricted.
In 1972 he announced his retirement from the first-class game to become the county`s assistant coach and 2nd XI captain, and for the next twelve years he helped to groom the next generation of Glamorgan cricketers besides seeing his young charges win the Warwick Pool Under25 competition in 1980 and the Second Eleven Championship the following year.
During the 1970`s, Kevin also acted as coach to Western Province in South Africa, whilst in both 1976 and 1977 he returned to Glamorgan`s side when they were hit by injuries. With Alan Jones taking over the 2nd XI duties in 1984, Kevin then became a first-class umpire, but he returned to coaching in 1992 when he took over as Head Coach of Worcestershire.
Kevin then reverted back to umpiring in 1996, before in 2000 becoming the Head Coach of the Cardiff University Cricketing Centre of Excellence. He remained in this capacity until 2012 and has since been Director of Cricket at Cardiff CC as well as a talent scout for Glamorgan and, more recently, Warwickshire.
LYONS, Kevin James
Born – Cardiff, 18 December 1946.
Best performances for Glamorgan:
In first-class cricket – 92 v Cambridge University at Fenner’s, 1972; 1/36 v Worcestershire at Sophia Gardens, 1972.
In List A cricket – 56 v Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, 1969; 4/61 v Warwickshire at Edgbaston, 1977.
| M | I | NO | RUNS | AV | 100 | 50 | CT | ST | |
| First-class | 62 | 99 | 14 | 1673 | 19.68 | – | 9 | 27 | – |
| List A | 41 | 32 | 5 | 336 | 12.44 | – | 1 | 15 | – |
| Balls | M | R | W | AV | 5wI | 10wM | |
| First-class | 487 | 13 | 252 | 2 | 126.00 | – | – |
| List A | 227 | 0 | 198 | 9 | 22.00 | – | – |