Colin Fairservice

{{short description|English cricketer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024|cs1-dates=ly formats}}

{{Use British English|date=March 2016}}

{{Infobox cricketer

| name = Colin Fairservice

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| fullname = Colin Fairservice

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1909|08|06}}

| birth_place = Hadlow, Kent

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1999|12|29|1909|08|06}}

| death_place = Canterbury, Kent

| nickname =

| heightft =

| heightinch =

| heightcm =

| heightm =

| batting = Right-handed

| bowling = Right-arm off-break

| role =

| family = Bill Fairservice (father)

| club1 = Kent

| year1 = 1929–1933

| club2 = MCC

| year2 = 1934–1936

| club3 = Middlesex

| year3 = 1936

| type1 = FC

| debutdate1 = 22 June

| debutyear1 = 1929

| debutfor1 = Kent

| debutagainst1 = Derbyshire

| lastdate1 = 20 June

| lastyear1 = 1936

| lastfor1 = Middlesex

| lastagainst1 = MCC

| columns = 1

| column1 = First-class

| matches1 = 74

| runs1 = 1,650

| bat avg1 = 17.55

| 100s/50s1 = 1/6

| top score1 = 110

| deliveries1 = 1,519

| wickets1 = 18

| bowl avg1 = 38.55

| fivefor1 = 0

| tenfor1 = 0

| best bowling1 = 3/49

| catches/stumpings1 = 44/–

| source = http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/12945.html CricInfo

| date = 14 June

| year = 2017

}}

Colin Fairservice (6 August 1909 – 29 December 1999) was an English professional cricketer. He played for Kent County Cricket Club from 1929 to 1933 and for Middlesex County Cricket Club in 1936, making a total of 74 first-class cricket appearances in his career.

Fairservice was born in Hadlow in Kent in 1909, the son of Bill Fairservice who made over 300 first-class appearances for Kent between 1902 and 1921.[http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/12945.html Colin Fairservice], CricInfo. Retrieved 2017-06-14.[http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/12989.html Bill Fairservice], CricInfo. Retrieved 2017-06-14. He grew up in Kent and Northumberland and attended Newcastle Royal Grammar School.Carlaw D (2020) Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part Two: 1919–1939, pp.75–76. ([https://archive.acscricket.com/books/Kent_Cricketers_A_to_Z_Part_Two.pdf Available online] at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 2020-12-23.)[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/10/10939/10939.html Colin Fairservice], CricketArchive. Retrieved 2017-06-14. {{subscription required}}

Having played for Northumberland Juniors, Fairservice first played for Kent Second XI in the Minor Counties Championship in 1927. He made his first-class debut in 1929 against Derbyshire at Queen's Park, Chesterfield. After playing occasionally for the county in 1929 and 1930 he became a regular in the First XI in 1931 and was awarded his county cap in that season.[https://www.kentcricket.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Kent-Capped-Players-List-2019.pdf Kent County Cricket Club - Capped Male Players], Kent County Cricket Club. Retrieved 2020-12-23. Fairservice made a total of 59 appearances for Kent before leaving the county at the end of the 1933 season. He spent the following two years qualifying to play for Middlesex, during which he made occasional first-class appearances for MCC. During 1936 he played six times for Middlesex before ending his first-class career.

Fairservice worked at Stonyhurst College and then coached cricket and rugby at The King's School, Canterbury between 1954 and 1975.[http://schoolscricketonline.co.uk/kings-canterbury/ King's Canterbury], Schools Cricket Online. Retrieved 2017-06-14.Lewis P (2014) For Kent and Country, pp.170–171. Brighton: Reveille Press. He coached David Gower who went on to captain the England cricket team.Gower D (2014) An Endangered Species, pp.42–43. London: Simon & Schuster. ([https://books.google.com/books?id=NphjAwAAQBAJ&dq=charles%20rowe%20kent%20cricket&pg=PP42 Available online]. Retrieved 2016-11-15). He died at Canterbury in 1999 aged 90, at the time Kent's oldest living cricketer.