Neil Durden-Smith

Neil Durden-Smith (born 18 August 1933) is an English former sports commentator. He was previously a naval officer and played a small number of first-class cricket matches.

Neil Durden-Smith

OBE

Durden-Smith (left) with Lord Cobham in 1958
Personal information
Born	(1933-08-18) 18 August 1933 (age 91) Richmond-upon-Thames, Surrey, England
Batting	Right-handed
Role	Batsman
Relations	Judith Chalmers (m. 1964) Mark Durden-Smith (son)
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 4 Runs scored 111 Batting average 22.20 100s/50s 0/1 Top score 50 Catches/stumpings 0/–
Source: Cricket Archive, 27 November 2014

Life and career

Durden-Smith was educated at Aldenham School and the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon. His service as an officer in the Royal Navy from 1952 to 1963 included a period as aide-de-camp to the Governor-General of New Zealand, Lord Cobham, from 1957 to 1959.^[1] He worked as a radio and television sports commentator and producer in England from the 1960s to the 1990s, often covering hockey.

He played four matches of first-class cricket in the 1960s. His highest scores were 33 and 50 in his first match, for Combined Services against Nottinghamshire in 1961.^[2]

Durden-Smith was appointed OBE in 1997.^[3] He has been married to Judith Chalmers, a television presenter, since 1964. They have a son, Mark, who is also a television presenter, and a daughter.