Alex Loudon
Encyclopedia
Alexander Guy Rushworth Loudon (born 6 September 1980 in Westminster
) is an English
former cricket
er. A right-handed batsman and off spin
bowler, he was considered a promising future international player.
Raised in the family home of Olantigh
in Kent, Loudon was educated at Wellesley House and Eton College
, where he was President of the Eton Society. There he captained the 1st XI, and subsequently the Durham University
1st XI while studying at Collingwood College
, and captained both the England Under-15 and England Under-19 teams. He was awarded the NBC Denis Compton Award
in 1999.
He started his professional career at Kent
before moving to Warwickshire
in 2005
. Initially known for his batting, in later years he worked hard to improve his bowling, gaining recognition as an all-rounder
. An off spin bowler, he was reported to be working on the doosra
, the much-discussed variation ball which turns the other way, although by his own admission his technique was still at an inconsistent stage.
Loudon was selected for the 17-man Test
squad to tour Pakistan
in autumn 2005, when England were looking for a second spinner
in addition to Ashley Giles
. However, he was not called upon to play.
He was subsequently called up as a part of the 15-man squad for the One Day Internationals versus Sri Lanka in June 2006, playing a solitary game. He took 0/36 off 6 overs and was run out without facing a ball
. He was not selected for either the Test or One Day legs of England's tour to Australia the following winter.
On 19 October 2007, Loudon announced his retirement from cricket to pursue a business career. In 2008, Loudon enrolled in the full-time MBA programme at the London Business School
.
In 2011, his name was linked romantically with that of the Duchess of Cambridge's sister Pippa
. In November of 2011, a report was made that they had separated (they had done so briefly over the summer of 2011- she had gone to Wimbledon with two separate men both days and had been seen with former boyfriend George Percy.
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
) is an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
former cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er. A right-handed batsman and off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
bowler, he was considered a promising future international player.
Raised in the family home of Olantigh
Olantigh
Olantigh is a property one mile north of Wye in Kent, southeast England. It includes a garden of 20 acres . The hamlet in which the property stands is Little Olantigh....
in Kent, Loudon was educated at Wellesley House and Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, where he was President of the Eton Society. There he captained the 1st XI, and subsequently the Durham University
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
1st XI while studying at Collingwood College
Collingwood College, Durham
Collingwood College is a college of Durham University in England. It is the second largest of Durham's undergraduate colleges. Founded in 1972 as the first purpose-built, mixed-sex college in Durham, it is named after the mathematician Sir Edward Collingwood , who was also for a time Chair of the...
, and captained both the England Under-15 and England Under-19 teams. He was awarded the NBC Denis Compton Award
NBC Denis Compton Award
The NBC Denis Compton Award is an annual award given to 'The Most Promising Young Player' at each of the 18 English first-class counties. A player may receive the award more than once.-History:...
in 1999.
He started his professional career at Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
before moving to Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
in 2005
2005 English cricket season
Before the beginning of the 2005 English cricket season began, a resurgent English cricket team had won four Test series in a row, going unbeaten through the 2004 calendar year. The start of the international season saw England defeat Bangladesh 2–0 in their two-match series, winning both Tests by...
. Initially known for his batting, in later years he worked hard to improve his bowling, gaining recognition as an all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
. An off spin bowler, he was reported to be working on the doosra
Doosra
A doosra is a particular type of delivery by an off-spin bowler in the sport of cricket, invented by Pakistani cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq. The term means " second ", or " other " in Urdu...
, the much-discussed variation ball which turns the other way, although by his own admission his technique was still at an inconsistent stage.
Loudon was selected for the 17-man Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
squad to tour Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
in autumn 2005, when England were looking for a second spinner
Spin bowling
Spin bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as spinners or spin bowlers.-Purpose:The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ball with rapid rotation so that when it bounces on the pitch it will deviate, thus making it difficult for the...
in addition to Ashley Giles
Ashley Giles
Ashley Fraser Giles MBE is a retired English cricketer. Giles played the entirety of his 14-year first-class career at Warwickshire County Cricket Club where he is now employed as Director of Cricket...
. However, he was not called upon to play.
He was subsequently called up as a part of the 15-man squad for the One Day Internationals versus Sri Lanka in June 2006, playing a solitary game. He took 0/36 off 6 overs and was run out without facing a ball
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
. He was not selected for either the Test or One Day legs of England's tour to Australia the following winter.
On 19 October 2007, Loudon announced his retirement from cricket to pursue a business career. In 2008, Loudon enrolled in the full-time MBA programme at the London Business School
London Business School
London Business School is an international business school and a constituent college of the federal University of London, located in central London, beside Regent's Park...
.
In 2011, his name was linked romantically with that of the Duchess of Cambridge's sister Pippa
Pippa Middleton
Philippa Charlotte "Pippa" Middleton is an English party planner, socialite and younger sister of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge...
. In November of 2011, a report was made that they had separated (they had done so briefly over the summer of 2011- she had gone to Wimbledon with two separate men both days and had been seen with former boyfriend George Percy.
External links
- Angus Fraser: Alex Loudon: Richly talented In: The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, 23 April 2005