I was no different from most people of my era fearing public speaking, unlike the youngsters of today.

I chucked a golf competition, aged 13 so that I didn’t have to make the acceptance speech, I wriggled out of ever reading the lesson at school due to that dreaded sore throat and I hated the thought of a microphone to accentuate my weakness.

Public speaking is now my life and I love the thrill that every event brings. I once set up a small business, The Great Delivery Company, which was a play on cricketers and the orators’ terminology. It was a challenge teaching people how to improve their public speaking, especially when often the client was more proficient than the tutor. Slowly I expanded from the after dinner scenario into the fields of Master of Ceremonies and Auctioneering. It was a natural progression and the bigger the event the better I like it.

I imagine this has emanated from being a natural entertainer as a sportsman and the love of the adrenalin rush. I get a huge thrill from being at the helm of a successful event. Running to time, getting the best out of the entertainment, the fundraising and vitally the audience. I prepare for all events conscientiously, but it is strange how many times that the improvisation and off-the-cuff remark has the most impact. My only bugbear as a speaker is if the event runs so late that you start speaking after the time guests were hoping to go home; which is why when I am the Event host we finish on time.

The common question asked of me is, ‘What’s it like having a famous father?’ It is fine until you decide to go into the same field.

My father Colin Cowdrey (Lord Cowdrey of Tonbridge CBE) was a household name, a cricket legend, and much loved worldwide. At the age of seven a very bright, intellectual schoolboy sat down next to me in class and said ‘I am so excited to be next to you, as you are the only celebrity I know!’ Therein lies the problem. Forever you become a celebrity without an achievement of your own. Comments such as ‘we know why he’s been selected as Captain’ and ‘he’s only playing because…’ hurt me however much I laughed it off. So I decided just to enjoy every day in sport as if it was my last and I loved the camaraderie of the team.

My passion was to lead teams and becoming Captain of England in 1988 was just the pinnacle of my career. My Father and me became only the second father and son combination to captain England and also with brother Graham we set another record of a Cowdrey on a Kent team sheet for 48 consecutive years. It is strange to think that my Grandfather played a first class match around 1926 and my son Fabian a fourth generation Cowdrey for Kent in 2016. Maybe Graham, me and Fabian would have done better without the burden of following a legend, but it’s been a fun 90 years!