Charles Henry Palmer (15 May 1919 – 31 March 2005) was an English cricketer, who played for Leicestershire and Worcestershire from 1938 to 1959. He was born at Old Hill in Staffordshire. Palmer also played one Test match for England. He later went on to become a respected cricket administrator. He was awarded his CBE in 1984 for services to cricket in the Queen's Birthday Honours. Life and career Palmer was a small man (five foot seven inches tall, only a slight build) with poor eyesight who played wearing glasses. Trevor Bailey joked that he looked "a natural for the role of a hen-pecked bank clerk in a farce". This did not stop him becoming a fine batsman and slow medium bowler because he "possessed deceptively strong wrists" which enabled him to play shots like the cut and drive with excellent timing. Palmer first played cricket for Worcestershire in 1938, before World War II and a teaching career intervened, although he still played a few games for the Bombay Europeans in Indian domestic cricket in 1946, with some games for Worcestershire. In 1948, he scored 85 in a morning's play against Don Bradman's Australian tourists (the "Invincibles") with Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller both bowling. Bradman praised his effort but it did not bring a test match selection at that time. Palmer did tour South Africa with MCC in 1948–49 but didn't play in any of the tests there. He joined Leicestershire as captain and secretary in 1950, and passed 1,000 runs in each of the eight full seasons he played for them. In 1953, Leicestershire finished third in the County Championship, the highest they had achieved at that stage since entering the competition in 1895. As late as August that season, the team were top of the table for the first time ever and Palmer was praised as: "A leader without flourish, but indeed a leader". On the back of this, he was appointed player-manager of the England tour side to the West Indies in 1953-54, which was captained by Len Hutton, and it was here that he won his only Test cap, making 22 and 0 and taking no wickets in the five overs he bowled. The series was played in bad temper, but Palmer's good-natured style helped the situation. Palmer played two memorable innings for the Gentlemen versus the Players in matches at Lord's in 1952 and