Career
He was a right-handed lower-order batsman and a right-arm medium pace bowler. Jennings was a carpenter and joiner by trade who modelled his medium-paced bowling on that of Tom Cartwright and was one of Cartwright"s successors as the defensive bowling heart of Somerset"s successful one-day cricket side of the late 1970s. Later that year, his 51 not out took Somerset from a parlous 116 for seven to a three-wicket victory with three balls to spare against Nottinghamshire at Nottingham.
But his batting declined markedly and in 1979, when he played in 19 of Somerset"s first-class matches, he made only 19 runs all season.
But Jennings" principal role was as a tidy, dependable bowler, mainly in one-day cricket. His figures scarcely show many highlights, but his record of being consistently selected alongside stars such as Ian Botham, Joel Garner and Viv Richards indicates a value not measured in wickets.
The bowling included a return of five for 18 in 23.5 overs in the match against Sussex at Hove. That was his only five-wicket haul in major cricket.
The following season, 1979, Jennings was again a regular and he also played in most of Somerset"s first-class matches, though he took only 20 first-class wickets in the season.
At the end of the season, Somerset arrived at exactly the same position as in the previous year – finalists in the Gillette Cup and with a chance of winning the Sunday 40-over competition. In 1980, Somerset lost the services of Garner (and Richards) to the West Indies tour, and new players were introduced to cover the gaps. With a changing side, Jennings lost his regular place in mid-season and did not regain lieutenant
Apart from a couple of first-team appearances, he played in 1981 largely for the second eleven and with his contract due for renewal at the end of the season, he chose not to have it renewed, and left county cricket.
