Career
The nephew of John Barnwell who played cricket for Somerset before and after the Second World War, Michael Barnwell was a middle-order right-handed batsman and an occasional right-arm medium-pace bowler. After captaining the first XI at Repton in 1963, he played four times for Cambridge University in 1965 and 1966 without gaining a regular place, and six times for Somerset in 1967 and 1968. His only seasons of regular first-class cricket were for Eastern Province in South Africa when he opened the innings for a side that included the Pollock brothers and Tony Greig.
His one century in top-class cricket came in his only List A match: 124 against Orange Free State in the quarter-final of the Gillette Cup in 1970-1971.
He left first-class cricket at the end of the 1970-1971 season. From 1976 to 1981, he played in and often captained the Combined Services teams that played the National Cricket Association"s Young Cricketers teams in one-day matches at Lord"son