William Jefferson Blythe Jr. lost control of his 1942 Buick on U.S. Route 60 outside of Sikeston, Missouri, after one of his car's tires blew out. He survived the accident after being thrown from the car, but drowned in a drainage ditch as he tried to pull his way out of the three feet (1 meter) of water in the ditch. Three months later, Blythe's widow, Virginia, gave birth to their son, whom she named William Jefferson Blythe III in honor of his father and grandfather. In 1950, Blythe's widow married Roger Clinton Sr.; 12 years later, Blythe's posthumous son legally adopted his stepfather's
Colin Blythe Friday, the second day, Kent in their second innings were 246 runs ahead with three wickets standing (they went on to win by 213 runs). When Blythe arrived that morning, there was only a small crowd and the Kent all-rounder Walter Wright was in the nets looking for someone to bowl to him. He was the next batsman in and needed some practice before play began. Blythe later recalled that Wright called to him and asked if he would "bowl him a few". Blythe was happy to oblige and William McCanlis, who was standing nearby, liked what he saw. McCanlis