After retiring from playing Kettle became a cricket coach at Repton School in Derbyshire and, in his late 70s, a groundskeeper at Mickleover.
[2] At the age of 16 and on vacation in England, he was playing for Burghley Park when he was spotted by Northamptonshire County Cricket Club and in August 1960 took a five-for for just three runs in a trial for them bowling against a Wellingborough second team.
Percy Davis recommended that he join the county team but Kettle was due to return to Southern Rhodesia that August and did so.
[4] Kettle appeared in 88 first-class matches for Northamptonshire as a left-arm medium-pace bowler and useful tail-end batsman between 1963 and 1970.
[7] He and fellow winner Alan Hancock worked over two seasons to improve the club's square, which had been left in a very poor condition.