1947 was the 48th season of
County Championship
The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It bec ...
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
in England. It is chiefly remembered for the batting performances of
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton (23 May 1918 – 23 April 1997) was an English multi-sportsman. As a cricketer he played in 78 Test matches and spent his whole cricket career with Middlesex. As a footballer, he played as a winger and spent most o ...
and
Bill Edrich
William John Edrich (26 March 1916 – 24 April 1986) was a first-class cricketer who played for Middlesex County Cricket Club, Middlesex, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), Norfolk County Cricket Club, Norfolk and England cricket team, England.
Ed ...
who established seasonal records that, with the subsequent reduction in the number of
first-class matches, will probably never be broken. Their form was key to their team
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...
winning the
County Championship
The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It bec ...
for the first time since 1921, although they were involved in a tight contest for the title with the eventual runners-up
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
, for whom
Tom Goddard
Thomas William John Goddard (1 October 1900 – 22 May 1966) was an English cricketer and the fifth-highest wicket taker in first-class cricket.
Biography
Born 1 October 1900 in Gloucester, Goddard joined Gloucestershire in 1922 as a fast bow ...
was the most outstanding bowler of the season. Compton and Edrich were assisted by the fact that it was the driest and sunniest English summer for a generation, ensuring plenty of good batting wickets.
The
South Africans
The population of South Africa is about 58.8 million people of diverse origins, cultures, languages, and religions. The South African National Census of 2022 was the most recent census held; the next will be in 2032.
In 2011, Statistics Sout ...
, captained by
Alan Melville
Alan Melville (19 May 1910 – 18 April 1983) was a South African cricketer who played in 11 Tests from 1938 to 1949. He was born in Carnarvon, Northern Cape, South Africa and died at Sabie, Transvaal.
Early life and cricket career
Melville w ...
, toured the British Isles for the first time since 1935 and played a
Test series of five matches against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, who won the series 3–0 with two matches drawn, again largely thanks to the batting of Compton and Edrich. The South Africans enjoyed greater success in first-class matches against the English county teams, losing only one and winning eleven. Other notable fixtures played include
the University Match
The University Match in a cricketing context is generally understood to refer to the annual fixture between Oxford University Cricket Club and Cambridge University Cricket Club.
From 2001, as part of the reorganisation of first-class cricket, ...
,
Gentlemen v Players
Gentlemen v Players was a long-running series of English first-class cricket matches. Two matches were played in 1806, but the fixture was not played again until 1819. It became an annual event, usually played at least twice each season, exc ...
(twice) and
North v South
The North of England and South of England cricket teams appeared in first-class cricket between the 1836 and 1961 seasons, most often in matches against each other but also individually in games against touring teams, Marylebone Cricket Club (M ...
(three matches). The
Minor Counties Championship
The NCCA 3 Day Championship (previously the Minor Counties Cricket Championship) is a season-long competition in England and Wales that is contested by the members of the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA), the so-called national cou ...
was won by
Yorkshire II, one of six first-class teams who entered their second elevens in the competition. Unusually, there were two
tied matches in 1947, compared with two in the previous 21 years.
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
v
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
and
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
v
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
were the 20th and 21st tied matches in the history of first-class cricket worldwide since the earliest known instance in 1783.
The main source for information about the season is ''
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...
'', in its 85th edition published in April 1948. This announced the five
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
The ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming ...
for 1947:
Martin Donnelly,
Alan Melville
Alan Melville (19 May 1910 – 18 April 1983) was a South African cricketer who played in 11 Tests from 1938 to 1949. He was born in Carnarvon, Northern Cape, South Africa and died at Sabie, Transvaal.
Early life and cricket career
Melville w ...
,
Dudley Nourse
Arthur Dudley Nourse (12 November 1910 – 14 August 1981) was a South African Test cricketer. Primarily a batsman, he was captain of the South African team from 1948 to 1951.
Early life
Nourse was born in Durban, the son of South African T ...
,
Jack Robertson and
Norman Yardley
Norman Walter Dransfield Yardley (19 March 1915 – 3 October 1989) was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England, as a right-handed batsman and occasional bowler. An amateur, he ca ...
. 1947 was the first season to be reviewed by ''
Playfair Cricket Annual
''Playfair Cricket Annual'' is a compact annual about cricket that is published in the United Kingdom each April, just before the English cricket season is due to begin. It has been published every year since 1948. Its main purposes are to review ...
'', which began publication in April 1948.
Background
The main sources for the 1947 season are the 85th edition of ''
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...
'' and the inaugural edition of ''
Playfair Cricket Annual
''Playfair Cricket Annual'' is a compact annual about cricket that is published in the United Kingdom each April, just before the English cricket season is due to begin. It has been published every year since 1948. Its main purposes are to review ...
'', both published in April 1948. The 1947 season was therefore the first to be reviewed by ''Playfair''.
The
winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom
The winter of 1946–1947 was a harsh European winter noted for its adverse effects in the United Kingdom. It caused severe hardships in economic terms and living conditions in a country still recovering from the Second World War. There were ma ...
was harsh with heavy snowfalls disrupting communication and supply for about six weeks from January to March. February was one of the coldest months on record and the winter culminated in the wettest March for 300 years.
Yet it was followed by what ''Playfair'' called a "glorious summer"
[''Playfair'', p. 8.] in which fine weather prevailed and, as ''Wisden'' says, "the sun shone throughout".
This was in sharp contrast to the wet summer of 1946. Despite austerity and rationing, the country was still in post-war euphoria and there was great enthusiasm for sporting events. As ''Wisden'' reports, "crowds thronged the grounds (and)
Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and ...
was often full for county games".
''Wisden'' editor
Hubert Preston
Hubert Preston (16 December 1868 – 6 August 1960) was a journalist and writer who was editor of ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'' for eight years from the 1944 edition to the 1951 edition. He contributed to 51 editions of the Almanack, and was the ...
commented in his 1948 editorial that "the season of 1947 bears favourable comparison with any year within living memory".
[''Wisden 1948'', p. 82.] He had expected the continuous fine weather to produce pitch conditions favourable to batsmen and hence the predominance of drawn matches but, as he wrote, "actually about three-quarters of the
County Championship
The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It bec ...
matches were won outright".
''Playfair'' editor
Peter West
Peter Anthony West (12 August 1920 – 2 September 2003) was a BBC presenter and sports commentator best known for his work on the corporation's cricket, tennis and rugby coverage as well as occasionally commentating on hockey. Throughout his tel ...
wrote that "a grand and glorious summer" had been "a feast amidst austerity indeed, a fine reward for months of waiting through a chill and infamous winter". West went on to claim that "nearly three million people", with the younger generation strongly represented, attended first-class cricket matches in 1947. It must be remembered that this means three million attendances and not literally three million people.
Honours
*Test Series –
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
3–0
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
; two matches drawn
*County Championship –
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...
*Minor Counties Championship –
Yorkshire II
*Wisden Cricketers of the Year –
Martin Donnelly,
Alan Melville
Alan Melville (19 May 1910 – 18 April 1983) was a South African cricketer who played in 11 Tests from 1938 to 1949. He was born in Carnarvon, Northern Cape, South Africa and died at Sabie, Transvaal.
Early life and cricket career
Melville w ...
,
Dudley Nourse
Arthur Dudley Nourse (12 November 1910 – 14 August 1981) was a South African Test cricketer. Primarily a batsman, he was captain of the South African team from 1948 to 1951.
Early life
Nourse was born in Durban, the son of South African T ...
,
Jack Robertson,
Norman Yardley
Norman Walter Dransfield Yardley (19 March 1915 – 3 October 1989) was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England, as a right-handed batsman and occasional bowler. An amateur, he ca ...
South African tour
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
toured the British Isles in 1947 and played a five-match
Test series against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, who won the series 3–0 with two matches drawn. This was the first South African tour of England since 1935, the team captained by
Alan Melville
Alan Melville (19 May 1910 – 18 April 1983) was a South African cricketer who played in 11 Tests from 1938 to 1949. He was born in Carnarvon, Northern Cape, South Africa and died at Sabie, Transvaal.
Early life and cricket career
Melville w ...
who had played in England for
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
and
Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
. ''Wisden'' commented that despite their lack of success in the Test series, South Africa "gave indication of real ability at all points of the game" and "little more experience is necessary to make them really powerful" in international cricket.
''Playfair'' acclaimed the South Africans as a "most popular team (who) enriched the game and set an excellent example", the tour realising a profit of £10,000.
South Africa fared very well in their matches against the county clubs, winning eleven of the eighteen matches and losing only one, which was the opening match of the tour against
Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...
by 39 runs. They lost to
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...
(MCC) in May by 158 runs, but in September they had a convincing nine wicket win against the
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
who included
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton (23 May 1918 – 23 April 1997) was an English multi-sportsman. As a cricketer he played in 78 Test matches and spent his whole cricket career with Middlesex. As a footballer, he played as a winger and spent most o ...
,
Bill Edrich
William John Edrich (26 March 1916 – 24 April 1986) was a first-class cricketer who played for Middlesex County Cricket Club, Middlesex, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), Norfolk County Cricket Club, Norfolk and England cricket team, England.
Ed ...
and
Jack Robertson.
The outstanding South African players were the three best batsmen: Melville,
Bruce Mitchell and
Dudley Nourse
Arthur Dudley Nourse (12 November 1910 – 14 August 1981) was a South African Test cricketer. Primarily a batsman, he was captain of the South African team from 1948 to 1951.
Early life
Nourse was born in Durban, the son of South African T ...
.
Ken Viljoen
Kenneth George Viljoen (14 May 1910 – 21 January 1974) was a South African cricketer who played in 27 Test matches from 1930–31 to 1948–49. He was later a manager of post–World War II South African teams. He was born in Windsorton, Cap ...
had a good tour and made six centuries but none in the Tests. The bowling was moderate as no one took more than 15 wickets in the series or averaged under forty.
Athol Rowan
Athol Matthew Burchell Rowan (7 February 1921 – 22 February 1998) was a South African international cricketer who played in 15 Test matches between 1947 and 1951.
His older brother, Eric
The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or ...
with 102 was the only tourist to take a century of wickets in the season. The team badly lacked pace bowlers and included only two medium-fast seamers,
Jack Plimsoll
John Bruce Plimsoll (27 October 1917 – 11 November 1999) was a South African cricketer who played in one Test match Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to:
* Test cricket
* ...
and
Lindsay Tuckett
Lindsay Tuckett (6 February 1919 – 5 September 2016) was a South African cricketer who played in nine Test matches from 1947 to 1949.
Biography
The son of one Test player, Len Tuckett, and the nephew of another, Joe Cox, Lindsay Tuckett ...
, the majority of bowlers being spinners: Rowan,
Tufty Mann
Norman Bertram Fleetwood "Tufty" Mann (28 December 1920 – 31 July 1952) was a South African cricketer who played in 19 Test matches from 1947 to 1951.
Tall, thin and bespectacled, Tufty Mann was a lower-order right-handed batsman and a slow ...
,
Ian Smith
Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to ...
and
Leslie Payn. South Africa had three wicketkeepers in the party:
Johnny Lindsay,
Douglas Ovenstone and
George Fullerton.
Ossie Dawson
Oswald Charles Dawson (1 September 1919 – 22 December 2008) was a South African cricketer who played in 9 Test matches, all against England, in the 1947 and 1948–49 series.
He was a medium pace bowler and a useful late middle order bat ...
was an all-rounder and the remaining batsmen were
Denis Begbie
Denis Warburton Begbie (12 December 1914 – 10 March 2009) was a South African cricketer who played in five Test matches between 1948 and 1950. He was born in Middelburg, Transvaal. At the time of his death he was the third oldest Test cri ...
,
Dennis Dyer and
Tony Harris. South Africa used fourteen players in the Test series: the ones who missed out were Begbie, Ovenstone and Payn.
Test series summary
#
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge Cricket Ground is a cricket ground mostly used for Test, One-Day International and county cricket located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, just across the River Trent from the city of Nottingham. Trent Bridge is also t ...
– match drawn.
#
Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and ...
– England won by 10 wickets.
#
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
– England won by 7 wickets.
#
Headingley
Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingle ...
– England won by 10 wickets.
#
The Oval
The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...
– match drawn.
England's key victory came in the second Test at Lord's where Compton (208) and Edrich (189) shared a partnership of 370 which was a then world record for the third wicket in Test cricket.
Doug Wright
Douglas Wright (born December 20, 1962) is an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2004 for his play ''I Am My Own Wife''.
Early years
Wright was born in Dallas, Texas. He attended and ...
took ten wickets in the match and England won by ten wickets.
[''Playfair'', pp. 52–54.] In the third Test at Old Trafford, Edrich scored 191 in another big partnership with Compton and took eight wickets in the match.
[''Playfair'', pp. 54–55.] England won the fourth Test at Headingley in only three days by ten wickets. This time it was
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard Hutton (23 June 1916 – 6 September 1990) was an English cricketer. He played as an opening batsman for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1934 to 1955 and for England in 79 Test matches between 1937 and 1955. ''Wisden Cricketer ...
and
Cyril Washbrook
Cyril Washbrook (6 December 1914 – 27 April 1999) was an English cricketer, who played for Lancashire and England. He had a long career, split by World War II, and ending when he was aged 44. Washbrook, who is most famous for opening the batt ...
who claimed the batting honours while the best bowler was
Harold Butler with match figures of seven for 66 on debut.
[''Playfair'', pp. 55–57.]
England team in 1947
The England team began 1947
on tour in Australia, where they were beaten 3–0 in the Test series, and then
toured New Zealand where the sole Test arranged was ruined by rain. Having played South Africa at home in 1947, England's next tour was
to the West Indies beginning in January 1948.
England, playing under the auspices of MCC, took 17 players to Australia and New Zealand.
Wally Hammond
Walter Reginald Hammond (19 June 1903 – 1 July 1965) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Gloucestershire in a career that lasted from 1920 to 1951. Beginning as a professional, he later became an amateur and was appointed cap ...
captained the side in his final Test series. The other batsmen were
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard Hutton (23 June 1916 – 6 September 1990) was an English cricketer. He played as an opening batsman for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1934 to 1955 and for England in 79 Test matches between 1937 and 1955. ''Wisden Cricketer ...
,
Cyril Washbrook
Cyril Washbrook (6 December 1914 – 27 April 1999) was an English cricketer, who played for Lancashire and England. He had a long career, split by World War II, and ending when he was aged 44. Washbrook, who is most famous for opening the batt ...
,
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton (23 May 1918 – 23 April 1997) was an English multi-sportsman. As a cricketer he played in 78 Test matches and spent his whole cricket career with Middlesex. As a footballer, he played as a winger and spent most o ...
,
Bill Edrich
William John Edrich (26 March 1916 – 24 April 1986) was a first-class cricketer who played for Middlesex County Cricket Club, Middlesex, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), Norfolk County Cricket Club, Norfolk and England cricket team, England.
Ed ...
,
James Langridge,
Laurie Fishlock
Laurence Barnard Fishlock (2 January 1907 – 25 June 1986) was an English cricketer, who played in four Test matches from 1936 to 1947. A specialist batsman, he achieved little in those four matches, but might have had a much more substantial ...
and
Joe Hardstaff junior
Joseph Hardstaff Jr (3 July 1911 – 1 January 1990) was an English cricketer, who played in twenty three Test matches for England from 1935 to 1948. Hardstaff's father, Joe senior played for Nottinghamshire and England and his son, also nam ...
.
Jack Ikin
John Thomas Ikin (7 March 1918 – 15 September 1984) was an English cricketer, who played in eighteen Test cricket, Test matches from 1946 to 1955. A "calm, popular left-hander who also bowled leg spin", Ikin played most of his cricket for Lanc ...
and
Norman Yardley
Norman Walter Dransfield Yardley (19 March 1915 – 3 October 1989) was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England, as a right-handed batsman and occasional bowler. An amateur, he ca ...
were essentially all-rounders.
Godfrey Evans
Thomas Godfrey Evans (18 August 1920 – 3 May 1999) was an English cricketer who played for Kent and England. Described by ''Wisden'' as 'arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen', Evans collected 219 dismissals in 91 Test match ...
and
Paul Gibb
Paul Antony Gibb (11 July 1913 – 7 December 1977) was an English cricketer, who played in eight Tests for England from 1938 to 1946. He played first-class cricket for Cambridge University, Yorkshire and Essex, as a right-handed opening or mid ...
were the wicketkeepers and the bowlers were
Alec Bedser
Sir Alec Victor Bedser (4 July 1918 – 4 April 2010) was a professional English cricketer, primarily a medium-fast bowler. He is widely regarded as one of the best English cricketers of the 20th century.
Bedser played first-class cricket fo ...
,
Doug Wright
Douglas Wright (born December 20, 1962) is an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2004 for his play ''I Am My Own Wife''.
Early years
Wright was born in Dallas, Texas. He attended and ...
,
Dick Pollard
Richard Pollard (19 June 1912 – 16 December 1985) was an English cricketer born in Westhoughton, Lancashire, who played in four Test matches between 1946 and 1948. A fast-medium right-arm bowler and a lower-order right-handed batsman who made ...
,
Peter Smith and
Bill Voce
Bill Voce (8 August 1909 – 6 June 1984) was an English cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire and England. As a fast bowler, he was an instrumental part of England's infamous Bodyline strategy in their tour of Australia in 1932–1933 under ...
. Gibb, Hardstaff, Hutton and Langridge did not play in New Zealand.
With Hammond having retired from international cricket, Yardley was appointed captain for the home series against South Africa. In the first Test, England recalled
Eric Hollies
William Eric Hollies (5 June 1912 – 16 April 1981) was an English cricketer, who is mainly remembered for taking the wicket of Donald Bradman for a duck in Bradman's final Test match innings, in which he needed only four runs for a Test avera ...
and selected three debutants:
Sam Cook,
Tom Dollery
Tom Dollery (14 October 1914 – 20 January 1987) was an English cricketer, who played for the England cricket team and Warwickshire County Cricket Club.
Life and career
Horace Edgar Dollery was born in Reading, Berkshire, and educated at Readi ...
and
Jack Martin. Hutton, Washbrook, Edrich, Compton, Evans and Bedser were retained from the winter tour and these six with Yardley were the mainstays of the England team in 1947. There were changes again for the second Test with
Charlie Barnett replacing Dollery,
George Pope replacing Martin and Wright coming back in place of Cook. Bedser missed the third Test and was replaced by
Cliff Gladwin
Clifford Gladwin (3 April 1916 – 10 April 1988) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Derbyshire from 1939 to 1958 and in eight Tests for England from 1947 to 1949. He took over 1,600 first-class wickets.
A tall right-arm mediu ...
while
Ken Cranston
Kenneth Cranston (20 October 1917 – 8 January 2007) was an English amateur cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Lancashire and eight times for England, in 1947 and 1948. He retired from playing cricket to concentrate on his career as ...
was brought in to replace Pope. In the fourth Test,
Jack Young was introduced in place of Hollies and
Harold Butler for Gladwin. Edrich missed the last Test, as again did Bedser, and there were yet more changes elsewhere with
Dick Howorth
Richard Howorth (26 April 1909 – 2 April 1980) was an English cricketer who played as an all-rounder for Worcestershire County Cricket Club between 1933 and 1951. Chiefly remembered as a left-arm orthodox spin bowler, Howorth also occasionall ...
coming in to replace Barnett and
Bill Copson
William Henry Copson (27 April 1908 – 14 September 1971) was an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire County Cricket Club between 1932 and 1950, and for England between 1939 and 1947. He took over 1,000 wickets for Derbyshire, and was pro ...
replacing Butler.
Jack Robertson took Edrich's place. It all meant that, in a five-match series they won 3–0, England used 21 different players.
With so many players under consideration, it was difficult to predict who would go to the West Indies in the winter and that question became even more complex when several players decided not to go. Bedser, Compton, Edrich, Hutton, Wright and Yardley from the 1947 series all declined the tour before the squad was selected, as did
Trevor Bailey
Trevor Edward Bailey (3 December 1923 – 10 February 2011) was an England Test cricketer, cricket writer and broadcaster.
An all-rounder, Bailey was known for his skilful but unspectacular batting. As the BBC reflected in his obituary: "His ...
who was in contention for a place. With Yardley missing, MCC reappointed pre-war captain
Gubby Allen
Sir George Oswald Browning "Gubby" Allen CBE (31 July 190229 November 1989) was a cricketer who captained England in eleven Test matches. In first-class matches, he played for Middlesex and Cambridge University. A fast bowler and hard-hitting ...
to lead the party but he was the first in a spate of injuries when he damaged a leg muscle on the outward voyage. Following further injuries to
Dennis Brookes
Dennis Brookes (29 October 1915 – 9 March 2006) was an English cricketer who played for Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, Northamptonshire between 1934 and 1959 (and as captain between 1954 and 1957). He also played in one Test cricket, ...
and
Joe Hardstaff junior
Joseph Hardstaff Jr (3 July 1911 – 1 January 1990) was an English cricketer, who played in twenty three Test matches for England from 1935 to 1948. Hardstaff's father, Joe senior played for Nottinghamshire and England and his son, also nam ...
, Allen asked MCC to send reinforcements and Hutton then changed his mind, flying out just in time to play against
British Guiana
British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana.
The first European to encounter Guiana was S ...
.
Of the players who went to the West Indies, the only ones who had played against South Africa in the summer were Hutton, Evans, Cranston, Robertson, Howorth and Butler. Hardstaff and Ikin had been to Australia and New Zealand the previous winter. The other eight were Allen and seven newcomers:
Dennis Brookes
Dennis Brookes (29 October 1915 – 9 March 2006) was an English cricketer who played for Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, Northamptonshire between 1934 and 1959 (and as captain between 1954 and 1957). He also played in one Test cricket, ...
,
Billy Griffith
Stewart Cathie Griffith, (16 June 1914 – 7 April 1993), known as Billy Griffith, was an English cricketer and cricket administrator. He played in three Test matches for England in 1948 and 1949.
He played first-class cricket for Cambridge ...
,
Jim Laker
James Charles Laker (9 February 1922 – 23 April 1986) was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club from 1946 to 1959 and represented England in 46 Test matches. He was born in Shipley, West Riding of York ...
,
Winston Place
Winston Place (7 December 1914 − 25 January 2002) was an English cricketer who played in three Tests in 1948. An opening batsman for Lancashire, he shared a prolific partnership with Cyril Washbrook and was part of the county championship wi ...
,
Gerald Smithson
Gerald Arthur Smithson (1 November 1926 – 6 September 1970) was an English cricketer who played in two Test cricket, Tests for England national cricket team, England in 1947–48. He was born at Spofforth, North Yorkshire, Spofforth, West Rid ...
,
Maurice Tremlett and
Johnny Wardle
Johnny Wardle (8 January 1923 – 23 July 1985) was an English spin bowling cricketer whose Test Match career lasted between 1948 and 1957. His Test bowling average of 20.39 is the lowest in Test cricket by any recognised spin bowler since ...
. ''Playfair'' was disappointed with the situation in the West Indies, especially as England were well beaten in the Test series. The team, it said, "could not be called great by any standards" as it was too "experimental" but it at least seemed "workmanlike" and in Laker a new star had been discovered. ''Playfair'' ominously concluded its review by reference to the
1948 Australian team being "about to descend upon us well armed in all key departments (and) we shall have to do better than this".
County Championship
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...
won the
County Championship
The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It bec ...
under the captaincy of
Walter Robins
Robert Walter Vivian Robins (3 June 1906 – 12 December 1968) was an English cricketer and cricket administrator, who played for Cambridge University, Middlesex, and England. A right-handed batsman and right-arm leg-break and googly bowler, he ...
, who stood down at the end of the season. He was well supported by slow left-arm
spinner Technology
*Spinner (aeronautics), the aerodynamic cone at the hub of an aircraft propeller
* Spinner (cell culture), laboratory equipment for cultivating plant or mammalian cells
* Spinner (computing), a graphical widget in a GUI
* Spinner (MIT Med ...
Jack Young, who took 159 wickets in all matches;
off break
Off spin is a type of finger spin bowling in cricket. A bowler who uses this technique is called an off spinner. Off spinners are right-handed spin bowlers who use their fingers to spin the ball. Their normal delivery is an off break, which spi ...
bowler
Jim Sims
James Morton Sims (13 May 1903 – 27 April 1973) was an English cricketer.
Jim Sims represented Middlesex in 381 first-class matches between 1929 and 1952 as a right-handed batsman and off-break bowler who scored 7173 runs (highest score 1 ...
; pace bowler
Laurie Gray
Lawrence Herbert Gray (1915–1983) was an English first-class cricketer and Test match umpire. Born in Tottenham in 1915, he played 219 matches for Middlesex as a right arm fast medium bowler between 1934 and 1951. He took 637 wickets at 25.13 ...
;
wicketkeeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being watchful of the batsman and ready to take a catch, stump the batsman out and run out a batsman when occasion arises. Th ...
Leslie Compton
Leslie Harry Compton (12 September 1912 – 27 December 1984) was an English sportsman who played football and cricket for Arsenal and Middlesex, respectively. He gained two England caps late in his football career, and remains the oldest outfi ...
; and their quartet of high-scoring batsmen
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton (23 May 1918 – 23 April 1997) was an English multi-sportsman. As a cricketer he played in 78 Test matches and spent his whole cricket career with Middlesex. As a footballer, he played as a winger and spent most o ...
,
Bill Edrich
William John Edrich (26 March 1916 – 24 April 1986) was a first-class cricketer who played for Middlesex County Cricket Club, Middlesex, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), Norfolk County Cricket Club, Norfolk and England cricket team, England.
Ed ...
,
Syd Brown
Sydney Maurice Brown (8 December 1917 – 28 December 1987) was an English cricketer active from 1937 to 1955 who played for Middlesex in 329 first-class matches as an opening batsman. He was born in Eltham, Kent, and died at Rickmansworth, Her ...
and
Jack Robertson. The ''Wisden'' editorial drew attention to an additional feat by Middlesex in defeating "
The Rest
''The Rest'' is a compilation album released by the Scottish band Deacon Blue in October 2012. It is part of the band's catalogue reissue program.
''The Rest'', as the title implies, contains tracks that were not necessarily associated with t ...
" by nine wickets in the last match of the season at
The Oval
The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...
. Previously, only
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
(1905 and 1935) had beaten The Rest, the fixture having lapsed from 1936 to 1946. Yorkshire had won the County Championship in 1946 but slipped to seventh place in 1947 and ''Wisden'' remarked on the retirement of "several veterans" after the 1946 season, although the highest innings score of the 1947 season, 270
not out
In cricket, a batter is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batter is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress.
Occurrence
At least one batter is not out at t ...
, was achieved by Yorkshire's
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard Hutton (23 June 1916 – 6 September 1990) was an English cricketer. He played as an opening batsman for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1934 to 1955 and for England in 79 Test matches between 1937 and 1955. ''Wisden Cricketer ...
.
[''Wisden 1948'', p. 83.]
''Playfair'' described the championship as "a great tussle" between Middlesex and
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
that was not settled until 28 August when Middlesex won their penultimate match, defeating bottom team
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
at Lord's by 355 runs. The key match, however, took place earlier in the month when Middlesex defeated Gloucestershire at Cheltenham by 68 runs. Middlesex had finished runners-up five times in succession: 1936 to 1939 and again in 1946. Since Middlesex's previous title in 1921, no southern team had won the championship and so their 1947 triumph ended 25 seasons of northern domination.
[''Playfair'', p. 63.]
Gloucestershire v Middlesex, August 1947
The Gloucestershire v Middlesex match at the
College Ground, Cheltenham
The College Ground is a cricket ground in the grounds of Cheltenham College in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Gloucestershire County Cricket Club have played more than 300 first-class and more than 70 List A matches there. It also hosted ...
was the ultimate decider of a close-fought championship. It began on Saturday, 16 August on the same day as the fifth Test at The Oval and ''Playfair'' remarked that "even the final Test seemed a matter of secondary importance".
There was no play on Sundays in 1947 and the match continued into Monday, 18 August, when it was concluded with Tuesday to spare.
[CricketArchive – Gloucestershire v Middlesex 1947](_blank)
Retrieved 30 October 2013. Middlesex were without Compton and Robertson who were both playing for England but they did have Edrich, rested by England.
[''Playfair'', p. 64.]
Middlesex won the toss and decided to bat, Brown and Edrich opening with a stand of 50 before Brown was out
lbw to the seamer
Colin Scott. Edrich went on to score 50 but, apart from some resistance by tailenders Sims and Young, Middlesex's batting collapsed as Gloucestershire's great
off spinner Tom Goddard
Thomas William John Goddard (1 October 1900 – 22 May 1966) was an English cricketer and the fifth-highest wicket taker in first-class cricket.
Biography
Born 1 October 1900 in Gloucester, Goddard joined Gloucestershire in 1922 as a fast bow ...
took seven for 70. Middlesex were all out for 180 but Sims (six for 65) and Young (four for 55) turned the tables and bowled out Gloucestershire for 153. At close of play on Saturday, Middlesex had reached 9 for 1 in their second innings, Goddard having taken the key wicket of Edrich, so Monday's play began with Middlesex ahead by 36 and nine wickets standing. The decisive phase of the match was a third wicket partnership on Monday morning between
Harry Sharp and the captain Robins. Scoring 46 and 45 respectively, they shared a stand of 70 runs which ''Playfair'' described as "vital". Otherwise, Middlesex again collapsed and Goddard took eight for 86 to complete an outstanding match analysis of fifteen for 156. So Gloucestershire with a day and a half remaining needed 169 to win.
Jack Crapp
John Frederick Crapp (14 October 1912 – 13 February 1981), was an English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire between 1936 and 1956, and played for England on tour in the winter of 1948–49.
Cricket writer, ...
tried to hold the innings together and scored 40 but Gloucestershire were rolled over for only 100 to lose by 68 runs. Young took five for 27 but an important role was again played by Sharp, this time as an off spinner, taking the wickets of three of Gloucestershire's top six batsmen, two of them without scoring. ''Playfair'' points out that Sharp at the time was still only a member of the Lord's ground staff but he played the key part in winning the match that ultimately settled the championship.
Season finale
Gloucestershire had gone into the Cheltenham match with a lead of four points in the championship table and the immediate outcome was that Middlesex overtook them to lead by eight points, both teams having four matches still to be played. Middlesex had to play
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
away, "always difficult to beat", and three home matches against
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
,
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
and third-placed
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
whom ''Playfair'' termed "the toughest nut to crack". ''Playfair'' considered Gloucestershire's programme to be easier as they faced four moderate teams:
Glamorgan
, HQ = Cardiff
, Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974)
, Origin=
, Code = GLA
, CodeName = Chapman code
, Replace =
* West Glamorgan
* Mid Glamorgan
* South Glamorgan
, Motto ...
at Cheltenham,
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
and
Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
away, and
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
at
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
.
There was no change after the first two matches as Gloucestershire beat Glamorgan in two days and Middlesex won the difficult encounter at
Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...
. It all went wrong for Gloucestershire at
Dean Park,
Bournemouth
Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
where stubborn Hampshire batting forced a draw while Middlesex were defeating Surrey with some ease. This gave Middlesex a twenty-point lead and only two matches each to be played. Middlesex's victory over the bottom team Northants settled it, especially as Gloucestershire surprisingly lost to Sussex by nine wickets. Even so, there was a slight sting in the tail as Middlesex then lost their final match to a determined Lancashire by 64 runs while Gloucestershire rallied to defeat Essex. The final table showed Middlesex winning by twenty points, on the face of it a handsome margin, but in reality it was a much closer contest than the figures would suggest.
Final table
The seventeen first-class county teams played a total of 26 matches each. Twelve points were awarded for a win and six to each team if the result was a
tie
Tie has two principal meanings:
* Tie (draw), a finish to a competition with identical results, particularly sports
* Necktie, a long piece of cloth worn around the neck or shoulders
Tie or TIE may also refer to:
Engineering and technology
* Ti ...
, as happened twice in 1947. Teams leading on first innings who subsequently drew or lost the match were awarded four points. Essex were awarded two points in one match they lost after a tie on first innings.
[''Playfair'', p. 83.]
The final championship table was as follows:
Tied matches
Tied matches are a rarity in cricket and there had been only two County Championship ties in the previous 21 years. Essex and Somerset had tied in 1926, then Worcestershire and Somerset in 1939. In 1947, there were two tied matches: Essex v Northamptonshire and Hampshire v Lancashire. ''Playfair'' noted that these were the 20th and 21st tied matches in the history of first-class cricket worldwide since the earliest known instance in 1783.
[''Playfair'', p. 111.]
The Essex v Northamptonshire match was played at
Valentines Park
Valentines Park is a park, south of Gants Hill, it is the largest green space in the London Borough of Redbridge. The park was originally the grounds of Valentines Mansion, a residence built in 1696. Valentines Park holds a Green Flag Award and ...
,
Ilford 17 to 20 May. Northamptonshire won the toss and decided to bat, scoring 215 all out with a top score of 49 by
Vince Broderick
Vincent Broderick (17 August 1920 – 14 November 2010), known as Vince Broderick, was an English cricketer who played for Northamptonshire and briefly for the MCC. Considered an All-rounder, Broderick is notable for having the third best bo ...
while Essex's Test
leg break
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action. The leg spinner's normal delivery causes the ball to spin from right to left (from the bowler's perspective) when the ball bounces on the ...
and
googly
In the game of cricket, a googly refers to a type of delivery bowled by a right-arm leg spin bowler. It is different from the normal delivery for a leg-spin bowler in that it is turning the other way. The googly is ''not'' a variation of the ...
bowler
Peter Smith took four for 65. By close of play on Saturday, Essex had replied to 170 for 4 with opener
Chick Cray on 90
not out
In cricket, a batter is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batter is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress.
Occurrence
At least one batter is not out at t ...
. He completed his century, exactly 100, on Monday morning and Essex went on to total 267 all out. Northamptonshire were 219 for 5 at the close on Monday evening with their veteran batsman
John Timms
John Edward Timms (3 November 1906 – 18 March 1980) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Northamptonshire. He was a right-handed middle order batsman and a part time right arm medium pace bowler.
Timms made his first-class debu ...
on 90
not out
In cricket, a batter is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batter is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress.
Occurrence
At least one batter is not out at t ...
. Timms was out for 112 on Tuesday morning and Peter Smith completed ten in the match by taking six for 84 in the Northamptonshire total of 291. Essex therefore needed 240 to win with ample time left on the final day. They had a good stand of 103 for the fourth wicket between
Frank Vigar (60) and
Len Clark (64) but spinners Broderick and
Bertie Clarke
Carlos Bertram Clarke (7 April 1918 – 14 October 1993) was a West Indian international cricketer who played in three Test matches in 1939. During the war when three-day cricket was an impossibility due to the demands of labour for the mil ...
kept picking up the wickets and Essex were still ten behind when the ninth went down. The last pair were captain
Tom Pearce and wicketkeeper
Tom Wade who managed to level the scores before Wade was bowled by Clarke to tie the match.
Hampshire v Lancashire was played at
Dean Park,
Bournemouth
Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
on 27 to 29 August. Hampshire batted first and scored 363, the innings continuing into the Thursday morning,
Jim Bailey with 95 the top scorer. Lancashire captain
Ken Cranston
Kenneth Cranston (20 October 1917 – 8 January 2007) was an English amateur cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Lancashire and eight times for England, in 1947 and 1948. He retired from playing cricket to concentrate on his career as ...
had taken four for 73 and he led the Lancashire reply with 155
not out
In cricket, a batter is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batter is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress.
Occurrence
At least one batter is not out at t ...
before declaring the innings closed at 367 for 9. Hampshire safely negotiated the last few overs on Thursday evening to close on 18 for 0 before totalling 224 for 7 declared on Friday, Jim Bailey again the top scorer with 63. This was a sporting declaration by the Hampshire captain
Desmond Eagar
Edward Desmond Russell Eagar (8 December 1917 — 13 September 1977) was an English amateur first-class cricketer who played county cricket for Gloucestershire and Hampshire. Eagar debuted for Gloucestershire whilst still a schoolboy at Chelten ...
as there was time to bowl only 47 overs before the close.
Cyril Washbrook
Cyril Washbrook (6 December 1914 – 27 April 1999) was an English cricketer, who played for Lancashire and England. He had a long career, split by World War II, and ending when he was aged 44. Washbrook, who is most famous for opening the batt ...
led the chase with 105 while Jim Bailey, having twice starred with the bat, took six for 82. When the last over began, Lancashire had reached 220 for 8 with
Jack Ikin
John Thomas Ikin (7 March 1918 – 15 September 1984) was an English cricketer, who played in eighteen Test cricket, Test matches from 1946 to 1955. A "calm, popular left-hander who also bowled leg spin", Ikin played most of his cricket for Lanc ...
and wicketkeeper
Alfred Barlow
Alfred Barlow (born 31 August 1915 in Little Lever, Lancashire – died 9 May 1983 in Middleton, Lancashire) was an English cricketer who played as a wicket-keeper. He played 74 first-class matches for Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbrev ...
batting, but this was the last wicket as
William Roberts had been taken to hospital with a broken finger and could not bat. Ikin and Barlow came together at 204 for 8 and so had added 16 for the final wicket to level the scores. Barlow was on strike and facing off spinner
Gerry Hill. The first three balls produced no run and then Barlow was
run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in cricket, governed by Law 38 of the Laws of Cricket.
A run out usually occurs when the batsmen are attempting to run between the wickets, and the fielding team succeed in getting the ball to one wicket befo ...
as he tried for a quick single to end the match in a tie.
Middlesex
As ''Playfair'' put it, "few will dispute that the best side won the championship".
Middlesex's first four batsmen — Robertson, Brown, Edrich and Compton — scored between them 12,193 runs in all first-class matches, a level of success unprecedented in county cricket. The other batting positions were contested by
George Mann, who was heir-apparent to Robins as club captain and succeeded him in 1948;
Alan Fairbairn, a 1947 debutant who scored centuries in each of his first two county matches;
Harry Sharp and
Alec Thompson
Alexander William Thompson (1916-2001) was an English cricketer active from 1939 to 1955 who played for Middlesex in 202 matches as a right-handed batsman and occasional off-spinner.
Notable Achievements
* Thompson scored 7,915 runs in first- ...
. The three main bowlers were Gray, Young and the veteran Sims.
Ian Bedford
Philip Ian Bedford (11 February 1930 – 18 September 1966) was an English first-class cricketer who had a sensational start to his first-class career with Middlesex in 1947 as a 17-year-old lower-order batsman and leg break bowler. In his fir ...
, aged seventeen, made his debut and took twelve wickets in his first two matches. Middlesex also made effective use as bowlers of Robins, Edrich and Denis Compton. ''Playfair'' noted the consistently high standard of the Middlesex fielding, especially by Brown, while Leslie Compton as wicket-keeper was a great success. Middlesex made exclusive use of
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and ...
in
St John's Wood
St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west from ...
, north
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, for their thirteen home matches.
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire's strong challenge for the title was despite the loss of
Wally Hammond
Walter Reginald Hammond (19 June 1903 – 1 July 1965) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Gloucestershire in a career that lasted from 1920 to 1951. Beginning as a professional, he later became an amateur and was appointed cap ...
but in
Tom Goddard
Thomas William John Goddard (1 October 1900 – 22 May 1966) was an English cricketer and the fifth-highest wicket taker in first-class cricket.
Biography
Born 1 October 1900 in Gloucester, Goddard joined Gloucestershire in 1922 as a fast bow ...
they had the best bowler in the country. He took 238 wickets in all matches, 61 more than his nearest rival. He was well supported by
Sam Cook who took 120 championship wickets and gained a Test call, but the team lacked quality pace bowlers with
George Lambert largely on his own apart from the medium pace of Test batsman
Charlie Barnett. Five Gloucestershire batsmen scored over 1,000 runs in the championship: captain
Basil Allen
Basil Oliver Allen (13 October 1911 – 1 May 1981) was an English first-class cricketer.
Allen was educated at Clifton College and Caius College, Cambridge. A left-handed batsman and fine close fieldsman, he played for Cambridge University C ...
, Barnett,
Jack Crapp
John Frederick Crapp (14 October 1912 – 13 February 1981), was an English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire between 1936 and 1956, and played for England on tour in the winter of 1948–49.
Cricket writer, ...
,
George Emmett
George Malcolm Emmett (2 December 1912 – 18 December 1976) was an English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. He also played one Test cricket, Test match for English cricket team, England in 1948. ...
and wicket-keeper
Andy Wilson. ''Playfair'' recorded concerns about the pitch at Bristol which was alleged by some to have been prepared especially for Goddard. It is true that Gloucestershire won eight of the nine matches played there but equally true that Goddard took most of his wickets in matches not at Bristol.
Ken Graveney
John Kenneth Richard Graveney (16 December 1924 – 25 October 2015) was an English first-class cricketer from Hexham, Northumberland, who played for and captained Gloucestershire.
Graveney was a lower order left-handed batsman and a right-arm f ...
made his debut for Gloucestershire in 1947 and
his brother Tom was waiting in the wings. Other players included
Monty Cranfield,
Bev Lyon,
Clifford Monks,
William Neale,
Grahame Parker
Grahame Wilshaw Parker (11 February 1912 – 11 November 1995) was an English sportsman who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, Gloucestershire and represented the England national rugby union team.
Parker, who ...
,
Colin Scott and
Alfred Wilcox.
Gloucestershire generally used their headquarters in
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, playing nine of their fourteen home matches there. All the venues were:
*
Ashley Down Ground,
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
*
College Ground, Cheltenham
The College Ground is a cricket ground in the grounds of Cheltenham College in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Gloucestershire County Cricket Club have played more than 300 first-class and more than 70 List A matches there. It also hosted ...
*
Wagon Works Ground
Wagon Works Ground is a cricket ground in Gloucester, Gloucestershire. The ground was owned by the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company.
History
The first recorded match on the ground was in 1923, when Gloucestershire played Lancashir ...
,
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
Lancashire
Lancashire finished third for the second season in succession. They lost only once (to Somerset) but drew ten and tied one. They were well served by their openers
Cyril Washbrook
Cyril Washbrook (6 December 1914 – 27 April 1999) was an English cricketer, who played for Lancashire and England. He had a long career, split by World War II, and ending when he was aged 44. Washbrook, who is most famous for opening the batt ...
and
Winston Place
Winston Place (7 December 1914 − 25 January 2002) was an English cricketer who played in three Tests in 1948. An opening batsman for Lancashire, he shared a prolific partnership with Cyril Washbrook and was part of the county championship wi ...
who both scored more than 2,000 runs in all first-class matches, Washbrook playing in all five Tests and Place being selected for the West Indies tour. There were problems in the middle order where only
Geoff Edrich
Geoffrey Arthur Edrich (13 July 1918 – 2 January 2004) was an English first-class cricketer born in Lingwood, Norfolk, who played in 339 matches for Lancashire between 1946 and 1958 as a right-handed batsman. Before his first-class career, he h ...
performed consistently well, but the two Test all-rounders,
Jack Ikin
John Thomas Ikin (7 March 1918 – 15 September 1984) was an English cricketer, who played in eighteen Test cricket, Test matches from 1946 to 1955. A "calm, popular left-hander who also bowled leg spin", Ikin played most of his cricket for Lanc ...
and captain
Ken Cranston
Kenneth Cranston (20 October 1917 – 8 January 2007) was an English amateur cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Lancashire and eight times for England, in 1947 and 1948. He retired from playing cricket to concentrate on his career as ...
scored over 1,000 runs. Lancashire's outstanding bowler was paceman
Dick Pollard
Richard Pollard (19 June 1912 – 16 December 1985) was an English cricketer born in Westhoughton, Lancashire, who played in four Test matches between 1946 and 1948. A fast-medium right-arm bowler and a lower-order right-handed batsman who made ...
who finished the season strongly after an indifferent early phase and took 144 wickets in all matches. Slow left armer
William Roberts bowled steadily and took 74 championship wickets but ''Playfair'' remarked that he was short of Test class. As with the batting, the all-rounders Cranston and Ikin shored up the bowling with 56 and 48 championship wickets respectively. Looking to the future, Lancashire made a "find" in wicketkeeper
Alfred Barlow
Alfred Barlow (born 31 August 1915 in Little Lever, Lancashire – died 9 May 1983 in Middleton, Lancashire) was an English cricketer who played as a wicket-keeper. He played 74 first-class matches for Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbrev ...
and there were good reports of
Alan Wharton
Alan Wharton (30 April 1923 – 26 August 1993) was an English cricketer, who played for Lancashire, Leicestershire and England.
Life and career
Wharton was born in Heywood, Lancashire, England.
An attacking left-handed batsman, Wharton appe ...
who became a Lancashire stalwart for many seasons. Batsman
Barry Howard
Barry Frederick Howard (9 July 1937 – 28 April 2016) was an English actor. He was best known for his role as Barry Stuart-Hargreaves in the first seven series of the long-running BBC sitcom ''Hi-de-Hi!'', in which his deadpan comedy style ...
played some good innings in his debut season and, along with Cranston, was awarded his county cap. Other players included future county captain
Nigel Howard
Nigel David Howard (18 May 1925 – 31 May 1979) was an English cricketer, who played for Lancashire and England. Born in Gee Cross, Hyde, Cheshire, he captained England on the tour to India in 1951-52. In the only four Test matches he playe ...
,
Tom Brierley,
Phil King in his final season, future Test umpire
Eddie Phillipson
William Edward Phillipson (3 December 1910 – 25 August 1991) was an English first-class cricketer who was born in Cheshire. He played for Lancashire County Cricket Club for 15 years before becoming a Test cricket
Test cricket is a form of ...
,
Eric Price
Eric Price (born July 19, 1974) is an American actor and comedian who is most notable for his membership in the recurring cast of comedians on sketch comedy series ''MADtv'' during its 14th Season. He is also known for his voice roles as Paddy ...
, and
Gordon Garlick
Richard Gordon Garlick (11 April 1917 – 16 May 1988) was an English cricketer active from 1938 to 1950 who played for Lancashire and Northamptonshire. He appeared in 121 first-class matches as a right arm bowler, deploying both off spin and m ...
who joined Northamptonshire in 1948.
Lancashire played the majority of their home matches at their Old Trafford headquarters and played two matches elsewhere in the county:
*
Aigburth Cricket Ground, Liverpool
__NOTOC__
Aigburth Cricket Ground in Liverpool, England, is the home of Liverpool Cricket Club. The club was founded in 1807 and is the oldest amateur sports club in Merseyside. The ground hosted its maiden first-class cricket match in 1881, a fi ...
*
Old Trafford Cricket Ground
Old Trafford is a cricket ground in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It opened in 1857 as the home of Manchester Cricket Club and has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since 1864. From 2013 onwards it has been known as ...
,
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
*
Stanley Park, Blackpool
Stanley Park is a public park in the town of Blackpool on the Fylde coast in Lancashire, England. It is the town's primary park and covers an area of approximately . The park was designed to include significant sporting provisions, along with f ...
Kent
Kent improved from seventh to fourth and were able to announce increased attendances and membership. The team was again captained by
Bryan Valentine and featured England stars
Godfrey Evans
Thomas Godfrey Evans (18 August 1920 – 3 May 1999) was an English cricketer who played for Kent and England. Described by ''Wisden'' as 'arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen', Evans collected 219 dismissals in 91 Test match ...
and
Doug Wright
Douglas Wright (born December 20, 1962) is an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2004 for his play ''I Am My Own Wife''.
Early years
Wright was born in Dallas, Texas. He attended and ...
, though they missed several championship matches for Test calls. Kent were particularly well served by their batsmen, although Valentine had problems with loss of form at times.
Les Ames
Leslie Ethelbert George Ames (3 December 1905 – 27 February 1990) was a wicket-keeper and batsman for the England cricket team and Kent County Cricket Club. In his obituary, ''Wisden'' described him as the greatest wicket-keeper-batsman of a ...
,
Les Todd and
Arthur Fagg
Arthur Edward Fagg (18 June 1915 – 13 September 1977) was an English cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club and the English cricket team.
A right-handed opening batsman who first played for Kent at the age of 17, Fagg was a Test ma ...
all scored more than 2,000 runs in the season. The young left-hander
Peter Hearn was regarded as a fine prospect and was awarded his county cap. Wright was the main bowler and was supported by off spinner
Ray Dovey
Raymond Randall Dovey (18 July 1920 – 27 December 1974), known as Ray Dovey, was an English cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club from 1938 to 1954.
Dovey was born in Chislehurst in Kent in 1920 and first played for Kent before t ...
, all-rounder
Jack Davies and the two pacemen
Fred Ridgway
Frederick Ridgway (10 August 1923 – 26 September 2015) was an English professional cricketer who played in five Test matches for the England cricket team on the 1951–52 tour of India. Ridgway played county cricket as a fast bowler for Ken ...
and
Norman Harding. Harding died unexpectedly in September, aged 31. Other players included
Geoffrey Anson,
Brian Edrich
Brian Robert Edrich (18 August 1922 – 31 May 2009) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Kent and Glamorgan between 1947 and 1956. He was a member of the Edrich cricketing family from Norfolk. His three brothers, Eri ...
, the veteran
Hopper Levett
William Howard Vincent "Hopper" Levett (25 January 1908 – 30 November 1995) was an English cricketer who played as a wicket-keeper for Kent County Cricket Club between 1930 and 1947.
Levett was born at Goudhurst in Kent and educated at Brigh ...
in his final season,
Tony Mallett
Anthony William Haward Mallett (29 August 1924 – 10 December 1994) was an English amateur cricketer who played for Oxford University Cricket Club, Oxford University and Kent County Cricket Club. He was a school teacher who became Principal of ...
, future captain
Bill Murray-Wood
William Murray-Wood (30 June 1917 – 21 December 1968) was an English Amateur status in first-class cricket, amateur cricketer who played first-class cricket for Oxford University Cricket Club, Oxford University and Kent County Cricket Club, Ke ...
and
Tony Pawson. A curious case was pace bowler
Jack Martin, who played for Kent only twice in 1947 and yet was selected to play for England in the
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge Cricket Ground is a cricket ground mostly used for Test, One-Day International and county cricket located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, just across the River Trent from the city of Nottingham. Trent Bridge is also t ...
Test.
Kent's policy was to play home matches throughout the county and they used seven venues:
*
Bat and Ball Ground
The Bat & Ball Ground is a cricket and sports ground in Gravesend in Kent. The ground was used as a first-class cricket venue by Kent County Cricket Club between 1849 and 1971. It remains in use by Gravesend Cricket Club who have used the groun ...
,
Gravesend
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Ro ...
*
Crabble Athletic Ground
The Crabble Athletic Ground, also known as simply Crabble, or The Crabble is a football stadium located in the northern Dover suburb of River, Kent. It was the home of the various incarnations of Dover F.C. from 1931 until the club folded in 19 ...
,
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
*
Garrison Ground 2
Garrison Ground 2 was a cricket ground in Gillingham, Kent. The ground, which has also been known as the Royal Engineers Sports Ground and simply the Garrison Ground, was used by Kent County Cricket Club for first-class and List A cricket betwee ...
,
Gillingham
*
Mote Park
Mote Park is a multi-use public park in Maidstone, Kent. Previously a country estate it was converted to landscaped park land at the end of the 18th century before becoming a municipal park. It includes the former stately home Mote House toget ...
,
Maidstone
Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the c ...
*
St Lawrence Ground
The St Lawrence Ground is a cricket ground in Canterbury, Kent. It is the home ground of Kent County Cricket Club and since 2013 has been known as The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, due to commercial sponsorship. It is one of the oldest grounds ...
,
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
*
Nevill Ground
The Nevill Ground is a cricket ground at Royal Tunbridge Wells in the English county of Kent. It is owned by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and is used by Tunbridge Wells Cricket Club in the summer months and by Tunbridge Wells Hockey Club in t ...
,
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. ...
*
Rectory Field
Rectory Field is a sports ground in Blackheath in the Royal Borough of Greenwich in south-east London. It was developed in the 1880s by Blackheath Cricket, Football and Lawn Tennis Company and became the home ground of rugby union team Blackheath ...
,
Blackheath Blackheath may refer to:
Places England
*Blackheath, London, England
** Blackheath railway station
**Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England
*Blackheath, Surrey, England
** Hundred of Blackh ...
Derbyshire
Derbyshire was the most improved team of the year, rising ten places from fifteenth in 1946 to fifth in 1947. They were a strong bowling side with pacemen
Bill Copson
William Henry Copson (27 April 1908 – 14 September 1971) was an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire County Cricket Club between 1932 and 1950, and for England between 1939 and 1947. He took over 1,000 wickets for Derbyshire, and was pro ...
,
Cliff Gladwin
Clifford Gladwin (3 April 1916 – 10 April 1988) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Derbyshire from 1939 to 1958 and in eight Tests for England from 1947 to 1949. He took over 1,600 first-class wickets.
A tall right-arm mediu ...
and
George Pope all playing for England.
Dusty Rhodes
Virgil Riley Runnels Jr. (October 11, 1945 – June 11, 2015), better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, was an American professional wrestler, booker, and trainer who most notably worked for the National Wrestling Alliance, Jim Crocket ...
, bowling mainly leg break, and left-armer
Eric Marsh provided support. Derbyshire, captained for the first time by
Edward Gothard, played attacking cricket and were involved in several close finishes. The batting was weakened by injuries to
Stan Worthington, in his final season, and
Denis Smith.
Charlie Elliott
Charles Standish Elliott MBE (24 April 1912 – 1 January 2004) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 1932 and 1953, an international umpire and a part-time footballer.
Elliott was born in Bolsover, Derbyshire. ...
and
Arnold Townsend topped 1,000 runs but ''Playfair'' noted that the presence of one really top-class batsman would have made an enormous difference to Derbyshire's batting.
John Eggar
John Drennan Eggar (1 December 1916 – 3 May 1983) was an English schoolmaster and first-class cricketer who played for Oxford University and Hampshire in 1938 and for Derbyshire from 1946 to 1954.
Eggar was born in Nowshera, British India, t ...
, who topped the county averages, might have filled that gap but his teaching career enabled him to play only in August. Smith was seconded to keep wicket for most of the season until
George Dawkes
George Owen Dawkes (19 July 1920 – 10 August 2006) was a first-class cricketer who played for Leicestershire between 1937 and 1939 and for Derbyshire between 1947 and 1961 as a wicket keeper and a lower-order right-handed batsman. During the ...
, formerly of Leicestershire, was able to join the team. Dawkes went on to become one of the greatest English wicketkeepers. Another notable debutant was fast bowler
Les Jackson. Other players included
Albert Alderman
Albert Edward Alderman (30 October 1907 – 6 June 1990) was an English cricketer and footballer. He played cricket for Derbyshire between 1928 and 1948 and scored over 12,000 runs for the club. As a footballer, he played as an inside forward f ...
, 55-year-old
Harry Elliott in his final season,
Alan Revill
Alan Chambers Revill (27 March 1923 – 6 July 1998) was an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 1946 and 1957 and for Leicestershire from 1958 to 1960. He scored more than 15,000 first-class runs.
Revill was born in Sheffiel ...
and
Pat Vaulkhard.
Most of Derbyshire's home matches were played at one of their two main venues in
Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...
and
Chesterfield
Chesterfield may refer to:
Places Canada
* Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan
* Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom
* Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England
** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
but they occasionally played elsewhere. The five venues used were:
[CricketArchive – County Championship Match List](_blank)
Retrieved 15 November 2013.
*
County Ground, Derby
The County Cricket Ground (usually shortened to the County Ground, also known as the Racecourse Ground; currently the Incora County Ground due to sponsorship) is a cricket ground in Derby, England. It has been the home of Derbyshire County Cricke ...
*
Queen's Park, Chesterfield
Queen's Park is a county cricket ground located in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England and lies within a park in the centre of the town established for Queen Victoria's golden jubilee in 1887. It has a small pavilion and is surrounded by mature ...
*
Abbeydale Park
Abbeydale Park is a sports venue in Dore, South Yorkshire, England. It is unusual in having hosted home games for two different county cricket teams.
History
The Park first opened for cricket in 1921, with the first pavilion being completed th ...
,
Dore
*
Rutland Recreation Ground, Ilkeston
The Rutland Recreation Ground is a cricket ground in Ilkeston, Derbyshire (not the historical county of Rutland, as the name may suggest). The Derbyshire first XI played at the ground regularly between 1925 and 1994, with the ground hosting at le ...
*
Park Road, Buxton
Surrey
Surrey showed improvements on 1946 but ''Playfair'' remarked on "the need for new blood". Having said that, the arrival of
Jim Laker
James Charles Laker (9 February 1922 – 23 April 1986) was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club from 1946 to 1959 and represented England in 46 Test matches. He was born in Shipley, West Riding of York ...
certainly resolved any problems in spin bowling and his future partner
Tony Lock
Graham Anthony Richard Lock (5 July 1929 – 30 March 1995) was an English cricketer, who played primarily as a left-arm spinner. He played in forty nine Tests for England taking 174 wickets at 25.58 each.
Lock took 2,844 first-class wickets ...
was already making progress at second eleven level. Another good start was made by opening batsman
David Fletcher who was awarded his county cap with Laker and
Eric Bedser
Eric Arthur Bedser (4 July 1918 – 24 May 2006) was a cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club. He was the elder identical twin brother of Alec Bedser (1918–2010), widely regarded as one of England's top bowlers of the 20th centur ...
. Six Surrey batsmen topped 1,000 runs in the championship: Eric Bedser, Fletcher, captain
Errol Holmes
Errol Reginald Thorold Holmes (21 August 1905 – 16 August 1960) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Oxford University, Surrey and England between 1924 and 1955.
A dashing right-handed batsman, Holmes believed that cri ...
,
Tom Barling,
John Parker and
Stan Squires.
Laurie Fishlock
Laurence Barnard Fishlock (2 January 1907 – 25 June 1986) was an English cricketer, who played in four Test matches from 1936 to 1947. A specialist batsman, he achieved little in those four matches, but might have had a much more substantial ...
had a chequered season having been dogged by serious illness since he went to Australia with England in the winter. Wicketkeeper
Arthur McIntyre played well and produced some good batting performances. The main bowlers were
Alec Bedser
Sir Alec Victor Bedser (4 July 1918 – 4 April 2010) was a professional English cricketer, primarily a medium-fast bowler. He is widely regarded as one of the best English cricketers of the 20th century.
Bedser played first-class cricket fo ...
, Jim Laker and the retiring
Alf Gover
Alfred Richard Gover (29 February 1908 – 7 October 2001) was an English Test cricketer. He was the mainstay of the Surrey bowling attack during the 1930s and played four Tests before and after the Second World War. He also founded and ran ...
, who took 121 wickets in his final season. Seamer
Eddie Watts could make only a few appearances due to injury.
Geoffrey Whittaker made eight appearances and two future Surrey mainstays
Bernie Constable and
Stuart Surridge
Stuart Surridge (3 September 1917 – 13 April 1992) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club, Surrey. Though not known to be a remarkable batsman or bowler, Surridge became one of the most successful team ca ...
also played.
Surrey played twelve of their thirteen home matches at
The Oval
The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...
and one in
Guildford
Guildford ()
is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...
. Two first-class matches not involving the Surrey XI were played in
Kingston-upon-Thames
Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable as ...
. All venues:
*
The Oval
The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...
,
Kennington
Kennington is a district in south London, England. It is mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth, running along the boundary with the London Borough of Southwark, a boundary which can be discerned from the early medieval period between the ...
, south
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
*
Woodbridge Road
The Sports Ground, Woodbridge Road is a cricket ground in Guildford, Surrey. The ground was given to the town in trust in 1911 by Sir Harry Waechter, Bart. Guildford Cricket Club play their home matches on the ground. Surrey County Cricket C ...
,
Guildford
Guildford ()
is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...
*
Leyland Motors Ground,
Kingston-upon-Thames
Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable as ...
Worcestershire
Following the emigration of
Sandy Singleton to
Rhodesia
Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...
after the 1946 season,
Allan White succeeded him as Worcestershire captain. The team lacked batting strength and did well to improve their championship position. The outstanding player was Test all-rounder
Dick Howorth
Richard Howorth (26 April 1909 – 2 April 1980) was an English cricketer who played as an all-rounder for Worcestershire County Cricket Club between 1933 and 1951. Chiefly remembered as a left-arm orthodox spin bowler, Howorth also occasionall ...
who was, as in 1946, the first player to complete the
double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* Th ...
of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets. Howorth was a slow left arm spinner and formed a successful partnership with
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...
who bowled mostly off breaks. Howorth took 164 wickets in all matches and Jackson 125. Future England player
Roly Jenkins
Roly Jenkins (24 November 1918 – 22 July 1995) was an English cricketer, almost exclusively for Worcestershire County Cricket Club as a leg spinner in the period immediately after World War II. Along with Doug Wright and Eric Hollies, Jenkin ...
made a telling contribution (67 wickets) with his leg breaks and googlies while paceman
Reg Perks
Reginald Thomas David Perks (4 October 1911 – 22 November 1977) was an English cricketer who played in two Test matches in 1939, and was the mainstay of Worcestershire's bowling for a long period from the middle 1930s until the middle 1950s. ...
took 123 wickets in all matches. The success of the bowlers owed much to keeper
Hugo Yarnold
Henry Yarnold, known as Hugo (6 July 1917 at Worcester, England, Worcester – 13 August 1974 in a road accident at Leamington Spa), was an English first-class cricketer who became a Test cricket, Test cricket umpire (cricket), umpire.
Yarnold ...
who claimed the most victims in the championship. Howorth, Jenkins,
Eddie Cooper and, in his first full season,
Don Kenyon all exceeded 1,000 runs. Worcestershire's best known batsmen at the time were
Charles Palmer Charles Palmer may refer to:
* Charles Palmer (1777–1851), Member of Parliament for Bath
* Sir Charles Palmer, 1st Baronet (1822–1907), English shipbuilder, businessman and Liberal Member of Parliament, 1874–1907
* Sir Charles Palmer, 2nd Ba ...
and the veteran
Bob Wyatt
Robert Elliott Storey Wyatt (2 May 1901 – 20 April 1995) was an English cricketer who played for Warwickshire, Worcestershire and England in a career lasting nearly thirty years from 1923 to 1951. He was born at Milford Heath House in Surrey ...
and they were the first two in the county averages but neither played a full season.
Laddie Outschoorn qualified for the championship for the first time and showed promise. Other players included
Ronald Bird
Ronald Ernest Bird
(4 April 1915 – 20 February 1985) was an English cricketer who played 195 first-class matches in the years after the Second World War. 190 of these were for Worcestershire, while the other five were for Marylebone Cricket ...
,
Fred Cooper (brother of Eddie),
Norman Whiting
Norman Harry Whiting (2 October 1920 – 23 February 2014) was an English first-class cricketer who played 59 matches for Worcestershire County Cricket Club, Worcestershire in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He was born in Wollaston, West Midlan ...
and
Martin Young.
Worcestershire played nine of their thirteen home matches at their County Ground headquarters in
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Englan ...
and used five venues in all:
*
Chester Road North Ground, Kidderminster
The Chester Road North Ground, often referred to simply as Chester Road or Kidderminster, is a cricket ground in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. It is the home of Kidderminster Cricket Club, and is currently used for Worcestershire Coun ...
*
New Road, Worcester
New Road is a cricket ground in the English city of Worcester. It has been the home ground of Worcestershire County Cricket Club since 1896. Since October 2017 the ground has been known for sponsorship purposes as Blackfinch New Road following ...
*
Tipton Road
The Tipton Road cricket ground in Dudley, England was used for first-class cricket by Worcestershire CCC on 88 occasions between 1911 and 1971. The county also staged 14 List A games there between 1969 and 1977, all in the Sunday League, as wel ...
,
Dudley
Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...
*
War Memorial Ground,
Amblecote
Amblecote is an urban village and one of the most affluent areas in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England. It lies immediately north of the historic town of Stourbridge, extending about one and a half miles from it, an ...
*
Racecourse Ground, Hereford
Yorkshire
Yorkshire fell from champions to seventh and used 25 different players in the championship alone. There was future promise in five new caps: wicketkeeper
Don Brennan, batsmen
Willie Watson and
Gerald Smithson
Gerald Arthur Smithson (1 November 1926 – 6 September 1970) was an English cricketer who played in two Test cricket, Tests for England national cricket team, England in 1947–48. He was born at Spofforth, North Yorkshire, Spofforth, West Rid ...
, fast bowler
Alec Coxon
Alexander Coxon (18 January 1916 – 22 January 2006) was an English cricketer who played for Yorkshire. He also played one Test match for England in 1948.
Life and career
Coxon was born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire. World War II delayed Coxon's ...
and left arm spinner
Johnny Wardle
Johnny Wardle (8 January 1923 – 23 July 1985) was an English spin bowling cricketer whose Test Match career lasted between 1948 and 1957. His Test bowling average of 20.39 is the lowest in Test cricket by any recognised spin bowler since ...
. In addition, future stalwart
Ted Lester
Edward Ibson Lester (18 February 1923 – 23 March 2015) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club. He was born and died at Scarborough, Yorkshire, England.
Lester had a first-class cricket career lasting ...
began his career with three successive centuries and topped the county averages. Future captain
Vic Wilson made a few appearances.
Brian Sellers
Arthur Brian Sellers (5 March 1907 – 20 February 1981) was an English amateur first-class cricketer, who played in 334 first-class matches for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1932 and 1948, and later became a prominent administrator ...
captained the team for the final time before handing over to
Norman Yardley
Norman Walter Dransfield Yardley (19 March 1915 – 3 October 1989) was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England, as a right-handed batsman and occasional bowler. An amateur, he ca ...
for the 1948 season.
Bill Bowes
William Eric Bowes (25 July 1908 – 4 September 1987) was an English professional cricketer active from 1929 to 1947 who played in 372 first-class matches as a right arm fast bowler and a right-handed tail end batsman. He took 1,639 wickets ...
in his final season topped the bowling averages and received a record benefit. He was supported by Wardle, off spinner
Ellis Robinson
Ellis Pembroke Robinson (10 August 1911 – 10 November 1998) was an English first-class cricketer who took over 1,000 first-class wickets for Yorkshire from 1934 to 1949, and Somerset from 1950 to 1952.
Early life
Robinson was born in Denab ...
, seamer
Frank Smailes and new pace bowlers Coxon and
Ron Aspinall. Yorkshire were hit by the loss through illness, after only four matches, of slow left armer
Arthur Booth, who had been their outstanding player in 1946. The batting was generally not up to scratch and relied far too much on one man, the great
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard Hutton (23 June 1916 – 6 September 1990) was an English cricketer. He played as an opening batsman for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1934 to 1955 and for England in 79 Test matches between 1937 and 1955. ''Wisden Cricketer ...
who, because of Test calls, played in only half of Yorkshire's championship matches. Other players included
Harry Crick,
Harry Halliday,
Freddie Jakeman,
Geoffrey Keighley
William Geoffrey Keighley OAM (10 January 1925 – 14 June 2005) was an English barrister, businessman, first-class cricketer, farmer, grazier and legislator.
Keighley was born in Nice, France. His family had business interests in Bradford, W ...
and pace bowler
John Whitehead.
Yorkshire used seven venues in various parts of the county:
*
Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United.
The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramal ...
,
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
*
Fartown Ground, Huddersfield
The Fartown Ground or just simply Fartown is a sports ground located in the Huddersfield suburb of Fartown in West Yorkshire, England and is predominantly famous for being the home ground of Huddersfield Rugby League Club from 1878 to 1992. T ...
*
Headingley Cricket Ground
Headingley Cricket Ground is a cricket ground in the Headingley Stadium complex in Headingley, Leeds, England. It adjoins the Headingley Rugby Stadium through a shared main stand, although the main entrance to the cricket ground is at the oppo ...
,
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
*
North Marine Road Ground, Scarborough
North Marine Road Ground, formerly known as Queen's, is a cricket ground in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Scarborough Cricket Club which hosts the Scarborough Festival and the Yorkshire County Cricket Club plays a se ...
*
Park Avenue
Park Avenue is a wide New York City boulevard which carries north and southbound traffic in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenu ...
,
Bradford
Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
*
St George's Road Cricket Ground, Harrogate
St George's Road Cricket Ground in Harrogate hosted 98 first class matches between 1882 and 2000.
It hosted a woman's Test match starting on 1 August 1998 between England women and Australia women. It had a capacity at its peak of 8,000 spe ...
*
The Circle, Kingston upon Hull
The Circle was a cricket ground on Anlaby Road in Kingston upon Hull, which hosted 89 first-class matches from 1899 to 1974. Two other matches were rained off without a ball being bowled. Most of the matches were County Championship games fe ...
Glamorgan
Glamorgan never had a settled team and there were a number of new arrivals at the end of the season including
Gilbert Parkhouse
William Gilbert Anthony Parkhouse (12 October 1925 – 10 August 2000) was a Welsh cricketer who played in seven Test cricket, Tests for England in 1950, 1950–51 and 1959.
Parkhouse was a right-handed batsman who spent most of his career as a ...
,
Jim Eaglestone,
Norman Hever and
Phil Clift
Phil Brittain Clift (3 September 1918 – 22 May 2005) was a Welsh cricketer active from 1937 to 1955 who played for Glamorgan. He was born in Usk, Monmouthshire, and died in Cardiff. He appeared in 183 first-class matches as a righthanded bats ...
. This might suggest a club in transition but there were grounds for optimism which were realised in 1948 when the club won its first championship. Glamorgan's bowling in 1947 suffered an early blow when their only real pace bowler
Peter Judge was ruled out for the season after being injured in only the second match. Dynamic captain
Wilf Wooller
Wilfred Wooller (20 November 1912 – 10 March 1997) was a Welsh cricketer, rugby union footballer, cricket administrator and journalist.
He was acclaimed as one of the greatest all-round sportsmen that Wales has ever produced. He captained G ...
had to carry the seam attack almost single-handedly and took 85 wickets in addition to scoring 1,270 runs. Glamorgan relied mostly on spin with
Len Muncer
Bernard Leonard Muncer (23 October 1913 – 18 January 1982) was a cricketer who played for Middlesex and Glamorgan.
Muncer was a useful middle or later order right-handed batsman and a spin bowler who began by bowling occasional leg breaks ...
and the veteran
Johnnie Clay
John Charles Clay (18 March 1898 – 11 August 1973) was a Welsh cricketer who played first-class cricket for Glamorgan from 1921 to 1949. He also played one Test match for England in 1935.
Personal life and war service
Clay was born in Bonvil ...
bowling off breaks and opening batsman
Emrys Davies
David Emrys Davies (27 June 1904 – 10 November 1975) was a Glamorgan cricketer and in his later years a Test cricket umpire.
Davies was born in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales. His first class career for Glamorgan
, HQ = ...
helping out with his slow left. Davies created a county record by scoring five centuries in the season and formed an effective opening partnership with
Arnold Dyson
Arnold Herbert Dyson (10 July 1905 – 7 June 1978) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Glamorgan.
Dyson was born in Halifax, Yorkshire and played as a right-handed opening batsman, often partnering Emrys Davies
David Emrys D ...
, both of them scoring more than 1,500 runs in the championship. Future Test player
Allan Watkins
Albert John "Allan" Watkins (21 April 1922 – 3 August 2011) was a Welsh cricketer, who played for England in fifteen Tests from 1948 to 1952.
Life and career
Born in Usk, Monmouthshire, Allan Watkins made his debut for Glamorgan just three ...
exceeded 1,000 runs and there were some good innings by
Wat Jones and
George Lavis
George Lavis (17 August 1908 – 29 July 1956) was a Welsh cricketer active from 1928 to 1950 who played for Glamorgan. He was born in Monmouth and died in Pontypool. He appeared in 206 first-class matches as a righthanded batsman who bowled rig ...
. The main wicketkeeper was
Haydn Davies who claimed 47 victims in the championship but had some problems with a damaged hand. Other players included veteran
Austin Matthews in his final season,
Jim Pleass
James Edward Pleass (21 May 1923 – 16 February 2016) was a Welsh cricketer. Pleass was a right-handed batsman.
Life and career
Born in Cardiff, Pleass made his first-class debut for Glamorgan in the 1947 County Championship against Derbyshi ...
,
Arthur Porter and
Maurice Robinson.
Most of Glamorgan' home matches were played at one of their two main venues in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
and
Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe).
The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
but they occasionally played elsewhere. The four venues used were:
*
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park ( cy, Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd), also known as The Arms Park, is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green. The Arms Park was host to the British E ...
,
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
*
Eugene Cross Park
Eugene Cross Park is a rugby and cricket ground in Ebbw Vale, Wales. In November 1919 the Ebbw Vale Welfare Association was formed and bought the "Bridgend Field". The of land became known as the Welfare Ground, and in 1973 its name was change ...
,
Ebbw Vale
Ebbw Vale (; cy, Glynebwy) is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River in Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough. The Ebbw Vale and Brynmawr con ...
*
Rodney Parade
Rodney Parade is a stadium in the city of Newport, South Wales, owned and operated by the Welsh Rugby Union. It is located on the east bank of the River Usk in Newport city centre. The ground is on Rodney Road, a short walk from the city's cen ...
,
Newport
*
St Helen's Cricket Ground
St Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground, commonly known simply as St.Helens, is a sports venue in Swansea, Wales, owned and operated by the City and County of Swansea Council. Used mainly for rugby union and cricket, it has been the home ground of Swa ...
,
Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe).
The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
Sussex
''Playfair'' emphasised the contrast between strong batting and weak bowling at Sussex who recovered from bottom place in 1946 to finish a creditable equal ninth. Only
Jim Cornford performed consistently well among the bowlers while six batsmen scored over 1,000 runs. Three of these exceeded 2,000 in all matches:
John Langridge
John George Langridge MBE (10 February 1910 – 27 June 1999) was a cricketer who played for Sussex. His obituary in ''Wisden'' called him "one of the best English cricketers of the 20th century never to play a Test match".
Born into a cricketi ...
,
George Cox and
Harry Parks.
James Langridge reached the thousand despite missing several matches due to
appendicitis
Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rup ...
.
Charles Oakes
Charles William Oakes (30 November 1861 – 2 July 1928) was an Australian politician.
Early life
Oakes was born in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, to Agnes Jane Revelle and James Richard Oakes, a storekeeper. He was educated at state schools ...
and new captain
Hugh Bartlett
Hugh Tryon Bartlett DFC (7 October 1914 – 26 June 1988) was a cricketer who played as an attacking left-handed batsman for Sussex either side of World War II.
Early years
Bartlett was born in Balaghat, India, and moved to England at the age ...
were the other two. His predecessor turned club secretary
Billy Griffith
Stewart Cathie Griffith, (16 June 1914 – 7 April 1993), known as Billy Griffith, was an English cricketer and cricket administrator. He played in three Test matches for England in 1948 and 1949.
He played first-class cricket for Cambridge ...
had a poor season with the bat but kept wicket well enough to be selected for England's winter tour. Other players who appeared were
Paul Carey,
Donald Smith,
Jim Wood,
Jack Oakes
John Oakes (13 September 1905 – 20 March 1992), was an English footballer who played as a centre half in the Football League.
He was on the losing side for Charlton Athletic in the 1946 FA Cup Final, and turned out for Nottingham Forest, S ...
,
John Nye and two future Test players
Alan Oakman
Alan Stanley Myles Oakman (20 April 1930 – 6 September 2018) was an English first-class cricketer. He had a long career for Sussex, playing 538 first-class matches over a 21-year period, and played two Test matches for England. He also umpir ...
and
David Sheppard
David Stuart Sheppard, Baron Sheppard of Liverpool (6 March 1929 – 5 March 2005) was a Church of England Bishop of Liverpool who played cricket for Sussex and England in his youth. Sheppard remains the only ordained minister to have played T ...
.
Sussex generally played home matches at their County Ground headquarters in
Hove
Hove is a seaside resort and one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove, along with Brighton in East Sussex, England. Originally a "small but ancient fishing village" surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th cen ...
and used five venues in all:
*
Central Recreation Ground, Hastings
The Central Recreation Ground was a cricket ground in Hastings, East Sussex, used for first-class and List A cricket between 1864 and 1996. The ground was frequently used by Sussex County Cricket Club as one of their outgrounds from 1865; i ...
*
Priory Park, Chichester
Priory Park is a public park in Chichester, West Sussex, England, operated by Chichester District Council. It is situated in the north-east quadrant of Chichester City centre. The park has a rich heritage and is bordered by the medieval city wal ...
*
County Cricket Ground, Hove
The County Cricket Ground, known for Naming rights#Stadium naming, sponsorship reasons as The 1st Central County Ground, is a cricket venue in Hove, East Sussex, England. The County Ground is the home of Sussex County Cricket Club, where most Su ...
*
Cricketfield Road Ground,
Horsham
Horsham is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...
*
The Saffrons
The Saffrons is a multi-purpose sports ground in Eastbourne, East Sussex. The ground is home to Eastbourne Cricket Club, Eastbourne Town Football Club, Eastbourne Hockey Club and Compton Croquet Club. There is also a sand dressed astroturf pitch ...
,
Eastbourne
Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...
Essex
Essex matches were noted for high scores as Essex themselves scored more runs than anyone except Middlesex but also conceded the most. Their two outstanding players were the cousins
Peter
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a sur ...
and
Ray Smith who both completed the
double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* Th ...
. These two, bowling leg break and off break respectively, effectively carried the Essex attack. Outstanding prospect
Trevor Bailey
Trevor Edward Bailey (3 December 1923 – 10 February 2011) was an England Test cricketer, cricket writer and broadcaster.
An all-rounder, Bailey was known for his skilful but unspectacular batting. As the BBC reflected in his obituary: "His ...
was the sole pace bowler of any effect but he was only available in the latter half of the season and then injuries limited his bowling, though he topped the county's batting averages. The other all-rounder
Frank Vigar took 59 championship wickets bowling leg breaks but was expensive. Bailey, Vigar and the Smiths were half of the eight Essex players who scored 1,000 runs in the season, the other four being captain
Tom Pearce,
Chick Cray,
Dickie Dodds
Thomas Carter Dodds, known in his cricket career as Dickie Dodds and outside it as Carter Dodds, (29 May 1919 – 17 September 2001) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Essex between 1946 and 1959 as a hard-hitting opening batsm ...
and
. Wicketkeeper
Tom Wade had a very good season with 77 victims, 38 of them stumped. Essex were also represented by
Bill Dines,
Bill Morris,
Denys Wilcox
Denys Wilcox (4 June 1910 – 6 February 1953) was an English cricketer and schoolmaster.
Career
Wilcox scored more than 1000 runs in his last season at Dulwich College, then went up to Cambridge University. He played three years for the u ...
,
Dick Horsfall,
Frank Rist
Frank Rist (30 March 1914 – 8 September 2001) was an English cricketer. He played for Essex between 1934 and 1953. He also played football as a centre half in the Football League for Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an ...
,
Harry Crabtree,
Len Clark and
Sonny Avery
Alfred Victor "Sonny" Avery (19 December 1914 – 12 May 1997) was an English cricketer. He played for Essex between 1935 and 1954.
Sonny Avery was a right-handed opening batsman, "a good player of in-swing and a powerful cutter who held th ...
.
Essex continued their policy of playing matches throughout the county and home venues used in 1947 were:
*
Castle Park Cricket Ground
Castle Park Cricket Ground is an English cricket ground in Colchester. The ground is in Lower Castle Park, part of the land surrounding Colchester Castle and within the area of the Historic England Grade II registered park and garden. It was used ...
,
Colchester
Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian.
Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...
*
Chalkwell Park
Chalkwell Park is a recreational park in Chalkwell, Southend-on-Sea, in Essex, England. It covers and contains several flower gardens, two children's playgrounds, a skateboard/ BMX park and football, cricket, basketball and tennis fields.
The ...
,
Westcliff-on-Sea
Westcliff-on-Sea (often abbreviated to Westcliff) is an inner city area of the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is on the north shore of the lower Thames Estuary, about 34 m ...
*
County Ground, Chelmsford
The Essex County Ground (ECG) is a cricket venue in Chelmsford, Essex, England. It has been used by Essex County Cricket Club for first-class cricket since 1925 and List A matches since 1969, and has been the county's official home ground since ...
*
Old County Ground, Brentwood
Old County Ground is a cricket ground in Brentwood, Essex. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1876, when Essex played Suffolk in a non first-class match.
Essex played their first first-class match there against Dublin University i ...
*
Southchurch Park
Southchurch Park is a recreational park in the parish of Southchurch, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. The park is in area and contains sports pitches, including a cricket ground, formal gardens, a boating lake and a café.
Cricket ground
The ...
,
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...
*
Valentine's Park,
Ilford
*
Vista Road Recreation Ground,
Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea is a seaside town in the Tendring District in the county of Essex, England. It is located on the Tendring Peninsula and is the largest settlement in the Tendring District with a population of 56,874 (2016). The town is situated a ...
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire, captained for the first time by
William Sime
William Arnold Sime (8 February 1909 – 5 May 1983) was a South African-born English barrister and judge who also played first-class cricket, first-class cricket. Educated at Bedford School and at Balliol College, Oxford, he was a right-hand b ...
, drew half of their matches and only the top three had less defeats. They lost
Bill Voce
Bill Voce (8 August 1909 – 6 June 1984) was an English cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire and England. As a fast bowler, he was an instrumental part of England's infamous Bodyline strategy in their tour of Australia in 1932–1933 under ...
early in the season to retirement and this placed a heavy burden on the remaining pace bowlers
Arthur Jepson and
Harold Butler. They did well, both taking over 100 wickets and Butler being picked for England, but they lacked support. The only other bowler to make any kind of impression was slow left armer
Harry Winrow who took 56 championship wickets. Winrow was one of five batsmen to score 1,000 runs. The best of these by a distance was England's
Joe Hardstaff junior
Joseph Hardstaff Jr (3 July 1911 – 1 January 1990) was an English cricketer, who played in twenty three Test matches for England from 1935 to 1948. Hardstaff's father, Joe senior played for Nottinghamshire and England and his son, also nam ...
who had an outstanding season, scoring 2,396 with seven centuries.
Walter Keeton
William Walter Keeton (30 April 1905 – 10 October 1980) was an English cricketer who played in two Tests in 1934 and 1939. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1940 and played first-class cricket as a right-handed opening batsman between ...
,
Reg Simpson
Reginald Thomas Simpson (27 February 1920 – 22 November 2013) was an English cricketer, who played in 27 Test matches from 1948 to 1955.
Life and career
Born in Sherwood, Nottingham, England, Simpson attended Nottingham High School. At the ...
and
Tom Reddick all topped 1,000 runs while
Charles Harris was approaching the landmark when his season was ended early by illness. Wicketkeeper
Eric Meads claimed 52 victims in championship matches.
Cambridge University
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
captain
Guy Willatt
Guy Longfield Willatt (7 May 1918 – 11 June 2003) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Cambridge University from 1938 to 1947, for Nottinghamshire from 1939 to 1948, for Scotland from 1948 to 1950 and for Derbyshire f ...
batted well when available and young
Peter Harvey
Peter Michael St Clair Harvey (16 September 19442 March 2013) was an Australian journalist and broadcaster. Harvey was a long-serving correspondent and contributor with the Nine Network from 1975 to 2013.
Career
Harvey studied his journalism ...
, leg break and googly bowler, looked a good prospect, but
Freddie Stocks did not fulfil the promise he showed in 1946. Nottinghamshire made exclusive use of their headquarters at
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge Cricket Ground is a cricket ground mostly used for Test, One-Day International and county cricket located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, just across the River Trent from the city of Nottingham. Trent Bridge is also t ...
in
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
for their thirteen home matches.
Somerset
Somerset were captained for the only time by educator
Jack Meyer
John Robert Meyer (March 23, 1932 – March 6, 1967) was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher, who appeared in all or parts of seven Major League (MLB) seasons (1955–1961) with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Born in Philadelph ...
but the team did not learn anything and dropped seven places from fourth in 1946 to equal eleventh. Even so, they pulled off some surprises by defeating champions Middlesex twice and inflicting on third-placed Lancashire their only loss of the season. Somerset were let down by their batting with only
Harold Gimblett
Harold Gimblett (19 October 1914 – 30 March 1978) was a cricketer who played for Somerset and England. He was known for his fast scoring as an opening batsman and for the much-repeated story of his debut. In a book first published in 1982 ...
reliable through the season.
Michael Walford
Michael Moore Walford (27 November 1915 – 16 January 2002), often known as "Micky Walford", was an all-round sportsman: a British field hockey player who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics, a first-class cricket, first-class cricket pla ...
played very well in the closing weeks when he became available and ''Playfair'' called him "the best amateur batsman in England on a firm wicket". The main bowler was veteran
Arthur Wellard
Arthur William Wellard (8 April 1902 in Southfleet, Kent – 31 December 1980 in Eastbourne, Sussex) was a cricketer who played for Somerset and England. A late starter in county cricket, having been told by his native county, Kent, that he wo ...
who was supported by all-rounders
Bertie Buse
Herbert Francis Thomas "Bertie" Buse (1910–1992) was a cricketer who played 304 first-class matches for Somerset before and after the Second World War.
Cricket career
Born at Ashley Down, Bristol, on 5 August 1910, Buse was an all-rounder: a ...
and
Johnny Lawrence, slow left armer
Horace Hazell
Horace Leslie Hazell (30 September 1909 – 31 March 1990) was a cricketer who played for Somerset County Cricket Club in English first-class cricket.
A slow left-arm orthodox bowler and tail-end left-handed batsman, Hazell made his Somerset de ...
, captain Meyer and new pace bowler
Maurice Tremlett. The veteran
Wally Luckes
Walter Thomas "Wally" Luckes (; 1 January 1901 in Lambeth, London – 27 October 1982 at Bridgwater, Somerset), was a cricketer who played for Somerset.
Born on the first day of the 20th century, Luckes was a lower-order right-handed batsma ...
kept wicket and claimed 55 championship victims. Other players were
Bill Andrews in his final season,
Frank Lee in his final season before becoming an umpire,
Hugh Watts,
George Woodhouse
George Edward Sealy Woodhouse DL (15 February 1924 – 19 January 1988) had two careers: one as a cricketer for Somerset and Dorset, the second as the chairman from 1962 to his death of the family brewing company Hall and Woodhouse. As a cr ...
,
Mandy Mitchell-Innes
Norman Stewart "Mandy" Mitchell-Innes (7 September 1914 – 28 December 2006) was an amateur cricketer for Somerset, who played in one Test match for England in 1935. Between 1931 and 1949 Mitchell-Innes played 132 first-class matches, appeari ...
and
Miles Coope
Miles Coope (28 November 1916 – 5 July 1974) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for three seasons after the Second World War for Somerset.
A right-handed middle-order batsman sometimes used as an opener and an occasional ...
.
Somerset generally played home matches at their County Ground headquarters in
Taunton
Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...
and used five venues in all:
*
Agricultural Showgrounds, Frome
Agricultural Showgrounds is a cricket ground in Frome, Somerset, England. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1882, when Frome played United Eleven. In 1932, Somerset played Northamptonshire in the County Championship, in what was th ...
*
Clarence Park, Weston-super-Mare
Clarence Park was given to the town of Weston-super-Mare by Rebecca Davies in memory of her husband. The cricket pavilion at the park dates from 1882. A multitude of sports have been played at the park, including cricket. The ground is owned by t ...
*
County Ground, Taunton
The County Ground, known for sponsorship reasons as Cooper Associates County Ground, and nicknamed Ciderabad, is a cricket ground in Taunton, Somerset. It is the home of Somerset County Cricket Club, who have played there since 1882. The ground ...
*
Recreation Ground, Bath
The Recreation Ground (commonly ''the Rec'') is a large open space in the centre of Bath, England, next to the River Avon, which is available to be used by permission from the Recreation Ground Trust for recreational purposes by the public at l ...
*
Rowdens Road, Wells
Leicestershire
Leicestershire had fourteen defeats and finished fourteenth. In
Les Berry
George Leslie "Les" Berry (28 May 1906 – 5 February 1985) was a cricketer who played for Leicestershire and holds many of the county's first-class batting records.
A right-handed batsman who started his career in the middle order but beca ...
, they had the only professional captain in the County Championship. In July, they were involved in two exciting finishes, first when Middlesex were set to score 66 in 25 minutes and got them, courtesy of Edrich and Compton, to win by ten wickets with only four minutes to spare. Second, in their home match against Derbyshire, Leicestershire themselves succeeded in a run chase scoring 391 to win by three wickets at over eighty runs an hour, the winning run coming from a straight six off the third ball of the final over. Leicestershire were a strong batting side with Berry,
Vic Jackson
Victor Edward Jackson (25 October 1916 – 30 January 1965) was an Australian first class cricketer who played for New South Wales cricket team, New South Wales and Leicestershire County Cricket Club.
From Australia to Cahn's XI
Jackson made ...
,
Gerry Lester
Gerald Lester (27 December 1915 – 26 January 1998) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Leicestershire. He was born at Long Whatton, Leicestershire and died at Leicester.
Lester was a right-handed batsman used for many y ...
,
Francis Prentice,
Maurice Tompkin
Maurice Tompkin (17 February 1919 – 27 September 1956) was an English sportsman who played first-class cricket with Leicestershire and professional football for Bury, Leicester City, Huddersfield Town and Kettering Town. He was born in Count ...
and
George Watson all exceeding 1,000 runs while all-rounder
Anthony Riddington scored over 800. Wicketkeeper
Percy Corrall claimed 59 victims in championship matches. The main bowler was
Jack Walsh, a great exponent of
slow left-arm wrist-spin
Left-arm unorthodox spin, also known as slow left-arm wrist-spin, is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. Left-arm unorthodox spin bowlers use wrist spin to spin the ball, and make it deviate, or 'turn' from left to right after pitchin ...
, who took 152 wickets in all matches. Jackson and the veteran
James Sperry bowled well but Leicestershire's main need was a good pace bowler. Other players were
Thomas Chapman,
Jack Howard and
Harry Pickering.
Leicestershire played the majority of their home matches at their
Grace Road
Grace Road, known for sponsorship reasons as the Uptonsteel County Ground, Grace Road, is a cricket ground in Leicester, England. It is the home ground and administrative base of Leicestershire County Cricket Club.
History
Leicestershire ...
headquarters in
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
and used four venues in all:
*
Egerton Park
Egerton Park is a cricket ground in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. The land for the park was purchased from the Egerton Lodge Estate by the Melton Mowbray Town Estate in 1931. Egerton Park was used as an outground by Leicestershire following th ...
,
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray () is a town in Leicestershire, England, north-east of Leicester, and south-east of Nottingham. It lies on the River Eye, known below Melton as the Wreake. The town had a population 27,670 in 2019. The town is sometimes promo ...
*
Grace Road
Grace Road, known for sponsorship reasons as the Uptonsteel County Ground, Grace Road, is a cricket ground in Leicester, England. It is the home ground and administrative base of Leicestershire County Cricket Club.
History
Leicestershire ...
,
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
*
Kirkby Road
Kirkby Road is a cricket ground in Barwell, Leicestershire. Cricket in Barwell dates to 1807, with cricket being played at Kirkby Road since at least 1913. First-class cricket has been played there three times in 1946 and 1947, with Leicester ...
,
Barwell
Barwell is a civil parish and large village in Leicestershire, England, with a population of 8,750 residents, Increasing to 9,022 at the 2011 census, the name literally translates as "Stream of the Boar" and is said to originate from a boar that ...
*
Park Road, Loughborough
Warwickshire
Warwickshire, let down by unreliable batting, were captained by attacking batsman
Peter Cranmer
Peter Cranmer (10 September 1914 – 29 May 1994) was an English sportsman who captained Warwickshire in first-class cricket and earlier in his career represented England at rugby union. After World War II he gave up on rugby and focused purely ...
. Despite their lack of success, they attracted large crowds to
Edgbaston
Edgbaston () is an affluent suburban area of central Birmingham, England, historically in Warwickshire, and curved around the southwest of the city centre.
In the 19th century, the area was under the control of the Gough-Calthorpe family an ...
. Their best players were Test spinner
Eric Hollies
William Eric Hollies (5 June 1912 – 16 April 1981) was an English cricketer, who is mainly remembered for taking the wicket of Donald Bradman for a duck in Bradman's final Test match innings, in which he needed only four runs for a Test avera ...
and batsman
Tom Dollery
Tom Dollery (14 October 1914 – 20 January 1987) was an English cricketer, who played for the England cricket team and Warwickshire County Cricket Club.
Life and career
Horace Edgar Dollery was born in Reading, Berkshire, and educated at Readi ...
, who was to become captain as a professional in 1948, though Dollery had a relatively poor season in 1947. Warwickshire were well served by their bowlers. In addition to Hollies, these were three new caps in the two seamers
Victor Cannings
Victor Henry Douglas Cannings (3 April 1919 – 27 October 2016) was an English cricketer, cricket coach and colonial police officer. Born in Hampshire in April 1919, Cannings joined the Palestine Police Force in 1938 and spent the Second World ...
and
Charles Grove
Charles William Collard Grove (16 December 1912 – 15 February 1982) was an English first-class cricketer who took over 700 wickets during the course of over 200 games in the mid-20th century, mostly for Warwickshire. He had one season for ...
; and the New Zealand pace bowler
Tom Pritchard
Thomas Leslie Pritchard (10 March 1917 – 22 August 2017) was a New Zealand cricketer who played most of his first-class cricket in England. Pritchard was a genuinely fast right-arm bowler and a useful lower order right-handed batsman who pl ...
. Dollery had to play as wicketkeeper in several matches when
Cyril Goodway was unavailable. ''Playfair'' commented on advantages gained by the bowlers being "squandered" by inconsistent and unreliable batsmen. Five batsmen did exceed 1,000 runs but none had a good average: Cranmer, Dollery,
Aubrey Hill
Aubrey Hill (February 18, 1972 – August 16, 2020) was an American college football player and coach. Hill was the wide receivers coach for the Florida Gators football team that represents the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida.
C ...
,
Jimmy Ord and
Ken Taylor. Other players were
Bill Fantham,
John Hossell and
Ron Maudsley
Ronald Harling Maudsley (8 April 1918 – 29 September 1981) was an English professor of law who for a few seasons played first-class cricket. As a cricketer, he was a middle-order right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler who playe ...
. Warwickshire played eleven home matches at their
Edgbaston
Edgbaston () is an affluent suburban area of central Birmingham, England, historically in Warwickshire, and curved around the southwest of the city centre.
In the 19th century, the area was under the control of the Gough-Calthorpe family an ...
headquarters in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
and two matches at the
Courtaulds Ground
Courtaulds Ground was a cricket ground in Coventry, Warwickshire. The ground was owned by Courtaulds. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1949, when it hosted its first first-class match between Warwickshire and Hampshire in the Cou ...
in
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
.
Hampshire
Hampshire, a very ordinary side who bowled badly, were captained by
Desmond Eagar
Edward Desmond Russell Eagar (8 December 1917 — 13 September 1977) was an English amateur first-class cricketer who played county cricket for Gloucestershire and Hampshire. Eagar debuted for Gloucestershire whilst still a schoolboy at Chelten ...
. The batting was occasionally good and top of the county's averages was wicketkeeper
Neil McCorkell
Neil Thomas McCorkell (23 March 1912 – 28 February 2013) was an English cricketer. He was right-handed batsman who fielded as a wicket-keeper. He was born at Portsmouth, Hampshire. Debuting for Hampshire County Cricket Club in 1932, McCo ...
who scored 1,539 championship runs and claimed 49 victims.
Neville Rogers
Neville Hamilton Rogers (9 March 1918 – 7 October 2003) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan ...
and
Johnny Arnold
John Arnold (30 November 1907, Cowley, Oxford – 4 April 1984, Southampton, Hampshire) was an English cricketer and Football player.
Cricket career
John Arnold was an attacking opening batsman for Hampshire for 20 years from 1930, when he qu ...
played some good innings to both comfortably exceed 1,000 runs. Eagar and
Gerry Hill both reached 1,000 with low averages and the all-rounder
Jim Bailey, who took 53 wickets, fell just short of 1,000 runs. ''Playfair'' considered "the steady and loyal
George Heath" to be the best of the bowlers who included Bailey, Hill,
Victor Ransom
Victor Joseph Ransom (17 May 1917 — 23 September 1998) was an English first-class cricketer.
Ransom was born at New Malden in May 1917. During the Second World War, he served as a sailor in the Royal Navy and played for them in minor cricket ...
,
Lofty Herman
Oswald William 'Lofty' Herman (18 September 1907 – 24 June 1987) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East Eng ...
and the injury-plagued
Charles Knott
Charles James Knott (26 November 1914 – 27 February 2003) was an English first-class cricketer. Knott was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm off-break and right-arm medium pace.
Early life
Knott was born in Southampton and educated ...
. Other players included
Gilbert Dawson,
Thomas Dean,
Arthur Holt,
Alan Shirreff and future stalwart
Leo Harrison.
Hampshire's home matches were shared between three venues:
*
County Ground, Southampton
The County Ground in Southampton, England was a cricket and football ground. It was the home of Hampshire County Cricket Club from the 1885 English cricket season until the 2000 English cricket season. The ground also served as the home ground ...
*
Dean Park Cricket Ground
Dean Park is a cricket ground in Bournemouth, England, currently used by Bournemouth University Cricket Club, as well as by Parley Cricket Club and Suttoners Cricket Club. It was formerly used by Hampshire and Dorset County Cricket Clubs. This v ...
,
Bournemouth
Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
*
United Services Recreation Ground
The United Services Recreation Ground is a sports ground situated in Burnaby Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. The ground is also bordered to the north by Park Road, along which the railway line to Portsmouth Harbour and Gunwharf Quays over ...
,
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire slipped from sixteenth to bottom and were captained by
Arthur Childs-Clarke.
Dennis Brookes
Dennis Brookes (29 October 1915 – 9 March 2006) was an English cricketer who played for Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, Northamptonshire between 1934 and 1959 (and as captain between 1954 and 1957). He also played in one Test cricket, ...
was the pick of the batsmen and earned a trip to the West Indies in the winter.
Bill Barron
William Barron (26 October 1917 – 2 January 2006) was an English sportsman, who played football in the higher leagues before the Second World War and, along with some football, first-class cricket afterwards.
Sporting career
William Barron ...
,
Percy Davis and
John Timms
John Edward Timms (3 November 1906 – 18 March 1980) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Northamptonshire. He was a right-handed middle order batsman and a part time right arm medium pace bowler.
Timms made his first-class debu ...
also topped 1,000 runs but with low averages.
Vince Broderick
Vincent Broderick (17 August 1920 – 14 November 2010), known as Vince Broderick, was an English cricketer who played for Northamptonshire and briefly for the MCC. Considered an All-rounder, Broderick is notable for having the third best bo ...
put in a sound all-round effort with 860 runs and 87 wickets while the best bowler was West Indian Test player
Bertie Clarke
Carlos Bertram Clarke (7 April 1918 – 14 October 1993) was a West Indian international cricketer who played in three Test matches in 1939. During the war when three-day cricket was an impossibility due to the demands of labour for the mil ...
with 89 wickets. The attack was hampered by injuries to
Nobby Clark who did not play often. Wicketkeeper
Kenneth Fiddling claimed 40 victims. Other players included
Leo Bennett,
Robert Clarke
Robert Irby Clarke (June 1, 1920 – June 11, 2005) was an American actor best known for his cult classic science fiction films of the 1950s.
Early life
Clarke was born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He decided at an early age that h ...
,
Arthur Cox,
Eddie Davis,
William Nevell
William Thomas Nevell (1916-1978) was an English cricketer active from 1936 to 1947 who played for Middlesex and Surrey before the Second World War and then for Northamptonshire in the 1946 and 1947 seasons. He appeared in 51 first-class matches ...
and
Jack Webster.
Northamptonshire played nine of their thirteen home matches at their County Ground headquarters in
Northampton
Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...
and used five venues in all:
*
County Cricket Ground, Northampton
The County Ground is a cricket venue on Wantage Road in the Abington area of Northampton, England. It is home to Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, and was used by Northampton Town F.C. from 1897 to 1994.
Cricket
Northamptonshire played t ...
*
Town Ground, Kettering
The Town Ground in Kettering, England was used by Northamptonshire for 65 first-class cricket matches between 1923 and 1971.
It also staged four List A games in the early 1970s,
and has occasionally been used by Northamptonshire's Second XI.
Re ...
*
Town Ground, Peterborough
The Town Ground in Peterborough, England, is a cricket ground which was used by Northamptonshire County Cricket Club in First-class matches for 60 years between 1906 and 1966. It is now used predominantly for Northamptonshire Premier League gam ...
*
Town Ground, Rushden
The Town Ground in Rushden is a cricket ground which was used by Northamptonshire County Cricket Club in 22 first-class matches for 39 years between 1924 and 1963. It is now used predominantly for Northamptonshire Premier League games, servin ...
*
Wellingborough School Ground, Wellingborough
Other major fixtures
MCC v Yorkshire
At the beginning of the season, on 3, 5 and 6 May,
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...
(MCC) played a three-day match at
Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and ...
against the 1946 county champions, Yorkshire. MCC won by 163 runs. The MCC team in batting order was
Dennis Brookes
Dennis Brookes (29 October 1915 – 9 March 2006) was an English cricketer who played for Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, Northamptonshire between 1934 and 1959 (and as captain between 1954 and 1957). He also played in one Test cricket, ...
(Northamptonshire),
Jack Robertson (Middlesex),
Bob Wyatt
Robert Elliott Storey Wyatt (2 May 1901 – 20 April 1995) was an English cricketer who played for Warwickshire, Worcestershire and England in a career lasting nearly thirty years from 1923 to 1951. He was born at Milford Heath House in Surrey ...
(Worcestershire),
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton (23 May 1918 – 23 April 1997) was an English multi-sportsman. As a cricketer he played in 78 Test matches and spent his whole cricket career with Middlesex. As a footballer, he played as a winger and spent most o ...
(Middlesex),
Bryan Valentine (Kent, captain),
Leslie Compton
Leslie Harry Compton (12 September 1912 – 27 December 1984) was an English sportsman who played football and cricket for Arsenal and Middlesex, respectively. He gained two England caps late in his football career, and remains the oldest outfi ...
(Middlesex, wicketkeeper),
Wilf Wooller
Wilfred Wooller (20 November 1912 – 10 March 1997) was a Welsh cricketer, rugby union footballer, cricket administrator and journalist.
He was acclaimed as one of the greatest all-round sportsmen that Wales has ever produced. He captained G ...
(Glamorgan),
Haydn Davies (Glamorgan),
Jack Young (Middlesex),
Rowland Shaddick (Middlesex) and
Jack Martin (Kent). MCC won the toss and chose to bat first but were bowled out in 57 overs for 134, Denis Compton making 73. Yorkshire got off to a very bad start when
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard Hutton (23 June 1916 – 6 September 1990) was an English cricketer. He played as an opening batsman for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1934 to 1955 and for England in 79 Test matches between 1937 and 1955. ''Wisden Cricketer ...
was dismissed by Jack Martin for nought. This began an outstanding spell for Martin who finished with six for 23 from 12.1 overs as Yorkshire collapsed to 81 all out. At close of play on the Saturday, MCC were 67 for one with Jack Robertson 36
not out
In cricket, a batter is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batter is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress.
Occurrence
At least one batter is not out at t ...
. On the Monday, Robertson built a big innings and scored 164 of a declared total of 343 for 9. Yorkshire's hopes slumped when Hutton was again dismissed cheaply and at close of play they were 69 for two.
Vic Wilson tried his best and scored 74, which was his highest career score to date, but Jack Young was in fine form and took six for 85 to win the match for MCC.
University Match
The University Match in a cricketing context is generally understood to refer to the annual fixture between Oxford University Cricket Club and Cambridge University Cricket Club.
From 2001, as part of the reorganisation of first-class cricket, ...
The 1947 University Match between
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
and
Cambridge University
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
was played at Lord's over three days from 5 to 8 July and was drawn. Oxford batted first and amassed 457 with Kent's
Tony Pawson scoring a chanceless 135 before being
run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in cricket, governed by Law 38 of the Laws of Cricket.
A run out usually occurs when the batsmen are attempting to run between the wickets, and the fielding team succeed in getting the ball to one wicket befo ...
.
Geoffrey Keighley
William Geoffrey Keighley OAM (10 January 1925 – 14 June 2005) was an English barrister, businessman, first-class cricketer, farmer, grazier and legislator.
Keighley was born in Nice, France. His family had business interests in Bradford, W ...
made 99 and Test batsman
Martin Donnelly 81. Cambridge could manage only 201 in reply as Oxford's other Test player
Abdul Hafeez Kardar
Abdul Hafeez Kardar PP, HI ( ur, ) (17 January 1925 – 21 April 1996) was a Pakistani cricketer, politician and diplomat. He was the first captain of the Pakistan cricket team. He is one of the only three players to have played Test crick ...
took four for 50. Following on, Cambridge rallied to 314 for four and ensured the draw,
Guy Willatt
Guy Longfield Willatt (7 May 1918 – 11 June 2003) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Cambridge University from 1938 to 1947, for Nottinghamshire from 1939 to 1948, for Scotland from 1948 to 1950 and for Derbyshire f ...
scoring 90 and
Trevor Bailey
Trevor Edward Bailey (3 December 1923 – 10 February 2011) was an England Test cricketer, cricket writer and broadcaster.
An all-rounder, Bailey was known for his skilful but unspectacular batting. As the BBC reflected in his obituary: "His ...
60
not out
In cricket, a batter is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batter is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress.
Occurrence
At least one batter is not out at t ...
.
[''Playfair'', p. 125.]
Donnelly (New Zealand) and Kardar (India) both played Test cricket before winning their "
Blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
" and no university team had ever before included two Test players in the same year. Cambridge had a notable future Test player in Trevor Bailey (England). Donnelly was the first university batsman ever to score 1,000 runs before the University Match in two successive seasons.
''Playfair'' praised Donnelly as "the finest left-hand batsman in the world", ahead of even the Australians
Arthur Morris
Arthur Robert Morris (19 January 1922 – 22 August 2015) was an Australian cricketer who played 46 Test matches between 1946 and 1955. An opener, Morris is regarded as one of Australia's greatest left-handed batsmen. He is best known for h ...
and
Neil Harvey
Robert Neil Harvey (born 8 October 1928) is an Australian former cricketer who was a member of the Australian cricket team between 1948 and 1963, playing in 79 Test matches. He was the vice-captain of the team from 1957 until his retirement. ...
.
Gentlemen v Players
Gentlemen v Players was a long-running series of English first-class cricket matches. Two matches were played in 1806, but the fixture was not played again until 1819. It became an annual event, usually played at least twice each season, exc ...
There were two
Gentlemen v Players
Gentlemen v Players was a long-running series of English first-class cricket matches. Two matches were played in 1806, but the fixture was not played again until 1819. It became an annual event, usually played at least twice each season, exc ...
matches in 1947. The first was played at
Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and ...
over three days from 16 to 18 July and was drawn after rain restricted play on the last two days.
[''Playfair'', p. 126.] The second was played at the
North Marine Road
North Marine Road Ground, formerly known as Queen's, is a cricket ground in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Scarborough Cricket Club which hosts the Scarborough Festival and the Yorkshire County Cricket Club plays a se ...
ground in
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, su ...
from 10 to 12 September and the Players won by an innings and 10 runs.
[CricketArchive – Gentlemen v Players, Scarborough 1947](_blank)
Retrieved 14 November 2013.
Martin Donnelly dominated the Lord's match with "a truly magnificent innings", scoring 162 not out as the Gentlemen made 302 in the first innings,
Bill Edrich
William John Edrich (26 March 1916 – 24 April 1986) was a first-class cricketer who played for Middlesex County Cricket Club, Middlesex, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), Norfolk County Cricket Club, Norfolk and England cricket team, England.
Ed ...
scoring 79. The Players replied with 334 for eight declared,
Cyril Washbrook
Cyril Washbrook (6 December 1914 – 27 April 1999) was an English cricketer, who played for Lancashire and England. He had a long career, split by World War II, and ending when he was aged 44. Washbrook, who is most famous for opening the batt ...
scoring 101 and
David Fletcher 77. The Gentlemen slumped to 25 for five as wickets fell to
Cliff Gladwin
Clifford Gladwin (3 April 1916 – 10 April 1988) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Derbyshire from 1939 to 1958 and in eight Tests for England from 1947 to 1949. He took over 1,600 first-class wickets.
A tall right-arm mediu ...
and
Harold Butler but were rescued by
Norman Yardley
Norman Walter Dransfield Yardley (19 March 1915 – 3 October 1989) was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England, as a right-handed batsman and occasional bowler. An amateur, he ca ...
and
Ken Cranston
Kenneth Cranston (20 October 1917 – 8 January 2007) was an English amateur cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Lancashire and eight times for England, in 1947 and 1948. He retired from playing cricket to concentrate on his career as ...
, rain ensuring that the result was a draw. The Gentlemen were led by England captain
Norman Yardley
Norman Walter Dransfield Yardley (19 March 1915 – 3 October 1989) was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England, as a right-handed batsman and occasional bowler. An amateur, he ca ...
and selected three Oxford University players — Donnelly,
Tony Pawson and
Tony Mallett
Anthony William Haward Mallett (29 August 1924 – 10 December 1994) was an English amateur cricketer who played for Oxford University Cricket Club, Oxford University and Kent County Cricket Club. He was a school teacher who became Principal of ...
— and two from Cambridge University:
Guy Willatt
Guy Longfield Willatt (7 May 1918 – 11 June 2003) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Cambridge University from 1938 to 1947, for Nottinghamshire from 1939 to 1948, for Scotland from 1948 to 1950 and for Derbyshire f ...
and
Trevor Bailey
Trevor Edward Bailey (3 December 1923 – 10 February 2011) was an England Test cricketer, cricket writer and broadcaster.
An all-rounder, Bailey was known for his skilful but unspectacular batting. As the BBC reflected in his obituary: "His ...
. The team included current England players Edrich and Cranston while
Billy Griffith
Stewart Cathie Griffith, (16 June 1914 – 7 April 1993), known as Billy Griffith, was an English cricketer and cricket administrator. He played in three Test matches for England in 1948 and 1949.
He played first-class cricket for Cambridge ...
kept wicket.
Reg Simpson
Reginald Thomas Simpson (27 February 1920 – 22 November 2013) was an English cricketer, who played in 27 Test matches from 1948 to 1955.
Life and career
Born in Sherwood, Nottingham, England, Simpson attended Nottingham High School. At the ...
made his first appearance in the fixture but could only score 4 and 0. The Players were captained by
Les Ames
Leslie Ethelbert George Ames (3 December 1905 – 27 February 1990) was a wicket-keeper and batsman for the England cricket team and Kent County Cricket Club. In his obituary, ''Wisden'' described him as the greatest wicket-keeper-batsman of a ...
who played as a batsman,
Godfrey Evans
Thomas Godfrey Evans (18 August 1920 – 3 May 1999) was an English cricketer who played for Kent and England. Described by ''Wisden'' as 'arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen', Evans collected 219 dismissals in 91 Test match ...
keeping wicket. Washbrook opened with
Jack Robertson, the other batsmen being
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton (23 May 1918 – 23 April 1997) was an English multi-sportsman. As a cricketer he played in 78 Test matches and spent his whole cricket career with Middlesex. As a footballer, he played as a winger and spent most o ...
,
Charlie Barnett and Fletcher. The pace bowlers were Butler and Gladwin, supported by spinners
Jack Walsh and
Doug Wright
Douglas Wright (born December 20, 1962) is an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2004 for his play ''I Am My Own Wife''.
Early years
Wright was born in Dallas, Texas. He attended and ...
.
At Scarborough two months later, a much weaker Gentlemen team were easily beaten by an innings after totalling 135 and 217 against 362.
Denys Wilcox
Denys Wilcox (4 June 1910 – 6 February 1953) was an English cricketer and schoolmaster.
Career
Wilcox scored more than 1000 runs in his last season at Dulwich College, then went up to Cambridge University. He played three years for the u ...
opened the innings and did well with scores of 25 and 57 while skipper Yardley made 35 and 23, but Edrich and Donnelly did not contribute many against a strong Players attack, particularly
Dick Howorth
Richard Howorth (26 April 1909 – 2 April 1980) was an English cricketer who played as an all-rounder for Worcestershire County Cricket Club between 1933 and 1951. Chiefly remembered as a left-arm orthodox spin bowler, Howorth also occasionall ...
who took four wickets in each innings. The Players had three England pace bowlers: Butler,
Alec Bedser
Sir Alec Victor Bedser (4 July 1918 – 4 April 2010) was a professional English cricketer, primarily a medium-fast bowler. He is widely regarded as one of the best English cricketers of the 20th century.
Bedser played first-class cricket fo ...
and
Dick Pollard
Richard Pollard (19 June 1912 – 16 December 1985) was an English cricketer born in Westhoughton, Lancashire, who played in four Test matches between 1946 and 1948. A fast-medium right-arm bowler and a lower-order right-handed batsman who made ...
. Howorth top-scored for the Players too, with 80, and captain
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard Hutton (23 June 1916 – 6 September 1990) was an English cricketer. He played as an opening batsman for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1934 to 1955 and for England in 79 Test matches between 1937 and 1955. ''Wisden Cricketer ...
scored 64.
North v South
The North of England and South of England cricket teams appeared in first-class cricket between the 1836 and 1961 seasons, most often in matches against each other but also individually in games against touring teams, Marylebone Cricket Club (M ...
There were three
North v South
The North of England and South of England cricket teams appeared in first-class cricket between the 1836 and 1961 seasons, most often in matches against each other but also individually in games against touring teams, Marylebone Cricket Club (M ...
matches in 1947, involving largely makeshift teams, and ''Playfair'' did not bother to report on them. The first was at the
St George's Road Cricket Ground, Harrogate
St George's Road Cricket Ground in Harrogate hosted 98 first class matches between 1882 and 2000.
It hosted a woman's Test match starting on 1 August 1998 between England women and Australia women. It had a capacity at its peak of 8,000 spe ...
over three days from 27 to 29 August and the North won by 86 runs. The second was played at the
Leyland Motors Ground in
Kingston-upon-Thames
Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable as ...
from 3 to 5 September and the South won by 4 wickets. The final match was played at
North Marine Road Ground, Scarborough
North Marine Road Ground, formerly known as Queen's, is a cricket ground in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Scarborough Cricket Club which hosts the Scarborough Festival and the Yorkshire County Cricket Club plays a se ...
from 6 to 9 September and was drawn.
Middlesex v The Rest
Having won the County Championship, Middlesex played a representative team called The Rest (i.e., the Rest of England) at
The Oval
The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...
in a four-day match lasting from 13 to 17 September. Middlesex won by 9 wickets. The Rest was a very strong team entirely consisting of players who had played or would play for England at Test level. In batting order, they were
Cyril Washbrook
Cyril Washbrook (6 December 1914 – 27 April 1999) was an English cricketer, who played for Lancashire and England. He had a long career, split by World War II, and ending when he was aged 44. Washbrook, who is most famous for opening the batt ...
,
Winston Place
Winston Place (7 December 1914 − 25 January 2002) was an English cricketer who played in three Tests in 1948. An opening batsman for Lancashire, he shared a prolific partnership with Cyril Washbrook and was part of the county championship wi ...
,
Dick Howorth
Richard Howorth (26 April 1909 – 2 April 1980) was an English cricketer who played as an all-rounder for Worcestershire County Cricket Club between 1933 and 1951. Chiefly remembered as a left-arm orthodox spin bowler, Howorth also occasionall ...
,
George Emmett
George Malcolm Emmett (2 December 1912 – 18 December 1976) was an English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. He also played one Test cricket, Test match for English cricket team, England in 1948. ...
,
Norman Yardley
Norman Walter Dransfield Yardley (19 March 1915 – 3 October 1989) was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England, as a right-handed batsman and occasional bowler. An amateur, he ca ...
(captain),
Ken Cranston
Kenneth Cranston (20 October 1917 – 8 January 2007) was an English amateur cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Lancashire and eight times for England, in 1947 and 1948. He retired from playing cricket to concentrate on his career as ...
,
Godfrey Evans
Thomas Godfrey Evans (18 August 1920 – 3 May 1999) was an English cricketer who played for Kent and England. Described by ''Wisden'' as 'arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen', Evans collected 219 dismissals in 91 Test match ...
(wicketkeeper),
Alec Bedser
Sir Alec Victor Bedser (4 July 1918 – 4 April 2010) was a professional English cricketer, primarily a medium-fast bowler. He is widely regarded as one of the best English cricketers of the 20th century.
Bedser played first-class cricket fo ...
,
Doug Wright
Douglas Wright (born December 20, 1962) is an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2004 for his play ''I Am My Own Wife''.
Early years
Wright was born in Dallas, Texas. He attended and ...
,
Tom Goddard
Thomas William John Goddard (1 October 1900 – 22 May 1966) was an English cricketer and the fifth-highest wicket taker in first-class cricket.
Biography
Born 1 October 1900 in Gloucester, Goddard joined Gloucestershire in 1922 as a fast bow ...
and
Harold Butler. Middlesex won the toss and decided to bat first but were soon reduced to 8 for two as Bedser dismissed both openers
Syd Brown
Sydney Maurice Brown (8 December 1917 – 28 December 1987) was an English cricketer active from 1937 to 1955 who played for Middlesex in 329 first-class matches as an opening batsman. He was born in Eltham, Kent, and died at Rickmansworth, Her ...
and
Jack Robertson.
Bill Edrich
William John Edrich (26 March 1916 – 24 April 1986) was a first-class cricketer who played for Middlesex County Cricket Club, Middlesex, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), Norfolk County Cricket Club, Norfolk and England cricket team, England.
Ed ...
and
George Mann took the score on to 53 for three when Mann, who had scored 33, was stumped by Evans off Wright. This brought Edrich and
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton (23 May 1918 – 23 April 1997) was an English multi-sportsman. As a cricketer he played in 78 Test matches and spent his whole cricket career with Middlesex. As a footballer, he played as a winger and spent most o ...
together. In keeping with their form throughout the season, they amassed 426 runs between them and enabled skipper
Walter Robins
Robert Walter Vivian Robins (3 June 1906 – 12 December 1968) was an English cricketer and cricket administrator, who played for Cambridge University, Middlesex, and England. A right-handed batsman and right-arm leg-break and googly bowler, he ...
to declare at 543 for nine. Edrich made 180 which was just enough for him to surpass
Tom Hayward
Thomas Walter Hayward (29 March 1871 – 19 July 1939) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Surrey and England between the 1890s and the outbreak of World War I. He was primarily an opening batsman, noted especially for the qual ...
's old record season aggregate, which Compton had already beaten. Compton retired hurt when he had scored 55 and the total was 191 for three. He returned with his knee strapped when the score was 274 for four and, despite his injury, he went on to make 246, his highest score of the season. Robins made 33 while Compton was off the field but the tailenders did not score many. The Rest were bowled out for 246 and followed on. They made 317 in their second innings, leaving Middlesex to win the match with 21 for one.
Minor Counties Championship
Six first-class clubs entered their "second elevens" into the
Minor Counties Championship
The NCCA 3 Day Championship (previously the Minor Counties Cricket Championship) is a season-long competition in England and Wales that is contested by the members of the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA), the so-called national cou ...
in 1947 and ''Playfair'' reported that five more would do so in 1948. Teams played each other irregularly and a league table was compiled on the basis of average points per match played. A win was worth ten points with lesser awards given in certain specific circumstances. All teams played at least eight matches, the most being fourteen by
Yorkshire II. The leading teams in the table were
Surrey II, Yorkshire II,
Lancashire II,
Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
,
Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
and
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
who each exceeded five points per match.
To decide the championship, a challenge match took place at
The Oval
The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...
on 4 to 6 September and Yorkshire II defeated Surrey II by 111 runs.
[''Playfair'', p. 127.] Future first-class players taking part included
Tony Lock
Graham Anthony Richard Lock (5 July 1929 – 30 March 1995) was an English cricketer, who played primarily as a left-arm spinner. He played in forty nine Tests for England taking 174 wickets at 25.58 each.
Lock took 2,844 first-class wickets ...
,
Vic Wilson,
Stuart Surridge
Stuart Surridge (3 September 1917 – 13 April 1992) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club, Surrey. Though not known to be a remarkable batsman or bowler, Surridge became one of the most successful team ca ...
,
Ron Aspinall and
Bernie Constable.
Compton and Edrich
''Playfair'' described 1947 as "the Edrich and Compton year" and remarked that their domination of first-class cricket through the season was unprecedented. Between them, they scored 7,355 runs, took 140 wickets and held 66 catches. It is improbable that the records achieved by Compton of most runs and most centuries in a season will ever be broken, especially since the reduction in first-class matches which began in 1969. What will be remembered is not the statistics but the style because Compton and Edrich scored quickly and played attacking cricket.
''Playfair'' described Compton as "a genius" who was brilliant at improvisation; Edrich on the other hand was "not a genius but a wonderfully efficient batsman". Both men were hampered by injuries. Compton had a bad knee caused by a piece of chipped bone which was removed after the season ended. Edrich suffered a pulled shoulder muscle in early August which impeded his batting and prevented him from bowling again. When the season began in May, Edrich scored a century in his first innings and followed up with two more, including a score of 225, before the end of the month. Compton did not score his first century until his eleventh innings. Edrich scored 1,047 runs in the calendar month of July and Compton 1,039 runs in August. Edrich's highest score was 267 not out for Middlesex against Northamptonshire and Compton's was 246 for Middlesex against The Rest.
''Wisden'' published an appreciation of Compton and Edrich written by
R. C. Robertson-Glasgow
Raymond Charles "Crusoe" Robertson-Glasgow (15 July 1901 – 4 March 1965) was a Scottish cricketer and cricket writer.
Life and career
Robertson-Glasgow was born in Edinburgh and educated at Charterhouse School and Corpus Christi College, O ...
who began by opining that "they go together in English cricket as
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...
go together in English opera". Robertson-Glasgow made further comparisons, strictly cricket ones this time, with
Jack Hobbs
Sir John Berry Hobbs (16 December 1882– 21 December 1963), always known as Jack Hobbs, was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches between 1908 and 1930. Known as "The Mast ...
and
Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe (24 November 1894 – 22 January 1978) was an English professional cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England as an opening batsman. Apart from one match in 1945, his first-class career spanned the period between the tw ...
for England and with
Don Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has bee ...
and
Bill Ponsford
William Harold Ponsford MBE (19 October 1900 – 6 April 1991) was an Australian cricketer. Usually playing as an opening batsman, he formed a successful and long-lived partnership opening the batting for Victoria and Australia with Bil ...
for Australia. However, he tempered his praise by pointing out that Compton and Edrich had yet to "quell the fiercest Test attack" as, although they had dominated the South African bowling in 1947, Australia remained another matter with "fulfilment awaited". While ''Playfair'' spoke of "brilliance and efficiency", Robertson-Glasgow eulogised about "genius and talent" and then "poetry and prose" in comparing Compton with Edrich. He concluded by describing them as "fitting adornments and exponents" of cricket, itself a "refreshment from worldly struggle".
''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year
In its 1948 edition, ''
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...
'' announced that its five cricketers of the 1947 season were
Martin Donnelly,
Alan Melville
Alan Melville (19 May 1910 – 18 April 1983) was a South African cricketer who played in 11 Tests from 1938 to 1949. He was born in Carnarvon, Northern Cape, South Africa and died at Sabie, Transvaal.
Early life and cricket career
Melville w ...
,
Dudley Nourse
Arthur Dudley Nourse (12 November 1910 – 14 August 1981) was a South African Test cricketer. Primarily a batsman, he was captain of the South African team from 1948 to 1951.
Early life
Nourse was born in Durban, the son of South African T ...
,
Jack Robertson and
Norman Yardley
Norman Walter Dransfield Yardley (19 March 1915 – 3 October 1989) was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England, as a right-handed batsman and occasional bowler. An amateur, he ca ...
.
[''Wisden 1948'', pp. 55–66.] As a rule, though it has occasionally been broken, ''Wisden'' never selects a player more than once. Among players of 1947 who had been selected previously were
Les Ames
Leslie Ethelbert George Ames (3 December 1905 – 27 February 1990) was a wicket-keeper and batsman for the England cricket team and Kent County Cricket Club. In his obituary, ''Wisden'' described him as the greatest wicket-keeper-batsman of a ...
in 1929;
Walter Robins
Robert Walter Vivian Robins (3 June 1906 – 12 December 1968) was an English cricketer and cricket administrator, who played for Cambridge University, Middlesex, and England. A right-handed batsman and right-arm leg-break and googly bowler, he ...
in 1930;
Bill Bowes
William Eric Bowes (25 July 1908 – 4 September 1987) was an English professional cricketer active from 1929 to 1947 who played in 372 first-class matches as a right arm fast bowler and a right-handed tail end batsman. He took 1,639 wickets ...
in 1932;
Bruce Mitchell in 1936;
Tom Goddard
Thomas William John Goddard (1 October 1900 – 22 May 1966) was an English cricketer and the fifth-highest wicket taker in first-class cricket.
Biography
Born 1 October 1900 in Gloucester, Goddard joined Gloucestershire in 1922 as a fast bow ...
,
Joe Hardstaff junior
Joseph Hardstaff Jr (3 July 1911 – 1 January 1990) was an English cricketer, who played in twenty three Test matches for England from 1935 to 1948. Hardstaff's father, Joe senior played for Nottinghamshire and England and his son, also nam ...
and
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard Hutton (23 June 1916 – 6 September 1990) was an English cricketer. He played as an opening batsman for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1934 to 1955 and for England in 79 Test matches between 1937 and 1955. ''Wisden Cricketer ...
in 1938;
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton (23 May 1918 – 23 April 1997) was an English multi-sportsman. As a cricketer he played in 78 Test matches and spent his whole cricket career with Middlesex. As a footballer, he played as a winger and spent most o ...
in 1939;
Bill Edrich
William John Edrich (26 March 1916 – 24 April 1986) was a first-class cricketer who played for Middlesex County Cricket Club, Middlesex, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), Norfolk County Cricket Club, Norfolk and England cricket team, England.
Ed ...
and
Doug Wright
Douglas Wright (born December 20, 1962) is an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2004 for his play ''I Am My Own Wife''.
Early years
Wright was born in Dallas, Texas. He attended and ...
in 1940;
Peter Smith and
Cyril Washbrook
Cyril Washbrook (6 December 1914 – 27 April 1999) was an English cricketer, who played for Lancashire and England. He had a long career, split by World War II, and ending when he was aged 44. Washbrook, who is most famous for opening the batt ...
in 1947.
Martin Donnelly was rated by ''Wisden'' as "the world's best present-day left-handed batsman".
[ Although small in stature, Donnelly was noted for powerful stroke play using the drive, pull and cut shots. Donnelly dominated university cricket in 1947 but his outstanding performance was "an almost faultless 162 not out in three hours" for the Gentlemen against the Players at Lord's.][ Donnelly was a New Zealand Test batsman who had starred for the Dominions team in 1945.][''Wisden 1948'', pp. 61–63.]
Alan Melville's career was dogged by injury and family illness. ''Wisden'' reflected this by opening its citation with "a story of courage and determination".[ In 1947, Melville won admiration for his "feeling for the spirit of the game" which was a significant factor in ensuring the success of "a most delightful Test series".][ Melville enjoyed personal success as a batsman in 1947, especially by scoring centuries at both Trent Bridge and Lord's. Melville was a strong onside batsman, noted for his fine timing. He retired from first-class cricket after the 1947 tour.][''Wisden 1948'', pp. 57–59.]
Dudley Nourse, son of Dave Nourse
Arthur William "Dave" Nourse (26 January 1878 (some sources say 25 January 1879) – 8 July 1948) was a cricketer who played for Natal, Transvaal, Western Province and South Africa.
Life and career
A left-handed batsman and left-arm medium- ...
, had his best Test series as a batsman in 1947 with 621 runs and two centuries. He was an aggressive batsman, noted for his powerful hitting off the back foot. He played the cut and hook shots especially well. Nourse was an expert fielder, rated by ''Wisden'' as one of the best in world cricket.[ As vice-captain in 1947, he was Melville's expected successor.][''Wisden 1948'', pp. 59–61.]
Jack Robertson "surpassed all reasonable anticipations" in 1947 when his aggregate of 2,760 runs was exceeded only by his colleagues Compton and Edrich.[ Robertson was noted for "elegant strokeplay" and was strong on the back foot, especially his skill in playing the ball off his legs.][ ''Wisden'' saw "a striking resemblance" between Robertson and his Middlesex predecessor ]J. W. Hearne
John William Hearne (known as Jack Hearne, J. W. Hearne and Young Jack to distinguish him from his ''distant'' cousin, J. T. Hearne; 11 February 1891 – 14 September 1965) was a Middlesex leg-spinning all-rounder cricketer who played from 1909 ...
who was another polished performer adept at shot placement.[''Wisden 1948'', pp. 63–66.]
Norman Yardley was selected for his successful captaincy of England in 1947 after he succeeded Wally Hammond. ''Wisden'' said his appointment as England captain "set a crown upon a cricket career that (always) promised distinction".[ Yardley was primarily a batsman, noted for "watching the ball carefully and hitting it hard", but ''Wisden'' also praised his fielding in all positions and the consistency of length and direction in his bowling.][''Wisden 1948'', pp. 55–56.]
Achievements
Teams
Three teams scored more than 600 runs in an innings:[''Playfair'', pp. 130-131.]
* 706 for 4 – Surrey v Nottinghamshire (Trent Bridge)
* 662 for 8 – Nottinghamshire v Essex (Trent Bridge)
* 637 for 4 – Middlesex v Leicestershire (Leicester)
The lowest innings total of the season was 25 by Somerset against Gloucestershire at Bristol.
Batting
Of batsmen who played at least ten innings, twelve averaged 50.00 or more.
In total, 91 batsmen scored 1,000 runs in the season. Of these, seventeen scored 2,000-plus.
Compton's 3,816 runs and his 18 centuries are records for an English first-class cricket season. Edrich's 3,539 runs is the second highest aggregate of all time in a single season. Compton's two records were previously held by Tom Hayward
Thomas Walter Hayward (29 March 1871 – 19 July 1939) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Surrey and England between the 1890s and the outbreak of World War I. He was primarily an opening batsman, noted especially for the qual ...
, who scored 3,518 runs (including 13 centuries) in 1906, and Jack Hobbs
Sir John Berry Hobbs (16 December 1882– 21 December 1963), always known as Jack Hobbs, was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches between 1908 and 1930. Known as "The Mast ...
, who completed 16 centuries (among 3,024 runs) in 1925.[''Playfair'', p. 122.]
Between them, the Middlesex trio of Compton, Edrich and Robertson scored 42 centuries in the season but none of them scored two in the same match. This feat was achieved eight times:
* Les Berry
George Leslie "Les" Berry (28 May 1906 – 5 February 1985) was a cricketer who played for Leicestershire and holds many of the county's first-class batting records.
A right-handed batsman who started his career in the middle order but beca ...
(Leicestershire) – 165 and 111 not out ''versus'' Essex (Clacton)
* George Emmett
George Malcolm Emmett (2 December 1912 – 18 December 1976) was an English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. He also played one Test cricket, Test match for English cricket team, England in 1948. ...
(Gloucestershire) – 115 and 103 not out ''versus'' Leicestershire (Leicester)
* Len Hutton
Sir Leonard Hutton (23 June 1916 – 6 September 1990) was an English cricketer. He played as an opening batsman for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1934 to 1955 and for England in 79 Test matches between 1937 and 1955. ''Wisden Cricketer ...
(Yorkshire) – 197 and 104 ''versus'' Essex (Southend)
* Ted Lester
Edward Ibson Lester (18 February 1923 – 23 March 2015) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club. He was born and died at Scarborough, Yorkshire, England.
Lester had a first-class cricket career lasting ...
(Yorkshire) – 126 and 142 ''versus'' Northamptonshire (Northampton)
* Alan Melville
Alan Melville (19 May 1910 – 18 April 1983) was a South African cricketer who played in 11 Tests from 1938 to 1949. He was born in Carnarvon, Northern Cape, South Africa and died at Sabie, Transvaal.
Early life and cricket career
Melville w ...
(South Africa) – 189 and 104 not out ''versus'' England (Trent Bridge)
* Bruce Mitchell (South Africa) – 120 and 189 not out ''versus'' England (The Oval)
* Winston Place
Winston Place (7 December 1914 − 25 January 2002) was an English cricketer who played in three Tests in 1948. An opening batsman for Lancashire, he shared a prolific partnership with Cyril Washbrook and was part of the county championship wi ...
(Lancashire) – 105 and 132 not out ''versus'' Nottinghamshire (Old Trafford)
* Cyril Washbrook
Cyril Washbrook (6 December 1914 – 27 April 1999) was an English cricketer, who played for Lancashire and England. He had a long career, split by World War II, and ending when he was aged 44. Washbrook, who is most famous for opening the batt ...
(Lancashire) – 176 and 121 not out ''versus'' Sussex (Eastbourne)
A total of 26 double-centuries were scored, Bill Edrich and Joe Hardstaff making the most with three each. The highest individual innings was 270 not out by Len Hutton for Yorkshire against Hampshire at Bournemouth.
Bowling
Of bowlers who took fifty or more wickets, twelve achieved an average less than 20.
22 players took 100 wickets or more in the season and six of these took over 150 wickets.
There were twelve hat-tricks
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
in the season and six instances of three wickets taken in four balls. Tom Goddard
Thomas William John Goddard (1 October 1900 – 22 May 1966) was an English cricketer and the fifth-highest wicket taker in first-class cricket.
Biography
Born 1 October 1900 in Gloucester, Goddard joined Gloucestershire in 1922 as a fast bow ...
did the hat-trick twice, against Glamorgan at Swansea and Somerset at Bristol, and Doug Wright
Douglas Wright (born December 20, 1962) is an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2004 for his play ''I Am My Own Wife''.
Early years
Wright was born in Dallas, Texas. He attended and ...
once, against Sussex at Hastings, which meant that they equalled the world career hat-trick record of six, set by Charlie Parker
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...
.[''Playfair'', p. 131.]
Tom Goddard had the best bowling analysis of the season when he took nine for 41 against Nottinghamshire at Bristol. His colleague Sam Cook was second-best with nine for 42 against Yorkshire, also at Bristol. Three other bowlers — Peter Smith, Len Muncer
Bernard Leonard Muncer (23 October 1913 – 18 January 1982) was a cricketer who played for Middlesex and Glamorgan.
Muncer was a useful middle or later order right-handed batsman and a spin bowler who began by bowling occasional leg breaks ...
and Cliff Gladwin
Clifford Gladwin (3 April 1916 – 10 April 1988) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Derbyshire from 1939 to 1958 and in eight Tests for England from 1947 to 1949. He took over 1,600 first-class wickets.
A tall right-arm mediu ...
— took nine in an innings and there were twelve instances of eight in an innings, including three by Goddard. Goddard took fifteen wickets in a match three times but the best match analysis was sixteen for 215 by Peter Smith for Essex against Middlesex at Colchester. Arthur Wellard
Arthur William Wellard (8 April 1902 in Southfleet, Kent – 31 December 1980 in Eastbourne, Sussex) was a cricketer who played for Somerset and England. A late starter in county cricket, having been told by his native county, Kent, that he wo ...
and Doug Wright took fifteen wickets in a match once apiece.
All-round
Three players completed the season "double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* Th ...
" of 1,000 runs scored and 100 wickets taken:
* Dick Howorth
Richard Howorth (26 April 1909 – 2 April 1980) was an English cricketer who played as an all-rounder for Worcestershire County Cricket Club between 1933 and 1951. Chiefly remembered as a left-arm orthodox spin bowler, Howorth also occasionall ...
(Worcestershire) scored 1,510 runs and took 164 wickets, achieving the double on 7 August
* Ray Smith (Essex) – 1,386 runs and 125 wickets (12 August)
* Peter Smith (Essex) – 1,065 runs and 172 wickets (28 August)
Fielding and wicketkeeping
Five fielders held more than forty catches in the season:
* 48 – Jack Crapp
John Frederick Crapp (14 October 1912 – 13 February 1981), was an English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire between 1936 and 1956, and played for England on tour in the winter of 1948–49.
Cricket writer, ...
(Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
; 30 matches)
* 46 – John Langridge
John George Langridge MBE (10 February 1910 – 27 June 1999) was a cricketer who played for Sussex. His obituary in ''Wisden'' called him "one of the best English cricketers of the 20th century never to play a Test match".
Born into a cricketi ...
(Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
; 29)
* 43 – Basil Allen
Basil Oliver Allen (13 October 1911 – 1 May 1981) was an English first-class cricketer.
Allen was educated at Clifton College and Caius College, Cambridge. A left-handed batsman and fine close fieldsman, he played for Cambridge University C ...
(Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
; 30)
* 41 – Arthur Fagg
Arthur Edward Fagg (18 June 1915 – 13 September 1977) was an English cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club and the English cricket team.
A right-handed opening batsman who first played for Kent at the age of 17, Fagg was a Test ma ...
(Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
; 29)
* 41 – Jack Walsh (Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...
; 27)
Four wicketkeepers held more than fifty catches:
* 68 – Godfrey Evans
Thomas Godfrey Evans (18 August 1920 – 3 May 1999) was an English cricketer who played for Kent and England. Described by ''Wisden'' as 'arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen', Evans collected 219 dismissals in 91 Test match ...
(Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
; 28 matches; 25 st)
* 61 – Leslie Compton
Leslie Harry Compton (12 September 1912 – 27 December 1984) was an English sportsman who played football and cricket for Arsenal and Middlesex, respectively. He gained two England caps late in his football career, and remains the oldest outfi ...
(Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...
; 30 matches; 18 st)
* 53 – Billy Griffith
Stewart Cathie Griffith, (16 June 1914 – 7 April 1993), known as Billy Griffith, was an English cricketer and cricket administrator. He played in three Test matches for England in 1948 and 1949.
He played first-class cricket for Cambridge ...
(Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
; 30 matches; 7 st)
* 51 – Arthur McIntyre (Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
; 24 matches; 5 st)
Three wicketkeepers completed more than thirty stumpings:
* 40 – Hugo Yarnold
Henry Yarnold, known as Hugo (6 July 1917 at Worcester, England, Worcester – 13 August 1974 in a road accident at Leamington Spa), was an English first-class cricketer who became a Test cricket, Test cricket umpire (cricket), umpire.
Yarnold ...
(Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...
; 31 matches; 48 ct)
* 38 – Tom Wade (Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
; 28 matches; 39 ct)
* 31 – Andy Wilson (Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
; 29 matches; 32 ct)
Most wicketkeeping victims overall:
* 93 – Godfrey Evans (Kent)
* 88 – Hugo Yarnold (Worcestershire)
* 79 – Leslie Compton (Middlesex)
* 77 – Tom Wade (Essex)
* 63 – Andy Wilson (Gloucestershire)
Footnote
• a) The Wisden Cricketers of the Year
The ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming ...
for 1947 were announced in the 1948 edition of ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...
''.[
]
References
Sources
* ''Playfair Cricket Annual
''Playfair Cricket Annual'' is a compact annual about cricket that is published in the United Kingdom each April, just before the English cricket season is due to begin. It has been published every year since 1948. Its main purposes are to review ...
'', 1st edition, editor Peter West
Peter Anthony West (12 August 1920 – 2 September 2003) was a BBC presenter and sports commentator best known for his work on the corporation's cricket, tennis and rugby coverage as well as occasionally commentating on hockey. Throughout his tel ...
, Playfair Books, 1948
* ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...
'', 85th edition, editor Hubert Preston
Hubert Preston (16 December 1868 – 6 August 1960) was a journalist and writer who was editor of ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'' for eight years from the 1944 edition to the 1951 edition. He contributed to 51 editions of the Almanack, and was the ...
, Sporting Handbooks Ltd, 1948
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
* ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...
'', 84th edition, editor Hubert Preston
Hubert Preston (16 December 1868 – 6 August 1960) was a journalist and writer who was editor of ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'' for eight years from the 1944 edition to the 1951 edition. He contributed to 51 editions of the Almanack, and was the ...
, Sporting Handbooks Ltd, 1947
External links
Wisden Online — 1948
{{DEFAULTSORT:1947 English Cricket Season
1947 in English cricket
English cricket seasons in the 20th century