George Beet (24 April 1886 – 13 December 1946) was an English

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 ...

er who played for

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 ...

between 1910 and 1925 and for

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 1920. He was later an umpire. Beet was born in

Somercotes Somercotes is a village and civil parish in the district of Amber Valley in the English county of Derbyshire, close to the border with Nottinghamshire. It is a former mining village and was once surrounded by more than five pits. The village has ...

, Derbyshire. Beet's first-class cricketing career began during the 1910 season, when he came in as wicket-keeper against

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 ...

. At the time Derbyshire depended primarily on

Joe Humphries Joseph Humphries (19 May 1876 – 7 May 1946) was an English cricketer who played three Test matches for England in Australia in 1907–08 and played first-class cricket for Derbyshire and the Marylebone Cricket Club between 1899 and 1914. Hu ...

behind the stumps. Beet appeared again two years later in the 1912 season, keeping wicket in a three games and losing his own wicket only once. In the

1913 Events January * January 5 – First Balkan War: Battle of Lemnos (1913), Battle of Lemnos – Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it will not ven ...

and 1914 season he earned a regular place in the Derbyshire team as a batsman until the First World War interrupted his career. On his return in the 1919 season he was Derbyshire's regular wicket-keeper and also scored five half-centuries, including his career high score of 92 not out. He played occasionally during the first half of the 1920 season, but was displaced behind the stumps by Harry Elliott. He also played one game for MCC in 1920. From then on he appeared in just two further matches for the Derbyshire first team in the

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

and 1925 season, the last being at the age of 39. When

Fred Root Charles Frederick Root (16 April 1890 – 20 January 1954) was an English cricketer who played for England in 1926 and for Derbyshire between 1910 and 1920 and for Worcestershire between 1921 and 1932. Early career Root was born in Somercote ...

was the Derbyshire fast bowler and Beet was taking the catches, their combined names in many scores earned the pair the "endearing name of Beet-root." Beet was a right-handed batsman and played 88 innings in 48 first-class matches with an average of 16.37 and a top score of 92 not out. He kept wicket in about half his matches and took 62 catches and 11 wickets by stumping. He also bowled 8 overs without taking a wicket.George Beet at Cricket Archive
/ref> Beet later umpired 289 first-class matches between 1926 and 1946. He also spent several winters in South Africa as a coach. He achieved his ambition of umpiring a Test match, during the 1946 season, but on his way home from this match between England and India, he was taken ill on a train and despite an operation he died at home at

later that same year at the age of 60. Beet's son, George Beet and grandson,

Gordon Beet Gordon Albert Beet (5 May 1939 – 19 January 1994) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire County Cricket Club between 1956 and 1961. Beet was born at Heanor, Derbyshire. He started representing Derbyshire in th ...

, were also cricketers who played for Derbyshire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beet, George senior 1886 births 1946 deaths English cricketers Derbyshire cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers English Test cricket umpires People from Somercotes Cricketers from Derbyshire Wicket-keepers