Statistical Appendix
Compiled by Paul Dyson
(acknowledgements to Michael Pearce for supplementary work)
THE BEDSER TWINS
CHRONOLOGY
| A. V. BEDSER | E.A. BEDSER | |
| Born | Reading, Berkshire, | 4 July 1918 |
| First-class début | Sure v Oxford University, | The oval, 21 June 1939 |
| Country cap | 1946 | 1947 |
| Benefit | 1953 – £12,866 | 1958 – £7,700 |
| Final day of first-class cricket | Surrey v Glamorgan, The oval, 30 August 1960 | MCC v Cambridge University, Lord’s, 29 June 1962 |
| President of Surey | 1987 | 1990 |
ALEC VICTOR BEDSER
CHRONOLOGY
First day of Test cricket: England v India, Lord’s, 22 June 1946
One of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year: 1947
Became world record holder of most Test wickets: England v Australia, Headingley, 24 July 1953
Final day of Test cricket: England v South Africa, Old Trafford, 12 July 1955
Test selector: 1962–85 (chairman 1969–81)
Awarded OBE: 1964
Awarded CBE: 1982
Awarded knighthood: 1997
FIRST-CLASS MATCHES
BATTING AND FIELDING
Season by season
For each team
Summary
Against each opponent (excluding Test matches)
In United Kingdom
Note: The figures against the counties are all for matches in the County Championship except for one match for Surrey against each of Essex (did not bat, two catches) and Middlesex (23, 13*, 2 catches). He also played in two matches against Yorkshire for MCC (7 and 4).
Overseas (listed by country)
Summary
On each ground (including Test matches)
In United Kingdom (listed by county)
Overseas (listed by country)
Summary
BOWLING
Season by season
For each team
Summary
Against each opponent (excluding Test matches)
In United Kingdom
Note: The figures against the counties are all for matches in the County Championship except for one match for Surrey against each of Essex (44.3–11–115–9) and Middlesex (37–10–93–2). He also played in two matches against Yorkshire for MCC (89.3–17–215–8).
Overseas
Summary
On each ground (including Test matches)
In United Kingdom (listed by county)
Overseas (listed by country)
Summary
TEST MATCHES
BATTING AND FIELDING
Series by series
Against each opponent
On each ground (listed by country)
Half-century: 79 v Australia, Headingley, 1948
BOWLING
Series by series
Against each opponent
On each ground (listed by country)
Five wickets in an innings
Methods of dismissal
Batsmen most frequently dismissed by Bedser (all Australian unless stated)
18 A.R. Morris
12 R.N. Harvey
10 R.R. Lindwall
9 A.L. Hassett
6 D.G. Bradman, J.E. Cheetham (South Africa), G.B. Hole, B. Mitchell (South Africa)
Note: Sir Alec had a higher success ratio against Bradman in Test cricket than almost any other bowler, as the following shows:
Most Test dismissals of Bradman
Note: Five of Bradman’s dismissals by Sir Alec came in consecutive innings – an unprecedented feat. The 18 dismissals of Morris by Sir Alec is a world record for Test cricket, as the following shows:
Most dismissals by one bowler against one batsman in Test cricket
Note: For the 21 Tests in which Sir Alec and Morris opposed each other the next most successful bowler was J.C. Laker with three dismissals.
Most fielding dismissals from Bedser’s bowling (all caught unless otherwise stated)
26 T.G. Evans (24ct, 2st)
16 L. Hutton
12 J.T. Ikin
11 D.C.S. Compton
6 A.V. BEDSER, T.E. Bailey
Highest Test wicket aggregate (as at 31 August 1955)
Bowlers holding record Test wicket aggregate for longest period since 1945
Highest Test wicket aggregate for England (as at 1 October 2000)
Best bowling figures for England in first innings of début Test
Most wickets in a career for England against Australia (up to 1955)
Most balls bowled for England against Australia
Note: Bedser’s average of 336.4 balls per Test is exceeded only by Tate’s 384.3.
Most wickets in a series for any country against Australia (all for England)
Note: Sir Alec took 30 wickets in the 1950/1 series and this makes him the only bowler, from any country, to take at least 30 wickets in a series against Australia, both home and away. Sir Alec also took 30 wickets in the 1951 series against South Africa and this makes him the only English bowler to take 30 wickets in a series three times since 1945.
The 1953 Test series – leading bowling averages (qualification – 5 wickets, average 45)
Note: Sir Alec took the first Australian wicket to fall in each of the five Tests. Sir Alec bowled 31.7 per cent of England’s overs in the five Tests.
Most balls bowled and wickets taken in Ashes Tests 1946/7–1953
Note: Sir Alec bowled more balls than any other bowler in each of the four series between the dates shown, except in 1948 when his 1647 compared with Johnston’s 1856. Sir Alec took five wickets in an innings on five consecutive occasions.
English bowlers taking 50 Test wickets on one ground
Note: Sir Alec was the first bowler from any country to achieve this feat.
Five wickets in an innings in five consecutive Test innings
Note: T. Richardson, also a right-arm pace bowler from Surrey, is the only other England player to achieve this feat – in 1894/5–6.
Most wickets for England in first two Tests
Note: Barnes played his first two Tests in 1901/2 and Cook in 1983. A.E. Trott took 17 wickets in his first two Tests for England, in 1898/9, but after previously playing in three Tests for Australia.
Numbers of batsmen dismissed by Sir Alec by batting order
Lowest number of championship matches by English professionals before Test début since 1919
Other points of interest in Test cricket
Sir Alec’s match figures of 14-99 against Australia in 1953 are the best in any Test match at Trent Bridge.
Only S.F. Barnes (7) and D.L. Underwood (6) have taken ten wickets in a match for England on more occasions than Sir Alec.
Sir Alec opened the bowling with 17 different partners in his 51 Tests; the first was W.E. Bowes and the last F.H. Tyson.
100th Test wicket
R.J. Christiani c A.J. McIntyre b A.V. Bedser 11
England v West Indies, The Oval, 14/8/1950
200th Test wicket
A.K. Davidson c J.B. Statham b A.V. Bedser 76
England v Australia, Lord’s, 26/6/1953
MISCELLANY
BATTING
Century
126 Surrey v Somerset, Taunton, 1947
Century partnerships
Pairs
| ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA | The Oval | 1948 |
| Surrey v Worcestershire | Worcester | 1949 |
| Surrey v Leicestershire | Leicester | 1950 |
| ENGLAND v WEST INDIES | The Oval | 1950 |
| Surrey v Lancashire | The Oval | 1951 |
| Surrey v Middlesex | The Oval | 1953 |
| Surrey v Hampshire | Portsmouth | 1956 |
| Surrey v Essex | Leyton | 1958 |
| Surrey v MCC | Lord’s | 1959 |
Note: In the instance against Worcestershire, Sir Alec was dismissed in both innings by R.O. Jenkins. In 1950 Sir Alec scored four consecutive ducks, beginning with the pair against West Indies.
BOWLING
Seven wickets in an innings
Ten wickets in a match
Hat-trick
Surrey v Essex, The Oval, 1953 (second innings) – victims: T.C. Dodds, W.T. Greensmith and R. Horsfall
Economical bowling (conceding less than one run per over)
(a) in an innings (minimum 20 overs)
Note: In the 1951 and 1952 seasons, Sir Alec’s figures in four matches against Nottinghamshire were: 138.4-44-197-29 – avge 6.79
1000th first-class wicket
H.J. Butler c J.F. Parker b A.V. Bedser 0 (2nd innings)
Surrey v Nottinghamshire, The Oval, 5/8/1952
Best position in national averages
4th–1951 5th–1952
Best position in national aggregates
3rd–1952, 1953
Best position in Surrey’s championship averages
1st–1948, 1951, 1952, 1954 2nd–1949
Best position in Surrey’s championship aggregates
2nd–1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1957
Methods of dismissal
| Caught | 1177 | 61.17% |
| Bowled | 526 | 27.34% |
| Lbw | 176 | 9.15% |
| Stumped | 43 | 2.23% |
| Hit wicket | 2 | 0.22% |
| Total | 1924 | 100.00% |
| Total | 1924 | 100.00% |
Batsmen most frequently dismissed by Sir Alec
| 22 | A.R. Morris (New South Wales and Australia) |
| 19 | R.T. Simpson (Nottinghamshire) |
| 17 | D.J. Insole (Essex) |
| 16 | T.C. Dodds (Essex) |
| 14 | W.J. Edrich, J.D. Robertson (both Middlesex), R.N. Harvey (Australia) |
| 13 | D.C.S. Compton (Middlesex) |
| 12 | F.W. Stocks (Nottinghamshire) |
Note: Sir Alec dismissed Bradman eight times in first-class cricket in 19 innings (a ratio of 0.42). This compares most favourably with the only two bowlers who took his wicket on more occasions: C.V. Grimmett (10 dismissals, 27 innings, ratio 0.37) and H. Verity (10, 41, 0.24). Sir Alec dismissed Bradman in six consecutive innings in which they opposed each other – an unprecedented feat.
Most fielding dismissals from Sir Alec’s bowling
| 167 | A.J.W. McIntyre (143 ct, 24 st) |
| 108 | G.A.R. Lock |
| 69 | W.S. Surridge |
| 61 | J.C. Laker |
| 60 | T.G. Evans (51 ct, 9 st) |
| 55 | J.F. Parker |
| 52 | A.V. BEDSER |
| 49 | M.J. Stewart |
| 42 | K.F. Barrington |
| 39 | D.G.W. Fletcher |
| 33 | E.A. Bedser |
| 31 | P.B.H. May |
Fifty wickets in a season in Australia by English tourists since 1919
CAPTAINCY
The results of matches in which Sir Alec was captain are as follows:
Note: Sir Alec led Surrey 18 times (out of 28 matches) in the Championship in 1959, when Surrey finished third, and 25 times (also out of 28) in 1960 when they finished seventh.
TEST SELECTION
England Test selectors involved in choosing most teams
Note: The percentage table is arrived at by allocating two points for a win and one for a draw then dividing this total by the number of points possible. Sir Alec was a selector from 1962 to 1985 (23 seasons excluding the 1970 series against the Rest of the World); the next longest serving was May with 11 seasons but in two stints (1965–68 and 1982–88).
Longest-serving chairmen of England Test selectors
Note: Sir Alec was chairman for four series against Australia, the results being won two, drew one and lost one. His record in four series against West Indies was won one, lost three.
ERIC ARTHUR BEDSER
FIRST-CLASS MATCHES
BATTING AND FIELDING
Season by season
For each team
Against each opponent
Note: The figures against the counties are all for matches in the County Championship except for one match for Surrey against Essex (6, two catches).
On each ground (listed by county and country)
BOWLING
Season by season
For each team
Against each opponent
Note: The figures against the counties are all for matches in the County Championship except for one match for Surrey against Essex (8–1–27–2).
On each ground (listed by county and country)
MISCELLANT
BATTING
Centuries
Double-century partnerships
Eric took part in 35 century partnerships, as follows:
31 for Surrey
2 for South
1 for MCC
16 for the first wicket
5 for the second and fifth wickets
4 for the fourth wicket
2 for the third wicket
1 for the sixth, seventh and eighth wickets
9 with D.G.W. Fletcher
6 with L.B. Fishlock
3 with P.B.H. May and J.F. Parker
2 with K.F. Barrington, T.H. Clark and A.J. McIntyre
1 with M.R. Barton, N.H. Bennett, S.M. Brown, B. Constable, A.E. Fagg, H.S. Squires, R. Subba Row and W.H.H. Sutcliffe
15 at The Oval
5 at Guildford and Lord’s
2 at Chesterfield and Kingston-upon-Thames
1 at Derby, Edgbaston, Hove, Ilford, Loughborough and Southampton
Pairs
Methods of dismissal
| Caught | 345 | 56.28% |
| Bowled | 162 | 26.43% |
| Lbw | 71 | 11.58% |
| Run out | 19 | 3.10% |
| Stumped | 14 | 2.28% |
| Hit wicket | 2 | 0.33% |
| Total | 613 | 100.00% |
Bowlers who most frequently dismissed Eric
| 11 | C. Gladwin (Derbyshire), D.V.P. Wright (Kent) |
| 10 | T.E. Bailey (Essex), J.A. Young (Middlesex) |
| 9 | J.J. Warr (Middlesex) |
| 8 | W.E. Hollies (Warwickshire), R. Illingworth (Yorkshire), R.T.D. Perks (Worcestershire), D.J. Shepherd (Glamorgan), R. Tattersall (Lancashire) |
Best position in national averages
45th–1952
Best position in national aggregates
26th–1952
Best position in Surrey’s Championship averages
5th–1949, 1951, 1952
Best position in Surrey’s Championship aggregates
2nd–1952 3rd–1949
BOWLING
Seven wickets in an innings
Ten wickets in a match
Methods of dismissal
| Caught | 496 | 59.54% |
| Bowled | 246 | 29.53% |
| Lbw | 63 | 7.56% |
| Stumped | 27 | 3.24% |
| Hit wicket | 1 | 0.12% |
| Total | 833 | 100.00% |
Batsmen most frequently dismissed by Eric
| 8 | V.S. Munden (Leicestershire) |
| 7 | D.W. Barrick (Northamptonshire), D.B. Close (Yorkshire) |
| 6 | T.E. Bailey (Essex), W.J. Edrich (Middlesex), C.J. Poole (Nottinghamshire), R.T. Spooner (Warwickshire) |
Most fielding dismissals from Eric’s bowling
| 48 | A.J.W. McIntyre (32 ct, 16 st) |
| 44 | M.J. Stewart |
| 43 | W.S. Surridge |
| 42 | G.A.R. Lock |
| 35 | E.A. BEDSER |
| 29 | J.F. Parker |
| 26 | A.V. Bedser |
| 24 | R. Swetman (18 ct, 6 st) |
| 20 | K.F. Barrington |
Best position in national averages
5th–1957
Best position in national aggregates
26th–1956
Best position in Surrey’s Championship averages
3rd–1948, 1949, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960
Best position in Surrey’s Championship aggregates
3rd–1949 4th–1947, 1951, 1956, 1958, 1961
Eric compared with Laker
(in matches for Surrey in which Eric played with, or without, Laker)
Interesting to note that Laker’s career average was 16.60; therefore his average is slightly worse than normal when bowling with Eric.
Eric’s best seasons (when he took 50 wickets at an average of fewer than 25) when Laker was also in the Surrey side are now detailed separately.
Eric v Laker in certain seasons
All of which appears to show that:
(a) Eric bowled better when Laker was not playing;
(b) Laker bowled better, overall, than Eric when both were in the same matches.
It is also worth pointing out that two of Eric’s best seasons (1960 and 1961) came after Laker had left Surrey.
However, it was not always the case that Laker’s figures were better than Eric’s. Taking just the innings when both bowlers bowled at least ten overs, over the same seasons, Eric out-bowled Laker in 1951 and 1956 (!!!).
Eric v Laker in innings when both bowled a minimum of ten overs
All of which seems to show that the difference between them, on certain occasions, was not so marked.
ALL-ROUND ACHIEVEMENTS
100 runs and wickets in a match for Surrey in County Championship
10,000 runs and 600 wickets for Surrey
THE BEDSER TWINS – APPEARANCES IN SAME MATCH
The Bedser twins played in 303 first-class matches together as team-mates, as follows:
| For Surrey in County Championship | 247 |
| For Surrey in other matches | 52 |
| For Players v Gentlemen | 2 |
| For South v North | 1 |
| For MCC v Tasmania | 1 |
They also played on opposite sides in the match England (Sir Alec) v The Rest (Eric) at Bradford in 1950. This was the first time in the history of first-class cricket that twins had been in opposition.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The staff of the City of York Central Library
Jeff Hancock, Librarian, Surrey CCC, The Oval
Stephen Green, Curator, MCC, Lord’s
Glenys Williams, Assistant Curator, MCC, Lord’s
Peter Wynne-Thomas, Librarian, Nottinghamshire CCC, Trent Bridge
Brian Cowley