Famous Cricketers No 44 - Sir Alec V. Bedser, C.B.E.

ERIC BEDSER IN FIRST-CLASS CRICKET Eric was considered a high-class bowler but had to compete with Jim Laker for a place in the Surrey Team. Nevertheless, he did appear in one Test Trial at Bradford in 1950, in the famous match where Laker took 8 wickets for 2 runs in the first innings of The Rest who were bowled out for 27, Eric Bedser 3. In the second innings, 202 runs behind, Hollies took 6 wickets as The Rest were dismissed for 113, Eric Bedser being the top scorer with 30. This was the nearest that Eric ever came to Test match representation. His career record was :- M I NO R HS Ave 100 50 Ct 457 692 79 14716 163 24.00 10 61 236 O M R W Ave BB 5wi 10wm SR RC (6b) 8811.3 } 2527 20784 833 24.95 7-33 24 4 63.58 39.24 (8b) 12 Out of these 457 Matches, 443 were for Surrey. Without detailing his full achievements, the centuries he scored and best bowling figures (10 wickets in a match) are listed here:- Centuries (10) 101 Surrey v Hampshire Kingston-upon-Thames 1946 128 Surrey v Oxford University Guildford 1948 163 Surrey v Nottinghamshire Kennington Oval 1949 154 Surrey v Somerset Kennington Oval 1949 160 M.C.C. v Oxford University Lord’s 1950 113* Surrey v Cambridge University Kennington Oval 1950 116 Surrey v Essex Ilford 1952 108 Surrey v Oxford University Guildford 1952 103* Surrey v Leicestershire Kennington Oval 1952 135 Surrey v Leicestershire Loughborough 1953 Ten Wickets in a Match (4) 76 10 231 10 Surrey v Gloucestershire Kennington Oval 1951 70.2 29 139 10 Surrey v Northamptonshire Kettering 1951 49.2 15 111 11 Surrey v Warwickshire Edgbaston 1957 56.7 11 129 10 Surrey v Middlesex Lord’s 1961 Eric also continued to serve Surrey well in his retirement and was elected President in 1990. 77