Famous Cricketers No 56 - Laurence Barnard Fishlock

radio commentary on this innings from a car radio, which an obliging motorist allowed him to listen to through his open window whilst parked on the sea front at West Bay, Dorset! The long-awaited return of first-class cricket in 1946 after six years was like a breath of fresh air. Laurie Fishlock, although in his 40th year, enjoyed one of his best seasons to date. He played some splendid innings, including a memorable century against Lancashire, when he made his then highest first-class score of 172. The selectors, no doubt mindful of his past failure in the 1936/37 winter, did not pick him for either of the two Test Trials, but his generally consistent form put him in the Test side for the third game at Kennington Oval versus the Indians and, although in a rain-ruined match he only made 8 runs, his general form in the season gained him one of the last three places on the forthcoming tour to Australia along with James Langridge and W.J.Edrich. The ship The Stirling Castle sailed from Tilbury on 31st August, which caused him to miss Surrey’s last three matches and some possible Festival appearances. Nevertheless, his overall season’s record of 2221 runs in 27 matches with five centuries and thirteen fifties at an average of 50.47 was a excellent one and befitted his reputation as the leading left-handed batsman in the country. Unfortunately, the M.C.C. team under the captaincy of W.R.Hammond proved a sad disappointment to all lovers of English cricket. Forced into batting twice on the dreaded Brisbane sticky wicket in the First Test after Australia had enjoyed the best of the pitch on the opening two days of the match and, following the undoubted controversy over the disputed catch by J.T.Ikin off D.G.Bradman, the English team never recovered their equilibrium and lost the series. Fishlock had another serious setback when he broke a bone in his hand at Adelaide. Although making three fifties in first-class matches, he did not seriously come into the reckoning for the Test side until he obtained a last-minute place in the final game of the series due to the withdrawal of the captain through fibrositis. His last Test appearance, however, was a great disappointment as, after a score of 14 in the first innings of the 5th and final Test, he opened the second innings with C.Washbrook and was leg before wicket first ball. His record in New Zealand was again unremarkable and he only managed 30 runs in five innings from three matches. Despite his disappointment, he began the 1947 summer in splendid form. A score of 170 in a non-championship friendly game with Essex was followed by 50, 36, 41 and 24 against M.C.C. and the South Africans, who were touring this country under the captaincy of Alan Melville. Alas, he was then stricken with an attack of appendicitis and did not play again until 12th July at Blackheath. He thus missed the opportunity to score a large number of runs in what proved to be a batsman’s year, remembered for the splendid performances by Denis Compton and Bill Edrich, both of whom exceeded Tom Hayward’s recorded seasonal aggregate of 3518 made in 1906. Nevertheless, Fishlock managed to score 1213 runs this season in 18 first-class matches. 1948 saw the onslaught of D.G.Bradman’s all-conquering Australians who became the first Test-playing touring team to remain undefeated in all its first-class matches in this country. Laurie struck his very best form very early in the season. In his second game of the season he made 81 not out in the first innings of Surrey’s game against the Australians. He followed this almost immediately with his first double-century and ultimate highest first-class score in a magnificent innings of 253 versus Leicestershire at Grace Road, Leicester. Although he was missed three times, he hit 32 fours and had partnerships for the third wicket of 141 with H.T.Barling and 244 with M.R.Barton for the fourth wicket. His good, early-season form gained him a place in the Test Trial at Edgbaston, where in a much interrupted innings he scored 35 runs which was the top score for The Rest’s innings of 158 for 9 declared. The Trial was spoiled by rain. However, the selectors were reluctant to try him for England again, bearing in mind his past failures. He was surely a better batsman and certainly a more experienced one than many who were chosen, sometimes in somewhat desperate circumstances to try and overcome the impressive attack of the visitors. One feels that he would not have performed any worse than others such as G.M.Emmett, H.E.Dollery, J.F.Crapp, C.J.Barnett, J.G.Dewes or J.Hardstaff. His fielding, which had always been a feature of his game, remained in the top class this 6