Famous Cricketers No 56 - Laurence Barnard Fishlock

year, despite the fact that he had reached 41 years of age. His full season’s total was 2106 runs, which included five Championship hundreds. In 1949 Laurie Fishlock made his highest ever aggregate of 2426 runs. His total of seven centuries included two in a match at Trent Bridge against Nottinghamshire, the fourth and final double-century of his career versus Somerset at his home venue, putting on 260 runs with E.A.Bedser for the first wicket in three hours and 40 minutes, and altogether hit two sixes and 26 fours. 1950 saw Fishlock make his third consecutive 2000-runs aggregate at the age of 43. Altogether he made six hundreds and thirteen scores of 50 or more – a remarkable record of consistency. A highlight was a hundred in his benefit match against Middlesex, in which a grand total of 51,250 spectators paid at the turnstiles. This match was won by Surrey by 212 runs. Surrey made a determined effort to win their first outright Championship this season, but in the end had to be content with a shared top place with Lancashire. Fishlock’s consistent form this season resulted in selection for the second Commonwealth team to tour the Indian sub-continent. As many as 20 players played in the total of 27 first-class matches played by the side on account of withdrawals through illness and injury. Laurie had quite a good tour and reached his thousand runs in all first-class games, one of six batsmen to accomplish this feat. He appeared in four out of the five representative matches, which were against the full strength of India and thus up to Test-match standard. In all, he scored three first-class centuries, including an undefeated 102 in the first ‘Test’ at New Delhi in early November. Fishlock returned to this country for his penultimate first-class season and failed to reach 2000 runs for only the second time since the Second World War. He enjoyed a consistent summer, scoring three centuries and ten scores of 50 or more. Fishlock announced his impending retirement during the early part of 1952. The summer marked a splendid revival of Surrey cricket. The new captain, Stuart Surridge, proved to be a wise choice as the county enjoyed one of their best ever seasons. They won 20 out of 28 Championship matches, and once they gained the top position in mid-June they were never seriously challenged again. A particular feature of the side was their inspired close fielding and superb bowling on all types of pitches. On paying tribute to his team when they were acclaimed champions on 22nd August, Surridge gave special attention to his two retiring senior members, Jack Parker and Laurie Fishlock. The latter played in 21 Championship games, scoring 953 runs. He had certainly chosen a good time to leave his beloved game. On his retirement Fishlock joined the staff of St Dunstan’s College, Catford, S.E. London, the Head Masters’ Conference School founded in 1888. He became a member of the Physical Education team and, although his chief duties were as cricket coach in the summer term, he was also involved with P.E. and swimming activities. He was a well-respected and most popular person and produced some excellent club cricketers during his time at the school. He remained at St Dunstan’s until the end of the 1973 summer term. After retirement he did some part-time coaching at Trinity School, Croydon. He lived in Bromley during this period and died peacefully in hospital at Sutton, Surrey after an operation on 26th June 1986. Laurie Fishlock was in the front rank of the many excellent county batsmen who have made such a great contribution to the game. He was mostly a front-of-the-wicket player with a powerful off-drive, and played many valuable innings for Surrey over a period of some 18 years. He was also very strong to square leg. He was one of many cricketers who lost valuable years to the Second World War. He came into top-class cricket quite late, as he was 27 before he obtained a regular place in the Surrey first team in 1934. After the war he seemed to improve and had some very prolific seasons with the bat when well in his forties. He actually scored nearly fifty per cent of his total first-class aggregate after 7