Famous Cricketers No 91 - J.C.Laker

1947/48 - MCC in the West Indies It was not a full strength English team that toured West Indies in the winter of 1947/48. Against a side containing a number of new stars including the three W’s, C.L.Walcott, E.DeC.Weekes and F.M.M.Worrell the team struggled to make any impression losing two of the four Test matches and failing to win a first-class match on the tour. Laker, however, performed well and the 1949 Wisden describes him as “undoubtedly the find of the tour”. He took seven wickets in the first innings of his Test debut at Bridgetown, Barbados and eighteen wickets in the series at an average of 30.44. He hit his first Test match half-century in the second Test at Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. Altogether on the tour he took thirty-six wickets at 27.02 apiece and scored 212 runs at 21.20. He took four catches. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 22. MCC v Barbados, Bridgetown, January 15, 16, 17, 19 (Match drawn) c sub b J.H.Lucas 38 358 40.1 17 61 4 G.M.Carew c S.C.Griffith 243-6d J.D.C.Goddard b J.H.Lucas c K.Cranston W.A.Farmer lbw 24 8 76 5 G.M.Carew b 182-8 E.DeC.Weekes b J.H.Lucas c J.D.B.Robertson W.A.Farmer b E.A.V.Williams c M.F.Tremlett 23. ENGLAND v WEST INDIES, Bridgetown, January 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 (Match drawn) c C.L.Walcott b P.E.W.Jones 2 253 37 9 103 7 C.L.Walcott b 296 G.E.Gomez b G.A.Headley b R.J.Christiani lbw E.A.V.Williams c J.T.Ikin W.Ferguson b B.B.M.Gaskin c J.T.Ikin did not bat - 86-4 30 12 95 2 E.DeC.Weekes b 351-9d J.D.C.Goddard c J.T.Ikin 24. ENGLAND v WEST INDIES, Port-of-Spain, February 11, 12, 13, 14, 16 (Match drawn) c B.B.M.Gaskin b J.D.C.Goddard 55 362 36 10 108 2 G.M.Carew lbw 497 G.E.Gomez lbw c G.M.Carew b E.A.V.Williams 24 275 - - - - 72-3 25. MCC v British Guiana, Georgetown, February 19, 20, 21, 23 (Match drawn) c and b N.D.Wight 20 332 32 9 74 5 H.A.Wight c and b 296 2 R.J.Christiani lbw G.A.Camacho c and b I.M.Jordan b N.D.Wight b c R.J.Christiani b J.Trim 41 191-6d 5 3 10 0 76-1 26. ENGLAND v WEST INDIES, Georgetown, March 3, 4, 5, 6 (West Indies won by seven wickets) c C.L.Walcott b W.Ferguson 10 111 36 11 94 2 E.A.V.Williams b 297-8d W.Ferguson c G.O.B.Allen c J.D.C.Goddard b E.A.V.Williams 6 263 9 1 34 2 G.M.Carew c G.O.B.Allen 78-3 J.D.C.Goddard lbw 27. MCC v Jamaica, Sabina Park, Kingston, March 15, 16, 17, 18 (Match drawn) b H.H.H.Johnson 0 278 52 17 96 1 G.A.Headley c J.T.Ikin 344-7d did not bat - 88-3 5 2 8 0 233-4d 28. MCC v Jamaica, Melbourne Park, Kingston, March 20, 22, 23, 24 (Match drawn) not out 4 313 26 9 60 1 C.O.Bloomfield c L.Hutton 258 1 did not bat - 221-7d 18 4 40 2 C.G.Bonito lbw 178-3 J.K.C.Holt c S.C.Griffith 29. ENGLAND v WEST INDIES, Sabina Park, Kingston, March 27, 29, 30, 31, April 1 (West Indies won by ten wickets) c C.L.Walcott b H.H.H.Johnson 6 227 36.4 5 103 3 K.R.Rickards b 490 1 R.J.Christiani c and b W.Ferguson c J.Hardstaff 9