Famous Cricketers No 91 - J.C.Laker

SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Test matches 3 4 0 64 48 16.00 - - - Championship 19 20 1 315 81 16.57 - 1 20 Other Surrey matches 6 7 1 83 29 13.83 - - 5 Other matches 3 3 1 40 20* 20.00 - - - Season 31 34 3 502 81 16.19 - 1 25 Career 219 286 45 4272 100 17.72 1 12 151 Bowling O M R W BB Ave 5i 10m Strike RunR Test matches 58.5 11 212 9 4/75 23.55 - - 39.22 60.05 Championship 820.2 285 1555 93 6/25 16.72 5 1 52.92 31.59 Other Surrey matches 219 73 408 22 5/24 18.54 2 - 59.72 31.05 Other matches 67.4 14 191 11 3/43 17.36 - - 36.90 47.04 Season 1165.5 383 2366 135 6/25 17.52 7 1 51.81 33.82 Career 8767 2800 18655 984 8/2 18.95 67 14 53.45 35.46 1953/54 - MCC in the West Indies Laker accompanied the MCC that toured the West Indies in the winter of 1953/54. He played in four of the Test matches being omitted in the first Test at Sabina Park as England opted for a four-man pace attack and were beaten out of sight. It is ironic that when West Indies themselves in a later decade stated that they did not need a spin bowler they beat everyone out of sight with that tactic as well! In the four Tests that he played, Laker took fourteen wickets at an average of 33.50, not exceptional figures but it should be noted that he took the wicket of C.L.Walcott, perhaps the best West Indian batsman that year, in every Test. At Port-of-Spain Walcott’s wicket was the one thousandth wicket that Laker had taken in his career. In all matches he took twenty-two wickets at 34.36 and scored 123 runs at an average of 15.37. He took four catches. He also took Walcott’s wicket in the colony match against Barbados, a game in which he also captured the wicket of a newcomer to the cricket scene- one G.St A.Sobers. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 220. MCC v Jamaica, Sabina Park, Kingston, January 2, 3, 5, 6 (MCC won by an innings and 21 runs) c S.R.Goodridge b R.O.Scarlett 33 457-7d 11 2 35 0 266 1 10 2 33 1 K.R.Rickards c L.Hutton 170 221. MCC v Jamaica, Melbourne Park, Kingston, January 8, 9, 11, 12 (Match drawn) c J.L.Hendriks b R.O.Scarlett 31 286 8 4 17 0 187 did not bat - 34-1 30 12 54 2 A.F.Rae c T.G.Evans 328-4d M.C.Frederick lbw 222. MCC v Barbados, Bridgetown, Janury 29, 30, February 1, 2, 3 (MCC won by one wicket) b C.L.Walcott 15 373 40 7 101 1 C.L.Walcott c T.W.Graveney 389 c N.S.Lucas b J.D.C.Goddard 0 196-9 13.4 2 47 4 G.S.Sobers b 179 J.D.C.Goddard lbw E.L.G.Hoad c A.E.Moss C.S.Mullins c K.G.Suttle 223. ENGLAND v WEST INDIES, Bridgetown, February 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 (West Indies won by 181 runs) c G.E.Gomez b D.St E.Atkinson 1 181 30.1 6 81 4 C.L.Walcott st T.G.Evans 383 B.H.Pairaudeau c L.Hutton F.King b D.St E.Atkinson c T.G.Evans lbw b S.Ramadhin 0 313 30 13 62 0 292-2d 224. ENGLAND v WEST INDIES, Georgetown, February 24, 25, 26, 27 March 1, 2 (England won by nine wickets) b A.L.Valentine 27 435 21 11 32 2 R.J.Christiani c W.Watson 251 S.Ramadhin b 34