Famous Cricketers No 91 - J.C.Laker

318. MCC v Border, East London, January 11, 12 (MCC won by an innings and 218 runs) did not bat - 400-8d 10 5 16 4 K.N.Kirton c A.S.M.Oakman 78 B.Crews c M.C.Cowdrey R.R.Phillips c M.C.Cowdrey R.K.Thorne c D.J.Insole 2 0 10 1 K.N.Kirton b 104 319. MCC v Natal, Pietermaritzburg, January 18, 19, 21 (Match drawn) not out 2 293 7 1 11 1 H.J.Keith c A.S.M.Oakman 163 did not bat - 122-6d 8 3 33 2 T.L.Goddard lbw 185-5 H.J.Keith lbw 320. ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA, Durban, January 25, 26, 28, 29, 30 (Match drawn) not out 0 218 12 1 47 0 283 c T.L.Goddard b H.J.Tayfield 6 254 18 7 29 2 H.J.Keith c sub 142-6 1 W.R.Endean c and b 321. MCC v Griqualand West, Kimberley, February 8, 9, 11 (MCC won by an innings and 47 runs) c R.A.Scurr b D.Lee 6 310 5 1 16 0 76 1 17.3 7 24 2 J.E.Waddington c G.A.R.Lock 187 A.P.Gallagher c P.J.Loader 322. ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA, Johannesburg, February 15, 16, 18, 19, 20 (South Africa won by 17 runs) lbw b H.J.Tayfield 17 251 15 3 49 1 C.B.van Ryneveld c M.C.Cowdrey 340 c C.A.R.Duckworth b H.J.Tayfield 5 214 7 1 26 1 A.J.Pithey b 142 323. ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA, Port Elizabeth, March 1, 2, 4, 5 (South Africa won by 58 runs) b T.L.Goddard 6 110 14 1 37 1 C.A.R.Duckworth lbw 164 not out 3 130 14 5 26 1 A.J.Pithey b 134 324. MCC v Combined Universities, Cape Town, March 9, 11, 12 (MCC won by an innings and 28 runs) not out 4 335 21 3 50 3 I.Morrison c M.C.Cowdrey 142 1 R.R.MacDonald c G.A.R.Lock P.L.van der Merwe lbw 12 3 34 3 R.R.MacDonald c M.C.Cowdrey 165 C.Wesley b D.B.Pithey c G.A.R.Lock SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Test matches 5 9 3 40 17 6.66 - - 1 Other matches 9 7 3 39 13 9.75 - - 2 Tour 14 16 6 79 17 7.90 - - 3 Career 324 416 72 6107 113 17.75 2 17 221 Bowling O M R W BB Ave 5i 10m Strike RunR Test matches 145.1 46 324 11 2/7 29.45 - - 105.54 27.90 Other matches 243.6 75 551 39 6/47 14.12 2 - 50.00 28.25 Tour 388.7 121 875 50 6/47 17.50 2 - 62.22 28.12 Career (6-ball) 12117.5 3954 } 26622 1456 10/53 18.28 99 25 52.07 35.11 (8-ball) 388.7 121 1957 Laker had another fine season in 1957 coming fourth in the English first-class averages with 126 wickets at the very low average of 15.24 each. He played in four of the Test matches against the touring West Indians, missing the Lord’s Test because of back trouble. In the four matches that he played he took eighteen wickets at 24.88, once more asserting his dominance of the dangerous C.L.Walcott by dismissing him six times. He bowled a marathon 105 overs in the Trent Bridge Test and fifty-four in the first West Indies innings at Edgbaston to take four wickets for 119. For Surrey he took eighty-five wickets in the Championship at 12.41 and still did not finish top of the County’s averages - G.A.R.Lock took 153 at 11.58. With two other Surrey bowlers also taking over a hundred 47