Lives in Cricket No 23 - Brief Candles

105 that extra, undefinable ‘something’ that makes the good player a great one. 170 Sadly, not good enough – still less, great enough – to secure more than a single first-class appearance, despite the success of his first delivery. One wicket, many goals The only other Briton to emulate Johns’ feat was also christened John but known as Jack; and his moment of cricketing glory also came at Cardiff. But Jack Lee was far better known in sporting circles, though not as a cricketer but as an outstanding bustling football centre-forward. Born at Sileby north of Leicester, on 4 November 1920, Lee began his football career with local side Quorn Methodists, from where he joined Leicester City during the Second World War. He was nearly 26 when he made his League debut for them, in the Second Division, in 1946/47, but he made his mark early with 18 goals in 24 appearances in that first season. He had already been ‘noticed’. Early in the following season there were rumours of possible moves into the First Division with Derby County or Stoke City. But he stayed with his local club for a further three seasons, scoring in all 84 goals in 137 League and Cup appearances; even today this puts him in the top ten of Leicester City’s all- time goalscorers. The highlight during this time was his appearance in the 1948/49 Cup Final, en route to which Leicester had beaten five teams above them in the League, including eventual League champions Portsmouth in the semi- final, before succumbing to a disappointing 3-1 defeat by Wolves at Wembley. In the fifth round Leicester had needed ten goals to get past Luton Town, winning a replay 5-3 after drawing 5-5, with Lee scoring four, at Kenilworth Road. In the close season of 1950 Lee finally moved into the top division with Derby, for a transfer fee of £18,500. 28 goals in his first season, including four in a 6-5 win over Sunderland, earned him an England call-up. He was selected ahead of Stan Mortensen (dropped) in the team to play Northern Ireland at Windsor Park on 7 October 1950, in a fair old forward line that read Stanley Matthews, Wilf Mannion, Jack Lee, Eddie Baily and Tom Finney. Midway through the second half Lee headed the second goal in England’s 4-1 win; but Jackie Milburn replaced him for the next international, and he was not selected again. 171 170 D.H.James, The Town: One Hundred Years of Briton Ferry Town and Other Cricketers , Briton Ferry CC, 1981. 171 Lee is therefore one of around 40 footballers – only nine of them post-war, including such names as Bill Nicholson, Tony Kay, Danny Wallace, Francis Jeffers and, most recently, David Nugent – who have scored a goal on their only full international appearance for England. First Ballers, and a Mystery Jack Lee, of Leicester City F.C.