"100 greatest cricketers of all time. Outside of cricket, Bedser was a founding member of the right-wing pressure group, the Freedom Association during the 1970s, which advocated the maintenance of sporting relations with South Africa during the apartheid era. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1964, advanced to Commander (CBE) in 1982, and in 1996 he became the first (and still only) England bowler to be knighted for services to cricket. Neither Alec nor his brother Eric ever married. They lived together in Woking until Eric's death in 2006. Sir Alec Bedser"
"were spotted practising in the nets for Woking Cricket Club by Surrey coach Alan Peach, and he recruited them to the staff at the Oval in 1938. Initially, they were both medium-fast bowlers, but (after Alec won a toss of a coin) Eric became an off spinner instead. They made their first-class débuts for Surrey against Oxford University in June 1939. Their cricket careers were soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War. They both joined the RAF police, and were sent to France with the British Expeditionary Force. They both narrowly escaped being shot before being evacuated"
"to Horsell, Surrey, where, at the age of seven, the brothers played their first organised cricket. The family moved to Knaphill, Surrey and then to a house they helped their father to build in Woking. They were educated at Maybury Junior School and then Monument Hill Central School in Woking. Over the next decade, the twin brothers played cricket together for Monument Hill School and Woking Cricket Club. They also both played football for Monument Hill School, both as full backs. After leaving school, Eric and Alec became clerks at the same firm of solicitors in Lincoln's Inn Fields. They"
"June 1939. There is a famous story that when Eric and Alec were first selected for Surrey, they agreed they couldn't both be fast bowlers, as at that time they were. A flip of the coin saw Alec win the toss, and Eric consequently took up off-spin bowling, at which he became very adept in a Surrey county team that was dominated by famous spinners such as Jim Laker and Tony Lock, and concentrated on his batting. The pair were called up for duty with the Royal Air Force in 1939, serving in France and being evacuated from Dunkirk. They"
"Lock. The two were difficult to tell apart, both 6'3"" tall and just over 15 stone. Playing for Surrey against an England representative team in 1946, they are reputed to have shared an over – Alec bowling the first three balls and then swapping with Eric fielding at mid-on for Eric to complete the over – without being detected by the batsman, Frank Woolley. In the 1950-51 Ashes series, Alec began his dominance of Australian batsmen, taking 30 wickets at an average of 16.06 and 10 for 105 in the Fifth Test when he ended Australia's unbeaten run of 26"
"number one wicket-keeper for the Scottish cricket team in first-class and List A cricket from 1995 until his retirement in 1999. Alec also represented Scotland in cricket at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His one match for the Surrey first team was a first-class fixture against the Zimbabweans in 1985. Opportunities at Surrey were limited because of other keepers such as Jack Richards and Alec Stewart. He was born in Pakistan, where his father was employed as a Civil Engineer on the Mangla Dam. Alec Davies Alec George Davies (born 14 August 1962 in Rawalpindi) was a"
"Alec Stewart Alec James Stewart OBE (born 8 April 1963) is a former English cricketer, and former captain of the England cricket team, who played Tests and ODIs as a right-handed wicketkeeper-batsman. He is the third most capped English cricketer of all time in Test matches and 3rd most capped in One Day Internationals (ODIs), having played in 133 Tests and 170 ODIs. The younger son of former English Test cricketer Micky Stewart, Stewart was educated at Tiffin School in Kingston upon Thames. He made his debut for Surrey in 1981, earning a reputation as an aggressive opening batsman and"
"and Doug Wright took a break as well. Alec Bedser's identical twin brother Eric was in Australia on business (they were inseparable and lived together for 90 years) and was asked to help the MCC rest some of its players after the injuries and fatigue of the Third Test. Alec and Eric tossed a coin in their youth to see who would remain a fast bowler so that they could both get into the Surrey Colts, Eric lost and became an opening batsman and off-spinner. As always the Tasmanians were delighted to meet the MCC team and their stay on"
"Alec Swann Alec James Swann (born 26 October 1976 in Northampton) is a former English cricketer who played for Northamptonshire and Lancashire in county cricket. A right hand batsman, he scored 3,305 first-class runs including eight centuries. He is the older brother of Graeme Swann and is currently the cricket correspondent of the Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph. Prior to making his debut for Northamptonshire Swann had represented England at under-15 level and made appearances for Bedfordshire in the minor counties championship. Having scored centuries for Northamptonshire in consecutive second XI matches at the start of the 1996 season he was given"
"Alec Hearne Alec Hearne (22 July 1863 – 16 May 1952) was a member of the famous cricketing Hearne family. He played as a professional for Kent County Cricket Club between 1884 and 1906 and made one Test match appearance for England. He was an all-rounder who was named as one of Wisden's five Cricketers of the Year in 1894. His father, George played cricket for Middlesex during the 1860s and brothers George and Frank also played Test cricket, as did his cousin, John Thomas Hearne. Hearne was born on 22 July 1863 in Ealing in what was then Middlesex."
"hand, he conceded 98 runs in the Pakistanis first-innings from 27 overs, but did not take a wicket. In their second-innings he again failed to take a wicket, this time conceding 37 runs from 8 overs. Alec Johnson Anthony Alexander 'Alec' Johnson (born 30 March 1944) is a former English cricketer. Johnson was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm fast-medium. He was born in Loughborough, Leicestershire. Johnson made his first-class debut for Nottinghamshire against Surrey in the 1963 County Championship. He made 25 further first-class appearances for the county, the last of which came against Kent in the 1966 County"
"Yorkshire. Innings of 128 and 111 made him the first Lancastrian to score centuries in his first two Roses matches. The following two seasons were less successful for Swann, in 15 first-class matches he scored 467 runs at 21.22. He was released by the club at the end of 2004 season. Alec Swann Alec James Swann (born 26 October 1976 in Northampton) is a former English cricketer who played for Northamptonshire and Lancashire in county cricket. A right hand batsman, he scored 3,305 first-class runs including eight centuries. He is the older brother of Graeme Swann and is currently the"
"catches and completed three stumpings. He took 329 wickets with a best performance of eight for 43. Fred Grace was the youngest member of the Grace family. He had four elder brothers who all played cricket: Henry, Alfred, ""EM"" and ""WG"". In some contemporary texts, he was called ""G. F. Grace"", using his initials in the same way as for both EM and WG but in fact he was widely known as Fred while they were always known by their initials only. His two oldest brothers were always known by their first names, Henry and Alfred. Although the England v"
"Canterbury headquarters. The couple had two daughters. Alec Pearce Thomas Alexander Pearce (18 December 1910 – 11 August 1982), known as Alec Pearce, was an English cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club and for Hong Kong in Interport matches. He was later President of both clubs. Pearce was born in Hong Kong in 1910, the son of Thomas Ernest Pearce, a businessman in the then British colony. His grandfather, the Reverend TW Pearce, was a missionary in the colony and Pearce's father worked for J. D. Hutchison & Co, a trading company, from 1903 before purchasing a controlling"
"Alec Pearce Thomas Alexander Pearce (18 December 1910 – 11 August 1982), known as Alec Pearce, was an English cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club and for Hong Kong in Interport matches. He was later President of both clubs. Pearce was born in Hong Kong in 1910, the son of Thomas Ernest Pearce, a businessman in the then British colony. His grandfather, the Reverend TW Pearce, was a missionary in the colony and Pearce's father worked for J. D. Hutchison & Co, a trading company, from 1903 before purchasing a controlling share in the company in 1917. TE"
"to England. Cricket is a strong tradition in Alan Butcher's family. His two brothers, Martin and Ian, both played first-class cricket and both of his sons have also gone on to do so. His eldest son, Mark found fame playing for, and also captaining, Surrey and was for some time a mainstay batsman for England, not suffering the one-Test fate of his father. The youngest, Gary, has also played for Surrey and Glamorgan. In 1991, Mark and Alan Butcher played against each other in a Sunday League match at The Oval, on the occasion of Mark's Surrey debut. Mark Butcher"
"England cricketer was born in Fagley and Eric Anderson (1915–1943), a posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross lived in Ashfield Place, Fagley. Eccleshill, West Yorkshire Eccleshill is an area, former village, and ward within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council in the county of West Yorkshire, England. The ward population of Eccleshill is 17,540, increasing at the 2011 Census to 17,945. Eccleshill is a more or less completely residential urban area with very little open space although there is substantial open land directly to the east. The origins of the name Eccleshill are uncertain. At the time of the"
"Alec Johnson Anthony Alexander 'Alec' Johnson (born 30 March 1944) is a former English cricketer. Johnson was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm fast-medium. He was born in Loughborough, Leicestershire. Johnson made his first-class debut for Nottinghamshire against Surrey in the 1963 County Championship. He made 25 further first-class appearances for the county, the last of which came against Kent in the 1966 County Championship. An infrequent player for Nottinghamshire, he took 49 wickets at an average of 32.28, with best figures of 4/13. With the bat, he scored 273 runs at a batting average of 8.80, with a high"
"of 5 for 28 against Middlesex. He also played as the professional for Accrington Cricket Club in the Lancashire League. William Abel William John Abel (29 August 1887 – 23 March 1934) was a first-class cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club between 1909 and 1926. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm bowler, either medium-fast or leg-breaks and googlies. He was born in South Bermondsey and died in Stockwell, London. His brother Tom Abel and father, the Surrey batsman Bobby Abel, were also first-class cricketers. Abel won his Surrey cap in 1910 against and scored his only"
"School in Croydon, and supports the local football team, Crystal Palace. Mark Butcher partnered Sarah Brightman on the second series of ""Just the Two of Us"" aired on BBC One in January 2007; they came third overall. At one time during his playing career, Butcher was married to former England and Surrey teammate Alec Stewart's sister Judy. Surrey's former coach and player, Alan Butcher, is his father, and his brother, Gary, played for Glamorgan and Surrey. Mark Butcher Mark Alan Butcher (born 23 August 1972) is a retired English Test cricketer, who played county cricket for Surrey from 1992 until"
"Australia, the last coming against Victoria in February 1915. In his 4 appearances, he scored 93 runs at a batting average of 13.28, with a high score of 23. With the ball, he took 13 wickets at a bowling average of 35.92, with best figures of 3/56. He died in Torquay, England on 14 August 1961. Alec James (cricketer) Alec Pearce James (22 May 1889 – 14 August 1961) was a Welsh cricketer. James' batting style is unknown, but it is known he bowled right-arm fast-medium. He was born in Neath, Glamorgan. James made his debut for Carmarthenshire in the"
"Eric Russell (cricketer) Eric Russell (born William Eric Russell, 3 July 1936, Dumbarton, Scotland) is an English former cricketer. He was an opening batsman who played for Middlesex from 1956 to 1972, and in Tests for England between 1961 and 1967. The cricket correspondent, Colin Bateman, commented, ""a smooth, assured opening batsman, Eric Russell suffered from never getting a settled sequence in the England team. His 10 Tests were spread over seven series and five countries, and two half-centuries in 18 innings did not do his ability justice."" He was a stylish right-hander, whose international appearances were limited by injury,"
"of 167 for Cambridge University against Sussex in 1912. He took 186 wickets at an average of 24.62, with best innings bowling of 8/49 also for Cambridge University against Sussex, this time in 1911. His highest first-class score for Middlesex was 150 not out and his best bowling for them was 4/39. Eric Leslie Kidd Eric Leslie Kidd (18 October 1889 – 2 July 1984) was an English-born Irish cricketer. A right-handed batsman and leg spin bowler, he played 147 first-class cricket matches, mostly for Middlesex, and played for the Ireland cricket team on six occasions. Born on 18 October"
"death, that distinction passed to Reg Simpson. Test debut: vs India, Lord's, Middlesex, 1946<br> Last Test: vs South Africa, Old Trafford, Manchester, 1955 In the 1980s UK TV sitcom ""Chance in a Million"", the main character Tom Chance (played by Simon Callow) has a fascination with Bedser and one of his prized possessions is a cricket bat autographed by him. In the episode ""Honour Thy Father And Thy Mother"" (17 September 1984), the bat is mauled by a dog off-screen, much to Chance's annoyance. Alec Bedser Sir Alec Victor Bedser (4 July 1918 – 4 April 2010) was a professional"
"Adams, until a long term successor is found. In October 2013 the club announced that Graham Ford would become head coach in February 2014, with Stewart becoming Director of Cricket, a new position. Alec Stewart Alec James Stewart OBE (born 8 April 1963) is a former English cricketer, and former captain of the England cricket team, who played Tests and ODIs as a right-handed wicketkeeper-batsman. He is the third most capped English cricketer of all time in Test matches and 3rd most capped in One Day Internationals (ODIs), having played in 133 Tests and 170 ODIs. The younger son of"
"northern suburbs of Perth. After finishing school he won a scholarship to the Australian Cricket Academy, where his contemporaries included Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie. Hussey has the nickname ""Mr Cricket"", due to his encyclopaedic knowledge of his sport. He has repeatedly stated that he dislikes the nickname finding it ""a bit embarrassing"". England rival Andrew Flintoff and Graeme Swann's brother Alec were reportedly responsible for coining it. The sobriquet appeared on the back of his shirt in the Twenty20 international against South Africa in 2006, in which all the players displayed their nicknames. During the 2007 Twenty20 against England,"
"at Ipswich School. He was a member of the Derrick Robins XI that toured South Africa in 1973. Ray East Raymond Eric East (born 20 June 1947, in Manningtree) is an English former cricketer who played for Essex County Cricket Club. One of the most popular characters to play county cricket in recent times, East is remembered as much for his on field wit as his fine slow left arm spin bowling. For many years he formed an effective 'spin twin' partnership with David Acfield and helped his Essex teammates break their historic trophy drought to challenge at the top"
"Everton Weekes Sir Everton DeCourcy Weekes, KCMG, GCM, OBE (born 26 February 1925) is a leading former West Indian cricketer. Along with Frank Worrell and Clyde Walcott, he formed what was known as ""The Three Ws"" of West Indian cricket. Born in a wooden shack on Pickwick Gap in Westbury, Saint Michael, Barbados, near Kensington Oval, Weekes was named by his father after English football team Everton (when Weekes told English cricketer Jim Laker this, Laker reportedly replied ""It was a good thing your father wasn't a West Bromwich Albion fan."") Weekes is unaware of the source of DeCourcy, his"
"Alec Debnam Alexander Frederick Henry Debnam (12 October 1921 – 26 January 2003), known as Alec Debnam, was an English cricketer and member of the Royal Air Force. Debnam was a right-handed batsman who bowled leg-breaks and googlies. After playing Second XI cricket in 1946 and 1947, Debnam made his first-class cricket debut for Kent County Cricket Club against Sussex in the 1948 County Championship at Tunbridge Wells. He played a total of 11 times for the Kent First XI during 1948 and 1949, taking the wickets of five of Gloucestershire's top six batsmen in 1949 in 1949, his only"
"Neville Fraser. The match ended in a draw. He died at Nakuru in Kenya on 3 February 1948. His brother Ralph Crake was also a first-class cricketer. Eric Crake Eric Hamilton Crake (25 January 1886 – 3 February 1948) was an English cricketer. He was born at Madras in the British Raj, to Emily Noble Chase and the merchant and footballer William Crake. Educated at Harrow School, where he captained the school's cricket team in 1905 and 1906, Crake was a batsman of unknown handedness. He made one appearance in first-class cricket for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) against Oxford"
"Eric Penn Eric Frank Penn (17 April 1878 – 18 October 1915) was an English soldier and a cricketer who played first-class cricket for Cambridge University and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) between 1898 and 1903. He was born at Westminster, London and died in the fighting of the First World War near Loos, France. Eric Penn was the eldest son of William Penn, a cricketer and a businessman who ran the family engineering company of John Penn and Sons founded by his own father, John Penn, which was based in Greenwich, London. Eric Penn was educated at Eton College"
"Surrey. As a cricketer he was mainly associated with Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). As an English amateur cricketer he made 29 known appearances in first-class cricket matches from 1804 to 1826. In 1815, Ladbroke scored one of the earliest known first-class centuries at the new Lord's Cricket Ground in the Middlesex v Epsom match on 24 & 25 August when he and Frederick Woodbridge made 116 and 107 respectively for Epsom. Felix Ladbroke Felix Calvert Ladbroke (1771 - 14 March 1840) was an English banker and amateur cricketer. He was born in Idlicote, near Shipton-on-Stour, Warwickshire, the second son of"
"Alec James (cricketer) Alec Pearce James (22 May 1889 – 14 August 1961) was a Welsh cricketer. James' batting style is unknown, but it is known he bowled right-arm fast-medium. He was born in Neath, Glamorgan. James made his debut for Carmarthenshire in the 1910 Minor Counties Championship against Monmouthshire. James played 5 further Minor Counties Championship for Carmarthenshire in 1910, the last coming against Cornwall. Moving to Australia, where he taught at St Peter's College, Adelaide, James made his first-class debut for South Australia in December 1914, against New South Wales. He made 3 further first-class appearances for South"