George Beslee

George Beslee
Personal information
Full name George Prior Beslee
Born (1904-03-27)27 March 1904
Cliffe, Kent
Died 3 November 1975(1975-11-03) (aged 71)
Tonbridge, Kent
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium
Role Bowler
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1925–1930 Kent
Career statistics
Competition FC
Matches 63
Runs scored 439
Batting average 7.19
100s/50s 0/0
Top score 24
Balls bowled 9217
Wickets 133
Bowling average 31.57
5 wickets in innings 0
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 4/27
Catches/stumpings 30/-
Source: Cricket Archive, 29 April 2014

George Prior Beslee (27 March 1904 – 3 November 1975) was an English cricketer for Kent County Cricket Club between 1925 and 1930. A right-arm fast-medium bowler, Beslee joined the First XI after a season in Kent's Second XI team playing Second XI and minor county cricket in 1924. Beslee took 133 wickets in his career at a bowling average of 31.57. He never took a five wicket haul, with a best of 4/27. Weak with the bat, he scored only 439 runs at a batting average of 7.19 and a best of 24.

Playing career

Early life

Beslee was born in March 1904 in Cliffe, a village on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent, England.

Second XI

Beslee joined Kent's Second XI and played his first match against the Seconds of Sussex on 18 July 1924. He took 1/23 and 3/64 in the match, which was drawn.[1] The fixture was repeatedly on 13 August when Kent fell to a heavy innings defeat, but Beslee showed promise when he secured a five-wicket haul of 5/32 in the first innings.[2] He played in the Minor Counties Championship through August, taking 5/105 against Wiltshire on 15 August.[3]

Kent

Following on from success in the second team in 1924, Beslee was called up to the First XI for the 1925 County Championship. He made his first class debut on 17 June 1925 against Middlesex.[4] His debut was overshadowed by a score of 240 by Middlesex's Patsy Hendren, however Beslee was able to take 4/80 as his team fell to an innings defeat.[5] Beslee played three more County Championship matches that season, but could only manage to take two more wickets.[6] In between these games he continued to play for the second team.

In 1926 he again appeared only sporadically for the First XI, and took only 11 wickets in the season.[6] This included 1/46 against a touring Australia team, where he took the wicket of Tommy Andrews.[7] 1927 saw a far more productive season, with Beslee taking 32 wickets at 29.65. This included a season-best 4/55 which including the top four wickets of the Sussex batting order on 22 June, with the victims including Maurice Tate, whom he also dismissed in the second innings of the match. It was up until then his career-best performance with the ball.[8]

In 1928 he took 21 wickets,[6] and also made his best score with the bat – a knock of 24 against Gloucestershire on 6 June.[9] With the ball his season best was 4/122, which came against Surrey on 14 July.[6][10] The 1929 season was, by some margin, Beslee's most successful in county cricket. He took 51 wickets, including his career-best 4/27, at an average of 26.35 which was also his best for a season.[6] He first took 4/55 against Somerset on 22 May, equalling his previous best from 1927,[11] and 4/88 against Warwickshire on 29 May.[12] He then took the career-best 4/26 against Warwickshire on 8 June,[13] followed on 13 July with 4/80 against Surrey, where he also passed 100 first class wickets.[14] He could not recapture this success in the following season, however, with only 12 wickets at 49.00.[6] His final first class match was on 26 June 1930 against Surrey, where he took 1/53.[15]

Later life

Beslee died in Tonbridge in Kent in 1975 and the age of 71.[16]

References

Notes
  1. ↑ "Sussex Second XI v Kent Second XI Other matches in England 1924". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  2. ↑ "Kent Second XI v Sussex Second XI Other matches in England 1924". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  3. ↑ "Wiltshire v Kent Second XI Minor Counties Championship 1924". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  4. ↑ "First-Class Matches Played". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  5. ↑ "Kent v Middlesex County Championship 1925". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Bowling By Season". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  7. ↑ "Kent v Australians Australia in British Isles 1926". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  8. ↑ "Sussex v Kent County Championship 1927". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  9. ↑ "Kent v Gloucestershire County Championship 1928". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  10. ↑ "Kent v Surrey County Championship 1928". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  11. ↑ "Somerset v Kent County Championship 1929". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  12. ↑ "Warwickshire v Kent County Championship 1929". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  13. ↑ "Kent v Warwickshire County Championship 1929". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  14. ↑ "Kent v Surrey County Championship 1929". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  15. ↑ "Surrey v Kent County Championship 1930". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  16. ↑ "Player Profile: George Beslee". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
Sources
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