George Dews
Encyclopedia
George Dews was an English
cricketer
and footballer
. As a cricketer, he was a right-handed batsman who played for Worcestershire
between 1946 and 1961. He was also an excellent fielder: his 353 catches for the county were a record at the time. As a footballer, he made nearly 300 Football League appearances for Middlesbrough
, Plymouth
and Walsall
, scoring 85 goals.
Born in Ossett
, Yorkshire
, Dews was unable to play for his native county
and so travelled south. He made his Worcestershire debut on 29 May 1946 against Lancashire
, but was out for a king pair, being dismissed in each innings by slow left-armer
Eric Price
. He was also out for a duck in his third innings, against Warwickshire
, and despite a long run in the team in 1948, it was not until 1950 that he really came good.
That year he broke the 1,000-run barrier for the first time, a feat he would repeat in all but one year (1952) for the rest of his first-class career. His 1,170 runs came at 29.25
, and included his maiden century: 101 not out
against Hampshire
. 1950 also saw Dews receive his county cap. The following summer, he was part of an astonishing run-chase against Nottinghamshire
, when Worcestershire successfully chased a target of 131 in forty minutes.
Dews maintained his consistent form into his late thirties: indeed, his most successful year was 1959, when he managed 1,752 runs at 41.71 in all first-class cricket, and was second only to Martin Horton
in the Worcestershire batting averages. He was never picked for England, but did appear for MCC
in 1954, and for North of England
four years later. He was granted a benefit season
in 1960, and his final first-class game in September 1961 was for Worcestershire against Sussex
; he made 26 and 34.
His bowling was of the strictly occasional variety, but he did claim two first-class wickets, both in 1954, including that of Derbyshire
captain Guy Willatt
.
After retirement Dews went into business and played golf to a good standard. He died at the age of 81 in Dudley
, West Midlands
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
and footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
. As a cricketer, he was a right-handed batsman who played for Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
between 1946 and 1961. He was also an excellent fielder: his 353 catches for the county were a record at the time. As a footballer, he made nearly 300 Football League appearances for Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
, Plymouth
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
and Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
, scoring 85 goals.
Born in Ossett
Ossett
Ossett is a market town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on junction 40 of the M1 motorway, half-way between Dewsbury, to the west, and Wakefield, to the east. In the 2001 census, it was classified as part of the West Yorkshire...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, Dews was unable to play for his native county
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
and so travelled south. He made his Worcestershire debut on 29 May 1946 against Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
, but was out for a king pair, being dismissed in each innings by slow left-armer
Left-arm orthodox spin
Left-arm orthodox spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket.Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left arm bowler using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch...
Eric Price
Eric Price
Eric Price is an American comic actor. Price is most notable for his membership in the recurring cast of comedians on sketch comedy series MADtv during its 14th Season.-Early years:...
. He was also out for a duck in his third innings, against Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
, and despite a long run in the team in 1948, it was not until 1950 that he really came good.
That year he broke the 1,000-run barrier for the first time, a feat he would repeat in all but one year (1952) for the rest of his first-class career. His 1,170 runs came at 29.25
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
, and included his maiden century: 101 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
against Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
. 1950 also saw Dews receive his county cap. The following summer, he was part of an astonishing run-chase against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
, when Worcestershire successfully chased a target of 131 in forty minutes.
Dews maintained his consistent form into his late thirties: indeed, his most successful year was 1959, when he managed 1,752 runs at 41.71 in all first-class cricket, and was second only to Martin Horton
Martin Horton
Martin John Horton was an English cricketer, who played in two Tests in 1959. He was born in Worcester, England, and played the bulk of his first-class cricket for his native county....
in the Worcestershire batting averages. He was never picked for England, but did appear for MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
in 1954, and for North of England
North of England cricket team
The North of England appeared in first-class cricket between 1836 and 1961, most often in the showcase North v. South matches against the South of England although there were also games against touring teams, MCC and others....
four years later. He was granted a benefit season
Benefit season
A benefit season is a method of financially rewarding professional cricketers that is used by English county cricket teams to compensate long serving players....
in 1960, and his final first-class game in September 1961 was for Worcestershire against Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
; he made 26 and 34.
His bowling was of the strictly occasional variety, but he did claim two first-class wickets, both in 1954, including that of Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
captain Guy Willatt
Guy Willatt
Guy Longfield Willatt was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Cambridge University from 1938 to 1947, for Nottinghamshire from 1939 to 1948, for Scotland from 1948 to 1950 and for Derbyshire from 1950 to 1956. He was captain of Derbyshire from 1951 to 1954 and also played for...
.
After retirement Dews went into business and played golf to a good standard. He died at the age of 81 in Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
, West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
.
External links
- Statistical summary from CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...