Les Angell
Encyclopedia
Frederick Leslie Angell, born 29 June 1922, at Norton St Philip
, Somerset
, is a former English first-class
cricket
er who played for Somerset County Cricket Club
.
A right-handed opening batsman, Angell made a lot of runs in club cricket for the Lansdown Cricket Club
in Bath, but his record in first-class cricket was less successful. He played for Somerset in matches at Bath in both 1947 and 1948, and in a few more games in 1949, before joining the county club's staff in 1950. Playing mostly as the opening partner to the ebullient Harold Gimblett
, Angell was a restrained, neat batsman and made 933 runs in his first full season, though his average was only 20 and he passed 50 only three times. There was a very similar record in 1951, with 975 runs, again at an average of 20. In 1952, Angell made his highest score of 90 in the match against Derbyshire
at Derby. But three weeks later he was dropped from the side and, as Somerset hit the bottom of the County Championship
table for what would prove to be the first of four consecutive last-place finishes, he was not re-engaged at the end of the 1952 season.
In 1954, however, with Gimblett retiring suddenly at the start of the season, Angell was recalled to Somerset and proceeded to have his best season in first-class cricket. He scored 1,125 runs at an average of 22.95 and made his highest score (and only first-class century) of 114 in the match against the Pakistanis. Apart from this innings, his highest score for the season was an unbeaten 62. He was less successful again in 1955, and after seven matches in 1956 he left the staff for good.
He continued to be a heavy scorer in club cricket into his late 40s. By profession, he was an engineering draughtsman for a Bath company.
Norton St Philip
Norton St Philip is a village in Somerset, England, located between the City of Bath and the town of Frome. The village is in the district of Mendip, and the parliamentary constituency of Somerton and Frome....
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, is a former English first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played for Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset 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 Somerset...
.
A right-handed opening batsman, Angell made a lot of runs in club cricket for the Lansdown Cricket Club
Lansdown Cricket Club
Lansdown Cricket Club, formed in 1825, is recognised as the earliest official organised cricket club in Somerset. Originally based in Lansdown, since 1869 the club has been based at Combe Park, Bath, adjacent to the Royal United Hospital.-Foundation:...
in Bath, but his record in first-class cricket was less successful. He played for Somerset in matches at Bath in both 1947 and 1948, and in a few more games in 1949, before joining the county club's staff in 1950. Playing mostly as the opening partner to the ebullient Harold Gimblett
Harold Gimblett
Harold Gimblett was a cricketer who played for Somerset and England. He was known for his fast scoring as an opening batsman and for the much-repeated story of his debut...
, Angell was a restrained, neat batsman and made 933 runs in his first full season, though his average was only 20 and he passed 50 only three times. There was a very similar record in 1951, with 975 runs, again at an average of 20. In 1952, Angell made his highest score of 90 in the match against 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...
at Derby. But three weeks later he was dropped from the side and, as Somerset hit the bottom of the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
table for what would prove to be the first of four consecutive last-place finishes, he was not re-engaged at the end of the 1952 season.
In 1954, however, with Gimblett retiring suddenly at the start of the season, Angell was recalled to Somerset and proceeded to have his best season in first-class cricket. He scored 1,125 runs at an average of 22.95 and made his highest score (and only first-class century) of 114 in the match against the Pakistanis. Apart from this innings, his highest score for the season was an unbeaten 62. He was less successful again in 1955, and after seven matches in 1956 he left the staff for good.
He continued to be a heavy scorer in club cricket into his late 40s. By profession, he was an engineering draughtsman for a Bath company.