Leslie Todd
Encyclopedia
Leslie John Todd was an English
cricket
er. A left-handed all-rounder
who at various points in his career bowled off breaks
and medium-paced inswinger
s, he played in 437 first-class
matches, the majority for Kent County Cricket Club
. Making his debut for the county in 1927, Todd found opportunities limited until 1933 when he scored more than 1,000 runs in a season for the first time. He took over 80 wickets in five successive seasons, completing the double
in 1937.
The Second World War
saw Todd serve in the Royal Air Force
, while also playing in charity matches for various sides. Following the war, he moved to the top of the batting order
with great success, scoring over 2,000 runs in 1947, before he was forced to retire with eye problems in 1950. He briefly became a highly-regarded umpire
, before later moving into business. He died in Buckland, Kent
in 1967.
, Todd was living in Camberwell
when Kent offered him a trial in 1923. Seen as "a promising bowler", he made his second eleven debut for Kent in the Minor Counties Championship, taking three wicket
s in Bedfordshire
's first innings. He continued to make appearances for Kent's second eleven in the Minor Counties Championship through to 1927, when he was promoted to the first team for his debut against Derbyshire
. Batting at eight, he scored nought and four, but had shown enough promise to play four more County Championship
matches that season. He scored his maiden half-century against Somerset
in 1928, and almost completed a thousand runs in the 1929 season despite batting in the lower middle order.
Initially, Todd was asked to bowl left-arm orthodox spin
by Kent, making him a near-replica of Frank Woolley
. However, he only achieved moderate success with spin bowling, and it was when he switched to his natural medium pace bowling that he began to become a solid all-rounder
.
Unfortunately for Todd, whenever Kent's pool of talented amateur players became available he would often be one of the first names to make way, and this would remain the case until 1933.
of 34.86, completing centuries against Northamptonshire
, Gloucestershire
and Surrey
. He followed his breakthrough season with 1,897 runs the following year; the only season in which he averaged more than fifty with the bat, while he also served noticed of his bowling talents with a return of 4 for 10 against Lancashire
.
Todd became a more regular bowler starting with the 1935 season, often sharing the new ball with either Alan Watt or Norman Harding
. Having reverted to his more natural medium-paced bowling style, which offered pronounced in-swing
, Todd took over 80 wickets in each of the next five seasons. 1936 saw Todd perform the double
; scoring 1,320 runs and taking 103 wickets, while his 1,323 runs and 91 wickets in 1937 saw him invited to play in the end-of-season Test trial match.
, Todd served in the Royal Air Force
, rising to the rank of corporal by 1941 and sergeant by the end of the war. Based in the United Kingdom throughout the war, he played in many charity matches played during the war, notably for the Royal Air Force
, London Counties
and the British Empire XI. He also made four appearances for England representative sides at Lord's
, and played as Rawtenstall
's professional in the Lancashire League; finishing second in the league batting averages in 1945. His performances during the war, for the Royal Air Force amongst others, led to speculation that he might earn a call-up to the England team immediately following the war.
The first season after the war saw Todd make a return to the top of the order with success, finishing at the top of Kent's batting averages in that first season. The following season was designated as Todd's benefit season
, with twelve collections taken at Kent's home matches raising £1,347. The season itself proved even more successful for Todd, with 2,312 runs coming from his bat and forming an effective opening partnership with Arthur Fagg
. His run-scoring began to decline over the following two seasons, and he retired midway through the 1950 season due to eye problems (he had been struck by a delivery from Harold Larwood
in 1930).
, officiating in 23 matches in the 1951 season and becoming highly rated. He stood down from the umpires list at the end of the 1951 season to go into business, however he came back to umpire five matches in 1964 and a further two in 1966. He died, having been in ill health for some time, in Buckland
on 20 August 1967.
once described Todd as being "the most perverse, most infuriating cricketer of his generation", while R. C. Robertson-Glasgow
admitted his temperament was "a little susceptible".
Described as "cast by nature for the leading part", Todd was unlucky to play in the same team as the Kent greats Les Ames
, Frank Woolley
and Tich Freeman
, and as such often felt that "his own act didn't matter very much". As such, he would often be incapable of a shot when quick runs were required, while when playing for a draw he would often play extravagant shots and get himself out. Wellings once told of a wartime match, in which he, Todd and Percy Chapman
were fielding in the slips
. When Todd chased a ball to the boundary, Chapman would follow him halfway, later admitting "I know he can easily throw the distance, but he won't if nobody backs him up".
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...
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. A left-handed all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
who at various points in his career bowled off breaks
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...
and medium-paced inswinger
Inswinger
An inswinger is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is bowled by swing bowlers.-Grip:An inswinger is bowled by holding the cricket ball with the seam vertical and the first two fingers slightly across the seam so that it is angled a little to the leg side...
s, he played in 437 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...
matches, the majority for Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
. Making his debut for the county in 1927, Todd found opportunities limited until 1933 when he scored more than 1,000 runs in a season for the first time. He took over 80 wickets in five successive seasons, completing the double
Double (cricket)
A cricketer is said to achieve the double if he scores a thousand or more runs and also takes a hundred or more wickets in first-class matches during the course of a single season. The feat is extremely rare outside England because of the smaller number of first-class matches played in most other...
in 1937.
The Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
saw Todd serve in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, while also playing in charity matches for various sides. Following the war, he moved to the top of the batting order
Batting order (cricket)
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time...
with great success, scoring over 2,000 runs in 1947, before he was forced to retire with eye problems in 1950. He briefly became a highly-regarded umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
, before later moving into business. He died in Buckland, Kent
Buckland, Kent
Buckland is a village near Dover, England. It is noted for its Saxon cemetery whose finds now belong to the British Museum but are on display at Dover Museum.English railway contractor, Edward Betts, was born in Buckland....
in 1967.
Early career
Born in CatfordCatford
Catford is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Architecture:...
, Todd was living in Camberwell
Camberwell
Camberwell is a district of south London, England, and forms part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is a built-up inner city district located southeast of Charing Cross. To the west it has a boundary with the London Borough of Lambeth.-Toponymy:...
when Kent offered him a trial in 1923. Seen as "a promising bowler", he made his second eleven debut for Kent in the Minor Counties Championship, taking three wicket
Wicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
s in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire County Cricket Club
Bedfordshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Bedfordshire and competing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy. The Minor Counties play three-day...
's first innings. He continued to make appearances for Kent's second eleven in the Minor Counties Championship through to 1927, when he was promoted to the first team for his debut 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...
. Batting at eight, he scored nought and four, but had shown enough promise to play four more County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
matches that season. He scored his maiden half-century against Somerset
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...
in 1928, and almost completed a thousand runs in the 1929 season despite batting in the lower middle order.
Initially, Todd was asked to bowl left-arm orthodox spin
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...
by Kent, making him a near-replica of Frank Woolley
Frank Woolley
Frank Edward Woolley was an English cricketer, one of the finest all-rounders the game has seen. In a career lasting more than thirty years, he scored more first-class runs than anyone but Sir Jack Hobbs, and took over 2,000 wickets at an average of under 20...
. However, he only achieved moderate success with spin bowling, and it was when he switched to his natural medium pace bowling that he began to become a solid all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
.
Unfortunately for Todd, whenever Kent's pool of talented amateur players became available he would often be one of the first names to make way, and this would remain the case until 1933.
Kent regular
The 1933 season proved to be Todd's breakthrough year. Established in the Kent middle order, he scored 1,743 runs at a batting averageBatting 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 :...
of 34.86, completing centuries against Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire 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 Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
and Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
. He followed his breakthrough season with 1,897 runs the following year; the only season in which he averaged more than fifty with the bat, while he also served noticed of his bowling talents with a return of 4 for 10 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...
.
Todd became a more regular bowler starting with the 1935 season, often sharing the new ball with either Alan Watt or Norman Harding
Norman Harding
Norman Harding published the book, Staying Red: Why I Remain a Socialist, in 2005, which detailed his political activities from 1954 to 1985. Now retired, he was a trade unionist, tenants’ leader, and worked for the Workers Revolutionary Party whilst living in London.-Early years:Born on...
. Having reverted to his more natural medium-paced bowling style, which offered pronounced in-swing
Inswinger
An inswinger is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is bowled by swing bowlers.-Grip:An inswinger is bowled by holding the cricket ball with the seam vertical and the first two fingers slightly across the seam so that it is angled a little to the leg side...
, Todd took over 80 wickets in each of the next five seasons. 1936 saw Todd perform the double
Double (cricket)
A cricketer is said to achieve the double if he scores a thousand or more runs and also takes a hundred or more wickets in first-class matches during the course of a single season. The feat is extremely rare outside England because of the smaller number of first-class matches played in most other...
; scoring 1,320 runs and taking 103 wickets, while his 1,323 runs and 91 wickets in 1937 saw him invited to play in the end-of-season Test trial match.
War and post-war career
During the war yearsWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Todd served in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, rising to the rank of corporal by 1941 and sergeant by the end of the war. Based in the United Kingdom throughout the war, he played in many charity matches played during the war, notably for the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force cricket team
The Royal Air Force cricket team is a cricket side representing the British Royal Air Force. The team played 11 first-class matches: nine between 1922 and 1932, mostly against other branches of the Services, and another two in 1945 and 1946. Their home ground is the Royal Air Force Sports Ground,...
, London Counties
London Counties cricket team
London Counties was a representative cricket side that was formed during the Second World War by Charles Jones.Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, the government issued an order "closing all places of entertainment and outdoor sports meetings". However, this was soon rescinded and there was...
and the British Empire XI. He also made four appearances for England representative sides at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
, and played as Rawtenstall
Rawtenstall Cricket Club
Rawtenstall Cricket Club is a cricket club in the Lancashire League, which plays its home games at the Worswick Memorial Ground in Rawtenstall. For the 2011 season its captain is Vinny Hanson, and its professional is Sri Lankan Malinga Bandara. The club has won the league on seven occasions and won...
's professional in the Lancashire League; finishing second in the league batting averages in 1945. His performances during the war, for the Royal Air Force amongst others, led to speculation that he might earn a call-up to the England team immediately following the war.
The first season after the war saw Todd make a return to the top of the order with success, finishing at the top of Kent's batting averages in that first season. The following season was designated as Todd's 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....
, with twelve collections taken at Kent's home matches raising £1,347. The season itself proved even more successful for Todd, with 2,312 runs coming from his bat and forming an effective opening partnership with Arthur Fagg
Arthur Fagg
Arthur Edward Fagg was an English cricketer, who played for Kent and England....
. His run-scoring began to decline over the following two seasons, and he retired midway through the 1950 season due to eye problems (he had been struck by a delivery from Harold Larwood
Harold Larwood
Harold Larwood was an English cricket player, an extremely accurate fast bowler best known for his key role as the implementer of fast leg theory in the infamous "bodyline" Ashes Test series of 1932–33....
in 1930).
Post-playing career
Following the end of his playing career, Todd became a first-class umpireUmpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
, officiating in 23 matches in the 1951 season and becoming highly rated. He stood down from the umpires list at the end of the 1951 season to go into business, however he came back to umpire five matches in 1964 and a further two in 1966. He died, having been in ill health for some time, in Buckland
Buckland, Kent
Buckland is a village near Dover, England. It is noted for its Saxon cemetery whose finds now belong to the British Museum but are on display at Dover Museum.English railway contractor, Edward Betts, was born in Buckland....
on 20 August 1967.
Personality
Todd was regarded by many as being "a nightmare to handle", with his teammates often regarding him with "a mixture of affection and exasperation". The writer Evelyn WellingsEvelyn Wellings
Evelyn Maitland "Lyn" Wellings was an Egyptian-born English cricketer and journalist, who played for Oxford University and Surrey....
once described Todd as being "the most perverse, most infuriating cricketer of his generation", while R. C. Robertson-Glasgow
R. C. Robertson-Glasgow
Raymond Charles 'Crusoe' Robertson-Glasgow was a British cricketer and cricket writer....
admitted his temperament was "a little susceptible".
Described as "cast by nature for the leading part", Todd was unlucky to play in the same team as the Kent greats Les Ames
Les Ames
Leslie Ethelbert George Ames, CBE was an outstanding wicket-keeper and batsman for the England cricket team and Kent County Cricket Club. In his obituary, the Wisden of 1991 described him as the greatest wicket-keeper-batsman of all time...
, Frank Woolley
Frank Woolley
Frank Edward Woolley was an English cricketer, one of the finest all-rounders the game has seen. In a career lasting more than thirty years, he scored more first-class runs than anyone but Sir Jack Hobbs, and took over 2,000 wickets at an average of under 20...
and Tich Freeman
Tich Freeman
Alfred Percy "Tich" Freeman was an English cricketer. A leg spin bowler for Kent and England, he is the only man to take 300 wickets in an English season, and is the second most prolific wicket taker in first class cricket history.-Career:Freeman's common name comes from his extremely short...
, and as such often felt that "his own act didn't matter very much". As such, he would often be incapable of a shot when quick runs were required, while when playing for a draw he would often play extravagant shots and get himself out. Wellings once told of a wartime match, in which he, Todd and Percy Chapman
Percy Chapman
Arthur Percy Frank Chapman was an English cricketer who captained England to a then English-record-equalling seven consecutive Test match wins, a record that was not surpassed until Michael Vaughan's team won eight in a row in 2004...
were fielding in the slips
Slip (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a slip fielder is placed behind the batsman on the off side of the field. They are placed with the aim of catching an edged ball which is beyond the wicket-keeper's reach. Many teams employ two or three slips...
. When Todd chased a ball to the boundary, Chapman would follow him halfway, later admitting "I know he can easily throw the distance, but he won't if nobody backs him up".