Lewis Pickles
Encyclopedia
Lewis Pickles, born at Wakefield
, Yorkshire
on 17 September 1932, was a cricket
er who played as an opening batsman for Somerset
for just over three seasons in the mid 1950s.
Somerset's recruitment policy for new players after falling to the bottom of the County Championship
from 1952 to 1955 ranged far and wide, and Lewis Pickles was one of the recruits. A fair-haired right-handed opening batsman from Wakefield, who had made appearances for Yorkshire
's Second Eleven, he played a couple of games in 1955 and then became the regular opener for the 1956 season. He did well enough to win his county cap, scoring 1,136 runs at an average of 24. He made a top score of 87 against the bowling of Brian Statham
, Roy Tattersall
and Malcolm Hilton
against Lancashire
at Old Trafford
. Wisden noted that Pickles and fellow Yorkshireman Malcolm Walker
looked at one stage capable of forming a regular opening partnership, but Walker lost form.
The 1957 season proved more difficult for Pickles, with more competition for batting places after the arrival of Bill Alley
to join the side. Alley often opened, and Pickles' uncertain form saw him play in less than half the first-class matches.
In 1958, he played just four times and his last first-class match was also the last match played by Walker. Pickles left the county's staff at the end of the season, returning to Yorkshire where he played League cricket for Pudsey St Lawrence (Leonard Hutton's old club) and from 1970 until 1985 for Lightcliffe Cricket Club in the Bradford League, where his off-spin was a useful adjunct to his status as an opening batsman.
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
, 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...
on 17 September 1932, was a 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 as an opening batsman for 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...
for just over three seasons in the mid 1950s.
Somerset's recruitment policy for new players after falling to the bottom of the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
from 1952 to 1955 ranged far and wide, and Lewis Pickles was one of the recruits. A fair-haired right-handed opening batsman from Wakefield, who had made appearances for Yorkshire
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....
's Second Eleven, he played a couple of games in 1955 and then became the regular opener for the 1956 season. He did well enough to win his county cap, scoring 1,136 runs at an average of 24. He made a top score of 87 against the bowling of Brian Statham
Brian Statham
John Brian "George" Statham, CBE was one of the leading English fast bowlers in 20th-century English cricket. Initially a bowler of a brisk fast-medium pace, Statham was able to remodel his action to generate enough speed to become genuinely fast...
, Roy Tattersall
Roy Tattersall
Roy Tattersall is an English former Lancashire cricketer, who played sixteen Tests for England as a specialist off spin bowler....
and Malcolm Hilton
Malcolm Hilton
Malcolm Jameson Hilton was an English left-arm spin bowler, who played for Lancashire and in four Test matches for England....
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...
at Old Trafford
Old Trafford (cricket)
Old Trafford is a cricket ground situated on Talbot Road in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester. It has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since its foundation in 1864, having been the ground of Manchester Cricket Club from 1857...
. Wisden noted that Pickles and fellow Yorkshireman Malcolm Walker
Malcolm Walker
Malcolm Walker, born at Mexborough, Yorkshire, on 14 October 1933 and died at Retford, Nottinghamshire, on 2 September 1986, was a cricketer who played for Somerset in first-class matches between 1952 and 1958.-Biography:...
looked at one stage capable of forming a regular opening partnership, but Walker lost form.
The 1957 season proved more difficult for Pickles, with more competition for batting places after the arrival of Bill Alley
Bill Alley
William Edward Alley was a cricketer who played 400 first-class matches for New South Wales, Somerset and a Commonwealth XI....
to join the side. Alley often opened, and Pickles' uncertain form saw him play in less than half the first-class matches.
In 1958, he played just four times and his last first-class match was also the last match played by Walker. Pickles left the county's staff at the end of the season, returning to Yorkshire where he played League cricket for Pudsey St Lawrence (Leonard Hutton's old club) and from 1970 until 1985 for Lightcliffe Cricket Club in the Bradford League, where his off-spin was a useful adjunct to his status as an opening batsman.