Desmond Fell
Encyclopedia
Desmond Robert Fell was a South Africa
n cricketer
who played first-class cricket
in for Natal either side of the Second World War, later becoming an umpire
. He was born in Pietermaritzburg
, and died aged 79 in Durban
.
His most successful season was 1946-47, when he scored 496 first-class runs at 49.60
, including two centuries, the higher of these being the career-best 161 he hit against Rhodesia
. He also passed 400 runs in 1937-38, but after that his highest aggregate was the 219 runs he accumulated in 1947-48.
Fell's only first-class match outside South Africa was the game he played for Dominions
against England
at Lord's
in late August 1945; he made 12 and 28 in what was the first first-class match to be played in England after the war.
After his retirement from playing, Fell umpired 15 first-class matches in the 1950s and 1960s, almost all involving Natal. The two exceptions were the first Test
between South Africa
and New Zealand
at Durban in 1961-62, and a non-Test game between a South African XI and the Australians
at Pietermaritzburg
in 1966-67.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n 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"....
who played first-class cricket
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...
in for Natal either side of the Second World War, later becoming an 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...
. He was born in Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg is the capital and second largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838, and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its "purist" Zulu name is umGungundlovu, and this is the name used for the district municipality...
, and died aged 79 in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
.
His most successful season was 1946-47, when he scored 496 first-class runs at 49.60
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 :...
, including two centuries, the higher of these being the career-best 161 he hit against Rhodesia
Rhodesian cricket team
The Rhodesia cricket team played first-class cricket and represented originally the British colony of Southern Rhodesia and later the unilaterally independent state of Rhodesia which became Zimbabwe...
. He also passed 400 runs in 1937-38, but after that his highest aggregate was the 219 runs he accumulated in 1947-48.
Fell's only first-class match outside South Africa was the game he played for Dominions
Dominions cricket team
A Dominions cricket team, representing the Dominions of the British Empire, played seven cricket matches, all in England during wartime. Only once did the team play at first-class level, when it played against England at Lord's in late August 1945...
against England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
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...
in late August 1945; he made 12 and 28 in what was the first first-class match to be played in England after the war.
After his retirement from playing, Fell umpired 15 first-class matches in the 1950s and 1960s, almost all involving Natal. The two exceptions were the first Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
between South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
and New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
at Durban in 1961-62, and a non-Test game between a South African XI and the Australians
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
at Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg is the capital and second largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838, and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its "purist" Zulu name is umGungundlovu, and this is the name used for the district municipality...
in 1966-67.
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...