Frank Lee (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Frank Stanley Lee, born at St. John's Wood on July 24, 1905 and died in Westminster
on March 30, 1982 was an English first-class
cricket
er and an umpire
who officiated in Test matches
.
As a player, Lee was a solid, rather slow-scoring left-handed opening batsman. He played a couple of matches for Middlesex
in 1925, but unable to command a regular place in the side he moved to Somerset
, where he became qualified to play in 1929. He scored 107 in his third match for his new county, and though he struggled for runs in 1930 and did not complete 1,000 runs in a season for the first time until 1933, he was then a regular in the side until he retired after the 1947 season.
His best batting year was 1938, when he scored 2,019 runs at an average of 44.86. He bowled only occasionally, but against Warwickshire
at Taunton
in 1933 he took five wickets for 53 runs. For several seasons right up to his retirement, he acted as reserve wicketkeeper if regular Somerset keeper Wally Luckes
was ill or injured.
Lee's first first-class match as an umpire came while he was still a player: he stood in the Somerset match with Cambridge University
at Bath in 1947, and then played in the other matches of the Bath cricket festival. He then joined the first-class umpires' list for 1948 and a year later stood in the first of 29 Test matches.
His most controversial Test match was the game at Lord's in 1960 between England
and South Africa when he no-balled the South African fast-medium bowler Geoff Griffin 11 times for throwing. He and other umpires had already called Griffin for throwing earlier in the season, but this was the first time a touring team bowler had been called in a Test match. When the Lord's Test ended early, Lee's fellow umpire Syd Buller
called Griffin again in the "friendly" match that was arranged to fill in the time, and the action of both umpires was instrumental in ending Griffin's career and in bringing to a head the problems of throwing and dragging that had affected international cricket for several years.
Lee officiated in Tests until the end of the 1962 season, and retired from umpiring in first-class matches at the end of the 1963 season. His last match of any consequence as an umpire was the first-ever Gillette Cup final.
Lee's brothers also played first-class cricket. Harry Lee
, 15 years older than Frank Lee, was a batsman and spin bowler for Middlesex from 1911 to 1934 and played in one Test match. Jack Lee
, three years older than Frank, played fleetingly for Middlesex and then pioneered the route down to Somerset, where he and Frank often opened the batting together.
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
on March 30, 1982 was an 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 and 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...
who officiated in Test matches
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...
.
As a player, Lee was a solid, rather slow-scoring left-handed opening batsman. He played a couple of matches for Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex 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 Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
in 1925, but unable to command a regular place in the side he moved to 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...
, where he became qualified to play in 1929. He scored 107 in his third match for his new county, and though he struggled for runs in 1930 and did not complete 1,000 runs in a season for the first time until 1933, he was then a regular in the side until he retired after the 1947 season.
His best batting year was 1938, when he scored 2,019 runs at an average of 44.86. He bowled only occasionally, but 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...
at Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
in 1933 he took five wickets for 53 runs. For several seasons right up to his retirement, he acted as reserve wicketkeeper if regular Somerset keeper Wally Luckes
Wally Luckes
Walter Thomas "Wally" Luckes, born in Lambeth, London on 1 January 1901 and died at Bridgwater, Somerset on 27 October 1982, was a cricketer who played for Somerset....
was ill or injured.
Lee's first first-class match as an umpire came while he was still a player: he stood in the Somerset match with Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
at Bath in 1947, and then played in the other matches of the Bath cricket festival. He then joined the first-class umpires' list for 1948 and a year later stood in the first of 29 Test matches.
His most controversial Test match was the game at Lord's in 1960 between 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...
and South Africa when he no-balled the South African fast-medium bowler Geoff Griffin 11 times for throwing. He and other umpires had already called Griffin for throwing earlier in the season, but this was the first time a touring team bowler had been called in a Test match. When the Lord's Test ended early, Lee's fellow umpire Syd Buller
Syd Buller
John Sydney Buller, MBE was an English first-class cricketer, and notable international cricket umpire....
called Griffin again in the "friendly" match that was arranged to fill in the time, and the action of both umpires was instrumental in ending Griffin's career and in bringing to a head the problems of throwing and dragging that had affected international cricket for several years.
Lee officiated in Tests until the end of the 1962 season, and retired from umpiring in first-class matches at the end of the 1963 season. His last match of any consequence as an umpire was the first-ever Gillette Cup final.
Lee's brothers also played first-class cricket. Harry Lee
Harry Lee (cricketer)
Henry William "Harry" Lee was a professional English cricketer who played first-class cricket for the Marylebone Cricket Club and Middlesex County Cricket Club between 1911 and 1934. He made one Test appearance for England, in 1931...
, 15 years older than Frank Lee, was a batsman and spin bowler for Middlesex from 1911 to 1934 and played in one Test match. Jack Lee
Jack Lee (cricketer)
John William Lee , generally known as Jack Lee, was an English cricketer who played for Somerset from 1925 to 1936, having played one match for Middlesex in 1923. He was an all-rounder, scoring six centuries and taking ten wickets in a match on two occasions by the end of his career...
, three years older than Frank, played fleetingly for Middlesex and then pioneered the route down to Somerset, where he and Frank often opened the batting together.