Harry Lee (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Henry William "Harry" Lee (26 October 1890 – 21 April 1981) was a professional English cricket
er who played first-class cricket
for the Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC) and Middlesex County Cricket Club
between 1911 and 1934. He made one Test
appearance for England, in 1931. An all-rounder
, Lee was a right-handed batsman and bowled both off break
and slow-medium pace bowling with his right-arm. He scored 1,000 runs in a season on thirteen occasions. Part of the County Championship
winning sides in 1920 and 1921, Lee aggregated 20,158 runs and 401 wickets in first-class cricket.
The son of a greengrocer
, Lee worked hard to earn himself a place in the Middlesex side in the years before the First World War, eventually getting his chance when other players had joined the war effort. Although shot in the leg, declared dead and taken prisoner of war
, Lee survived and returned to play for Middlesex in 1919. He secured his place in the team with three strong all-round
seasons. He was twice part of a top four
when each batsman scored a century
in the same innings; he shares this achievement with Jack Hearne. Less prolific through the mid-1920s, he scored runs heavily once again towards the end of the decade. He made his only Test
appearance in 1931, drafted into the England team after injuries and illness depleted the squad. He continued playing county cricket until 1934, when he was released by Middlesex aged 44, to allow the county to develop younger players. He umpired first-class cricket from his retirement until the Second World War, standing in 153 matches.
Lee's career was overshadowed by more attractive, faster-scoring batsmen in the team, such as Hearne and Patsy Hendren
. Both his younger brothers also played first-class cricket; both Jack
and Frank
moved to Somerset
after failing to break into the Middlesex team. All three brothers scored centuries during the 1931 season, the first instance of three professional brothers doing so in first-class cricket. Two years later, all three were involved in a dismissal: Harry was caught by Frank off the bowling of Jack in a county match. At the time of his death in 1981, Lee was the second-oldest living Test cricketer.
, London
on 26 October 1890, the eldest of three boys, all of whom progressed to play first-class cricket
. His father was a greengrocer
and a coal merchant who followed cricket closely in the London evening papers. During his youth, he developed his cricket by playing against lamp-posts
, and reflected in his autobiography that: "If a bowler can clean bowl a man nine times out of ten against a lamp-post, he will not miss a full-sized wicket when he gets the chance." His cricketing talent was encouraged at school; he first attended Barrett Street School and then St. Thomas's School in Portman Square
. Both schools had headmasters who were sports enthusiasts, and at St. Thomas's, the headmaster, Mr. Despicht, offered a penny
to any schoolboy who could bowl him out
, a feat Lee achieved regularly. Mr. Despicht also taught Lee to concentrate on bowling a good length
, and Lee played primarily as a bowler during his school years. During his final year at St. Thomas's, the school reached the final of the local Church School's League Shield, and Lee earned victory for his school with six wickets. When Lee left school, he worked with his father as a greengrocer, a job he liked, but not enough to stop him writing a letter to the Marylebone Cricket Club
, asking for a job on the ground staff at Lord's Cricket Ground
.
Along with approximately 25 other boys, Lee was invited for a trial at Lord's early in 1906, and bowled under the observation of Alfred Atfield
and the head groundsman, Tom Hearne
. Lee described his first over
as "six of the worst balls
that anyone can ever have pitched", but as his nerves calmed, he improved, and was eventually selected as one of the five ground staff boys by Hearne. As a ground boy, Lee had numerous tasks; sweeping, dusting and cleaning the seats, preparing nets, marking the pitch, weeding and similar. On a match day, jobs included selling scorecards, operating the score-board or fielding in the practice nets. All of this left little time for the boys to practise their own game. No formal coaching was in place, but Lee was guided by a few different players; England internationals Teddy Wynyard
and Albert Trott
amongst them. In the 1909 and 1910 seasons, Lee started to gain some attention from Middlesex County Cricket Club
: he scored 39 runs in a match for the Middlesex Colts in 1909, and 60 runs against Reading Cricket Club in 1910. He was making more appearances for the Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC), collecting runs and wickets regularly, but not prolifically. In 1911, when a number of the Middlesex side were missing due to trial matches for England selection, Lee was invited to travel with the team for the two County Championship
matches in the south-west; against Somerset
and Gloucestershire
. Placed at number eleven in Middlesex's batting order
, Lee batted once in a rain affected match against Somerset, remaining four not out
, and was not required to bowl. Lee did bowl against Gloucestershire, remaining wicketless from nine overs in the match.
Lee was given greater opportunities the subsequent season, appearing seven times for Middlesex in the Championship. The first of these appearances, against Warwickshire
at Edgbaston
, brought Lee his first wicket in first-class cricket, having Charles Baker caught off his bowling. He claimed five wickets in total in the match, and another three against Nottinghamshire
a month later, to total eight wickets for the season. Despite his low total, Lee topped Middlesex's bowling average
s for the season, his wickets coming at 9.50 runs apiece. Lee joined the MCC bowling staff in 1913 at the invitation of A. J. Webbe, but he was used sparingly in first-class cricket that season, playing just three times, all for Middlesex. In the first of these matches, Lee scored 35 not out at the end of Middlesex's innings, helping his side to avoid the follow-on
. His "plucky knock" was praised by captain Pelham Warner, who promoted him to bat at number five in the fourth innings, by which stage the game was heading for a draw. During 1913, although certainly not a regular in the Middlesex team, Lee asked his captain for his county cap
, a request which Warner responded to with surprise that he had not already received it, and promptly asked for one to be sent down.
In the 1914 season, Lee almost doubled his total of first-class appearances. Two early season appearances against Oxford
and Cambridge
universities brought a few runs, and a match for the MCC against Hampshire
saw Lee bat at number six in both innings. He played just twice in the County Championship prior to August, both times against Warwickshire. The start of the First World War in early August initially resulted in the cancellation of Middlesex's tour of the northern counties, Yorkshire
and Lancashire, but this decision was later reversed, and Middlesex took a heavily weakened side on the tour. Due to regular opening batsman William Robertson
being unavailable, Lee was promoted to open the batting alongside Frank Tarrant
. He scored 30 and 16 against Yorkshire, followed by 1 and 44 not out against Lancashire. Lee and Tarrant continued to open for Middlesex for the remainder of the season, and against Nottinghamshire, Lee scored his first century
in first-class cricket. Having been dismissed for 17 in the first innings, Lee scored 139 runs in the second, and shared a partnership of 183 runs with Patsy Hendren
, who also reached his century.
marching through London, Lee changed his mind and enlisted with the London Regiment
in Kensington on 1 September 1914.
He was posted to 13th (County of London) Battalion
, commonly known as the Kensingtons, on 25 February 1915, and joined the battalion in France just over a week later. Lee participated in the Battle of Neuve Chapelle
in mid-March, an Allied
offensive to regain the French village of Neuve-Chapelle
. The village was retaken from the Germans, but the plan to press on and also capture Aubers
was abandoned. Following this attack, the Germans heavily refortified the area and were expecting further attacks. The battle, part of a larger offensive known as the Battle of Aubers Ridge
, commenced on 9 May. The Kensingtons formed part of 25th Brigade, and were one of the lead infantry units in the northern pincer
of the attack, targetting Fromelles
. Lee was part of D Company, which along with C Company lead the Kensingtons during the assault. During the attack, the initial objectives were achieved, but at heavy cost. However, the attacking forces soon ran out of ammunition and retreated the following morning. Of the 550 men that the Kensingtons had engaged, there were 499 casualties, including 13 officers; in total the British casualties numbered over 11,000 men.
During the attack Lee was shot in the leg; a bullet hit his left thigh and fractured his femur
. He lay for three days between the lines having been given up for dead. A memorial service was held after the announcement of his death. After three days, Lee was found by the Germans and transported to hospital in Valenciennes
. The ten hour journey was initially made in the passenger compartment of a train, with sacks of straw, before he transferred to a Red Cross
train at Lille
. For the first week he was looked after by the French Red Cross, before the Germans took over. He remained in Valenciennes for six weeks, and remained bedridden for the duration of his stay. After this time, he was transferred to a second hospital in Hannover. For the first half of the two day journey, Lee had to lie on a wooden seat with a blanket under him and his leg in an iron case, which hurt his back significantly, and was provided with no food. The second half of the journey was completed on a Red Cross train. During his stay in Hannover, Lee began to heal quickly, but after receiving advice from a fellow prisoner, he greatly exaggerated the injury, and was selected to be returned to England. He began the journey on 1 October 1915, and boarded the boat for England five days later. Although Lee had amplified the severity of his injury, in England he discovered that one of his legs would be permanently shorter than the other, and he had suffered significant muscle death. He was told that he would neither be able to fight nor play cricket again. He was discharged from the army on 4 December 1915, with the Silver War Badge to show that he had served honourably. He later also received the 1914-15 Star
, British War Medal
and Victory Medal
. After leaving the army, Middlesex paid for Lee to be treated by a specialist, and he was able to play a match for the Army Service Corps
against Lancing College
in early 1916, in which he scored a century.
, a position which allowed him plenty of time to play cricket with the MCC and in other wartime matches. Towards the end of the summer in 1916, he met Frank Tarrant's wife, who suggested that Lee should accompany her husband to work in India. He readily accepted, but before he was able to leave, his mother died and Lee felt that he should remain at home to look after his two young brothers. A year later, with the household settled, Lee took Tarrant up on the offer. He was originally booked on the Nyanza, which was sailing to Bombay
, but was transferred to the Nagoya at the last minute, which sailed directly to Lee's final destination of Calcutta
. The Nyanza was torpedoed twenty miles out of Plymouth, and though it returned to port, 49 lives were lost. During the Nagoya's journey, the convoy of which it was part was attacked passing through the Mediterranean Sea
by the German U-boat
UB-50
. One of the ships, the City of Lucknow, an 8,000 ton cargo steamer in the convoy, was sunk. The rest of the journey was completed without incident, despite a rumour that the Emden, a German light cruiser
lay in wait for the convoy.
In India, Lee worked as a football and cricket coach for the Maharaja of Cooch Behar
, but was treated more like a guest than a paid retainer. He played a few first-class matches during his time in India, and in his first match in the country, for the Maharaja's XI against Lord Willingdon's
XI, Lee claimed his maiden five-wicket haul, taking five wickets and conceding eleven runs. He added another three wickets in the second innings to record the best bowling analysis of the match. In November 1918, Lee played for England against India. The Indian team did not have Test status, which was not afforded attained until 1932, but they had a strong team, and dominated the match against an England side which was far from representative. Lee claimed four wickets in the match for the concession of 177 runs, and made scores of eight and nine with the bat. Lee's highest score, and only century in first-class cricket in India was made in a match he was playing against the Maharaja of Cooch Behar's team. Appearing instead for MC Bird
's XI, Lee opened the batting and scored 104 runs. He also claimed seven wickets in the match, which his side won by an innings.
resumed in 1919, Lee took his leave of the Maharaja and returned to England to resume his career with Middlesex. County Championship matches were played over two days, an experiment which was unpopular with Lee, who described it as a "nightmare season". Even with these shorter matches, Lee passed 1,000 first-class runs in a season for the first time in his career, and won himself a regular place in the Middlesex side. He scored four centuries during the season, including one in each innings of a charity match played against Surrey
at The Oval
. During the first innings, he reached 163, sharing a second wicket partnership of 226 with Jack Hearne, and in the second he scored 126. His batting average for the season was 40.76; the first of only three times that it would exceed 40 during his career. The championship reverted back to three-day matches for 1920, and Lee enjoyed his greatest successes as a batsman during the season. He scored centuries in successive matches in mid-May, reaching 102 against Warwickshire
at Lord's, and then 119 against Sussex
at the same venue. Against Sussex, each of Middlesex's top four batsmen scored centuries; in addition to Lee's 119 runs, Pelham Warner scored 139, Nigel Haig
131, and Hearne remained 116 not out when the side declared
. This was the first time the feat had been achieved in first-class cricket. Lee also took eleven wickets in the match, taking five in the first innings and six in the second to complete his maiden ten-wicket haul. In doing so, he became one of only eight Middlesex cricketers to have taken ten wickets in the same match as scoring a century. Playing against Hampshire
at Southampton
the following month, Lee scored his first double century, being 221 not out when Middlesex declared. He was also not out in the second innings, meaning that he was on the pitch for the full duration of the match. In total, Lee scored 1,518 runs at an average of 43.37 in first-class matches in 1920. He ranked third amongst Middlesex batsmen—by both runs scored and batting average—in the County Championship, which the county won narrowly, completing victory in the final session of their final match. In A History of Cricket, H. S. Altham
and E. W. Swanton
praise Lee's "all-round excellence" during the season: in addition to his runs, he claimed 40 wickets in the Championship at an average of 22.40.
Lee's performances put him in contention for a place on the English touring party to travel to Australia that winter, but he eventually missed out on selection. Instead, he travelled to South Africa
for the first of many winters playing and coaching in the country, accepting an invitation from the Wanderers Club
in Johannesburg
. For the second consecutive season, Lee scored in excess of 1,500 runs in all first-class matches in 1921, aided by his highest career score; 243 not out against Nottinghamshire
. Lee batted for over six hours to reach the score in a match which Middlesex won by an innings. He only scored one other century during the season, 121 runs against Sussex, but passed 50 on nine occasions. However, he enjoyed his best season as a bowler, claiming 72 first-class wickets at an average of 19.66, the best of his career.When bowling over 300 deliveries. Middlesex won the County Championship once more, and Lee finished third in both the batting and bowling tables, behind Hearne and Hendren amongst the batsmen, and Jack Durston
and Haig, the bowlers. After the season, he travelled once more to South Africa, this time to coach at both St. Andrew's School
and Grey College
in Bloemfontein
. His obituary in the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
states that by the end of 1921 his best years were over.
Lee was certainly less prolific over the following few years: he averaged under 25 with the bat in each of the years from 1923 to 1925, and only passed 1,000 first-class runs in the first of the three. For the second time in his career, Lee was part of a batting line-up in which each of the top four batsmen scored a century: against Hampshire in Southampton, Lee scored 107, fellow opener Hugh Dales got 103, Hearne reached 232 and Hendren remained 177 not out as Middlesex declared with 642 runs. In 1923, he recorded his best bowling performance, taking eight wickets for the concession of 39 runs in the first innings against Gloucestershire
at Cheltenham
. He took a further four wickets in the second innings to help Middlesex to an eight wicket victory. He claimed 50 wickets for the third and final time that season, in which he was utilised heavily, being Middlesex's third most used bowler. He did not travel to South Africa in either of 1923–24 or 1924–25, a fact which he describes as "cause and effect" of his poor form in 1924 and 1925. He travelled to South Africa again in 1926, spending the first of three successive winters in Cape Town
, coaching at South African College Schools
. This coincided with a revival in his county cricket batting form; in 1926 he passed 1,000 runs after missing out on the total for two years.
Heading toward the twilight of his career, Lee enjoyed a batting renaissance in 1928 and 1929. He averaged over 35 in each season, and scored runs heavily, reaching 1,715 runs in the first year and 1,995 in the second, the most in any season of his career. For the only time in his career, Lee was selected in 1928 to play for the professional "Players" team in the prestigious Gentlemen v Players
fixture. Appearing in the contest at The Oval in early June, he opened the batting and scored 56 runs. The match finished as a draw with the final day lost to rain. In 1929, he scored a century in each innings of a match for the second time, making 124 and 105 not out against a strong Lancashire
bowling attack. Later that season, he scored his third and final double century, scoring 225 runs against Surrey at The Oval, during which he shared a second wicket partnership of 319 with Gubby Allen
. Lee's 1,617 runs for Middlesex in the County Championship in 1929 made him their leading run-scorer, although both Hearne and Hendren topped 1,000 runs with superior averages. The following season saw Lee accumulate 1,485 first-class runs at an average of 26.05, in the season which saw him play more matches than in any other: 34 in total. He reached a century only once, scoring 150 runs against Somerset
at Taunton.
, both in Grahamstown
in South Africa. The MCC were touring that winter, and suffered heavily with injuries and illness. No fewer than seven players were missing at various stages, and the England captain, Percy Chapman
, requested that Lee be excused from his coaching duties to join up with the touring party. Having believed he had secured this permission, he made his first appearance against Natal, scoring 14 runs in his only innings. He played in three further tour matches, twice making scores in the forties, but not reaching a half-century during the tour. His only Test
appearance came in the fourth Test between England and South Africa. Lee opened the innings alongside Bob Wyatt
and scored 18 and 1 in his two innings of the match, which finished a draw. During the match, the MCC were contacted by one of the schools he had been coaching at, which claimed that Lee had broken his contract by leaving without permission. Lee argued vehemently against these claims, citing the fact that the sportsmaster at the school had told Jack White
that he had permission to leave, but the MCC were unmoved, and refused to issue Lee his England cap
and blazer until he had apologised. Lee felt he had no need to apologise, and never received either cap or blazer, though small compensation came in the form of an England touring tie, which Jack Hobbs
gave to him.
and Frank
, also scored a first-class century during the season, Jack scored 113 for Somerset
against Northamptonshire
, and Frank carried his bat
to remain 134 not out for Somerset against Sussex. The feat was the first instance of three professional brothers all scoring first-class centuries in the same season. Two years later, all three brother were involved in a dismissal: Harry Lee was caught for 82 runs by Frank from the bowling of Jack. Though Lee passed 1,000 first-class runs in each of 1932 and 1933, he did so with averages under 25, and in 1934 he was dropped from the Middlesex side in order to encourage some younger players to break into the team. He continued to appear for the MCC during the season, and scored a century against Cambridge University
in early July. He was briefly recalled to the Middlesex team in August, and recorded a final century, reaching 119 against Warwickshire. Although he was successful in the subsequent match against Surrey, making scores of 65 and 38 not out, Middlesex terminated his contract at the end of the season, much to his disappointment. In 437 first-class appearances, Lee scored a total of 20,158 runs at an average of 29.95. He scored 38 centuries and passed 1,000 runs in a season on 13 occasions.
Upon the completion of his playing career, Lee began umpiring almost straight away, standing in non-first-class MCC matches. He petitioned Middlesex to be put forward for first-class duties for the following season, which they duly did. He was approved by the county captains, and umpired first-class cricket from 1935 until 1946. He then returned to coaching, taking on a position at Downside School
in Somerset from 1949 until 1953. He was a regular attendee at Lord's
throughout the remainder of his life, and by the time of his death in 1981, he was England's second oldest Test cricketer.
, but an ordinary, average county cricketer". In truth, Lee was not simply an average county cricketer; his 18,594 first-class runs for Middlesex
rank him eleventh in their all-time list, and he is one of only seventeen cricketers to have scored over 5,000 runs and taken over 300 wickets for the county. H. S. Altham
and E. W. Swanton
suggested that figures alone do show his true worth, as at the time the Lord's pitch did not favour batsmen, and had he played his career on "some other ground where the pitch was a batsman's paradise, his figures would have borne a truer relation to his value." Lee batted with a noticable crouch, and scored predominantly on the leg side
. His style was unattractive to watch, but effective, and although Hearne and Hendren drew most of the plaudits for their more colourful methods, Lee received praise for his toughness and courage.
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 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...
for the Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
(MCC) and Middlesex County Cricket Club
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...
between 1911 and 1934. He made one 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...
appearance for England, in 1931. An 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...
, Lee was a right-handed batsman and bowled both off break
Off break
Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners....
and slow-medium pace bowling with his right-arm. He scored 1,000 runs in a season on thirteen occasions. Part of the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
winning sides in 1920 and 1921, Lee aggregated 20,158 runs and 401 wickets in first-class cricket.
The son of a greengrocer
Greengrocer
A greengrocer or fruiterer is a retail trader in fruit and vegetables; that is, in green groceries. Greengrocer is primarily a British and Australian term, and greengrocers' shops were once common in suburbs, towns and villages...
, Lee worked hard to earn himself a place in the Middlesex side in the years before the First World War, eventually getting his chance when other players had joined the war effort. Although shot in the leg, declared dead and taken prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, Lee survived and returned to play for Middlesex in 1919. He secured his place in the team with three strong all-round
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...
seasons. He was twice part of a top four
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...
when each batsman scored a century
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
in the same innings; he shares this achievement with Jack Hearne. Less prolific through the mid-1920s, he scored runs heavily once again towards the end of the decade. He made his only 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...
appearance in 1931, drafted into the England team after injuries and illness depleted the squad. He continued playing county cricket until 1934, when he was released by Middlesex aged 44, to allow the county to develop younger players. He umpired first-class cricket from his retirement until the Second World War, standing in 153 matches.
Lee's career was overshadowed by more attractive, faster-scoring batsmen in the team, such as Hearne and Patsy Hendren
Patsy Hendren
Elias Henry Hendren better known as Patsy Hendren was an English cricketer. Patsy was one of the most prolific English batsmen of the period between the wars, averaging 47.63 in his 51 Test matches...
. Both his younger brothers also played first-class cricket; both Jack
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...
and Frank
Frank Lee (cricketer)
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 cricketer and an umpire who officiated in Test matches....
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...
after failing to break into the Middlesex team. All three brothers scored centuries during the 1931 season, the first instance of three professional brothers doing so in first-class cricket. Two years later, all three were involved in a dismissal: Harry was caught by Frank off the bowling of Jack in a county match. At the time of his death in 1981, Lee was the second-oldest living Test cricketer.
Early years
Lee was born in MaryleboneMarylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 26 October 1890, the eldest of three boys, all of whom progressed to play 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...
. His father was a greengrocer
Greengrocer
A greengrocer or fruiterer is a retail trader in fruit and vegetables; that is, in green groceries. Greengrocer is primarily a British and Australian term, and greengrocers' shops were once common in suburbs, towns and villages...
and a coal merchant who followed cricket closely in the London evening papers. During his youth, he developed his cricket by playing against lamp-posts
Street light
A street light, lamppost, street lamp, light standard, or lamp standard is a raised source of light on the edge of a road or walkway, which is turned on or lit at a certain time every night. Modern lamps may also have light-sensitive photocells to turn them on at dusk, off at dawn, or activate...
, and reflected in his autobiography that: "If a bowler can clean bowl a man nine times out of ten against a lamp-post, he will not miss a full-sized wicket when he gets the chance." His cricketing talent was encouraged at school; he first attended Barrett Street School and then St. Thomas's School in Portman Square
Portman Square
Portman Square is a square in London, part of the Portman Estate. It is located at the western end of Wigmore Street, which connects it to Cavendish Square to its east. It is served by London bus route 274...
. Both schools had headmasters who were sports enthusiasts, and at St. Thomas's, the headmaster, Mr. Despicht, offered a penny
Penny (British pre-decimal coin)
The penny of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, was in circulation from the early 18th century until February 1971, Decimal Day....
to any schoolboy who could bowl him out
Bowled
Bowled is a method of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. This method of dismissal is covered by Law 30 of the Laws of cricket.A batsman is out bowled if his wicket is put down by a ball delivered by the bowler...
, a feat Lee achieved regularly. Mr. Despicht also taught Lee to concentrate on bowling a good length
Good length ball
A good length ball is a type of delivery in cricket that pitches at a distance from the batsman that makes it difficult to score runs. Furthermore, such a delivery is difficult for the batsman to judge whether to play on the back-foot or on the front-foot...
, and Lee played primarily as a bowler during his school years. During his final year at St. Thomas's, the school reached the final of the local Church School's League Shield, and Lee earned victory for his school with six wickets. When Lee left school, he worked with his father as a greengrocer, a job he liked, but not enough to stop him writing a letter to the Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
, asking for a job on the ground staff at Lord's Cricket Ground
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...
.
Along with approximately 25 other boys, Lee was invited for a trial at Lord's early in 1906, and bowled under the observation of Alfred Atfield
Alfred Atfield
Alfred John Atfield was a first class cricketer and test match umpire . Born in Kent in 1868, he made 8 first class appearances for Gloucestershire, London County, M.C.C., Natal and Transvaal as a right-handed batsman and right arm medium bowler with modest returns. He umpired 8 test matches in...
and the head groundsman, Tom Hearne
Tom Hearne
Thomas Hearne was an English cricketer.Tom Hearne was born in Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire. He played first-class cricket as a right-handed batsman, round-arm medium-fast bowler and an occasional wicketkeeper for MCC , Middlesex and Middlesex CCC .Tom and his brother George led a cricketing...
. Lee described his first over
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
as "six of the worst balls
Delivery (cricket)
A delivery or ball in cricket is a single action of bowling a cricket ball towards the batsman.During play of the game, a member of the fielding team is designated as the bowler, and bowls deliveries towards the batsman...
that anyone can ever have pitched", but as his nerves calmed, he improved, and was eventually selected as one of the five ground staff boys by Hearne. As a ground boy, Lee had numerous tasks; sweeping, dusting and cleaning the seats, preparing nets, marking the pitch, weeding and similar. On a match day, jobs included selling scorecards, operating the score-board or fielding in the practice nets. All of this left little time for the boys to practise their own game. No formal coaching was in place, but Lee was guided by a few different players; England internationals Teddy Wynyard
Teddy Wynyard
Edward George Wynyard was an English cricketer who played in 3 Tests from 1896 to 1906.He captained Hampshire County Cricket Club between 1896 and 1899....
and Albert Trott
Albert Trott
Albert Trott was a Test cricketer for both Australia and England. He was named as one of Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1899. He remains the only batsman who has struck a ball over the top of the Lord's pavilion...
amongst them. In the 1909 and 1910 seasons, Lee started to gain some attention from Middlesex County Cricket Club
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...
: he scored 39 runs in a match for the Middlesex Colts in 1909, and 60 runs against Reading Cricket Club in 1910. He was making more appearances for the Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
(MCC), collecting runs and wickets regularly, but not prolifically. In 1911, when a number of the Middlesex side were missing due to trial matches for England selection, Lee was invited to travel with the team for the two County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
matches in the south-west; 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...
and 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....
. Placed at number eleven in Middlesex's 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...
, Lee batted once in a rain affected match against Somerset, remaining four not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
, and was not required to bowl. Lee did bowl against Gloucestershire, remaining wicketless from nine overs in the match.
Lee was given greater opportunities the subsequent season, appearing seven times for Middlesex in the Championship. The first of these appearances, 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 Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
, brought Lee his first wicket in first-class cricket, having Charles Baker caught off his bowling. He claimed five wickets in total in the match, and another three against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire 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 Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
a month later, to total eight wickets for the season. Despite his low total, Lee topped Middlesex's bowling average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
s for the season, his wickets coming at 9.50 runs apiece. Lee joined the MCC bowling staff in 1913 at the invitation of A. J. Webbe, but he was used sparingly in first-class cricket that season, playing just three times, all for Middlesex. In the first of these matches, Lee scored 35 not out at the end of Middlesex's innings, helping his side to avoid the follow-on
Follow-on
Follow-on is a term used in the sport of cricket to describe a situation where the team that bats second is forced to take its second batting innings immediately after its first, because the team was not able to get close enough to the score achieved by the first team batting in the first innings...
. His "plucky knock" was praised by captain Pelham Warner, who promoted him to bat at number five in the fourth innings, by which stage the game was heading for a draw. During 1913, although certainly not a regular in the Middlesex team, Lee asked his captain for his county cap
Cricket cap
A cricket cap is a type of soft cap, often made from felt that is a traditional form of headwear for players of the game of cricket, regardless of age or gender. It is usually a tight-fitting skullcap, usually made of six or eight sections, with a small crescent shaped brim that points downwards...
, a request which Warner responded to with surprise that he had not already received it, and promptly asked for one to be sent down.
In the 1914 season, Lee almost doubled his total of first-class appearances. Two early season appearances against Oxford
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
and Cambridge
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...
universities brought a few runs, and a match for the MCC against Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
saw Lee bat at number six in both innings. He played just twice in the County Championship prior to August, both times against Warwickshire. The start of the First World War in early August initially resulted in the cancellation of Middlesex's tour of the northern counties, 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....
and Lancashire, but this decision was later reversed, and Middlesex took a heavily weakened side on the tour. Due to regular opening batsman William Robertson
William Robertson (cricketer, born 1879)
William Parish Robertson was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club between 1900 and 1919. A wicket-keeper, Robertson also played as a right-handed batsman. He scored 4,510 runs and claimed 61 catches and 15 stumpings in first-class cricket.-References:...
being unavailable, Lee was promoted to open the batting alongside Frank Tarrant
Frank Tarrant
Frank Tarrant Frank Tarrant Frank Tarrant (in full Francis Alfred Tarrant (Melbourne, Australia, 11 December 1880 – 29 January 1951 in Melbourne) was an Australian all-rounder who played with great success for Middlesex in the County Championship in the years before World War I.His record is...
. He scored 30 and 16 against Yorkshire, followed by 1 and 44 not out against Lancashire. Lee and Tarrant continued to open for Middlesex for the remainder of the season, and against Nottinghamshire, Lee scored his first century
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
in first-class cricket. Having been dismissed for 17 in the first innings, Lee scored 139 runs in the second, and shared a partnership of 183 runs with Patsy Hendren
Patsy Hendren
Elias Henry Hendren better known as Patsy Hendren was an English cricketer. Patsy was one of the most prolific English batsmen of the period between the wars, averaging 47.63 in his 51 Test matches...
, who also reached his century.
Prisoner of war
Initially, even after the declaration of war, Lee did not feel that there would be any impact on his life, and was looking forward to playing cricket in the 1915 season. After learning that the MCC and Middlesex County Cricket Club were keen to support the war effort, and encountering members of the Territorial ForceTerritorial Force
The Territorial Force was the volunteer reserve component of the British Army from 1908 to 1920, when it became the Territorial Army.-Origins:...
marching through London, Lee changed his mind and enlisted with the London Regiment
London Regiment
The London Regiment is a Territorial Army regiment in the British Army. It was first formed in 1908 in order to regiment the various Volunteer Force battalions in the newly formed County of London, each battalion having a distinctive uniform. The Volunteer Force was merged with the Yeomanry in 1908...
in Kensington on 1 September 1914.
He was posted to 13th (County of London) Battalion
38 (City of Sheffield) Signal Regiment
38 Signal Regiment is Territorial Army regiment in the Royal Corps of Signals in the British Army. The regiment's task is to "provide contingency communications throughout the whole of Northern England, from the Scottish Borders to the Northern Home Counties...
, commonly known as the Kensingtons, on 25 February 1915, and joined the battalion in France just over a week later. Lee participated in the Battle of Neuve Chapelle
Battle of Neuve Chapelle
The Battles of Neuve Chapelle and Artois was a battle in the First World War. It was a British offensive in the Artois region and broke through at Neuve-Chapelle but they were unable to exploit the advantage.The battle began on 10 March 1915...
in mid-March, an Allied
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
offensive to regain the French village of Neuve-Chapelle
Neuve-Chapelle
Neuve-Chapelle is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Neuve-Chapelle is situated some northeast of Béthune and southwest of Lille, near the junction of the D947 and D171 roads.-History:...
. The village was retaken from the Germans, but the plan to press on and also capture Aubers
Aubers
Aubers is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is west of Lille.-Heraldry:-References:*...
was abandoned. Following this attack, the Germans heavily refortified the area and were expecting further attacks. The battle, part of a larger offensive known as the Battle of Aubers Ridge
Battle of Aubers Ridge
The Battle of Aubers Ridge was a British offensive mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I.- Background :The battle was the initial British component of the combined Anglo-French offensive known as the Second Battle of Artois...
, commenced on 9 May. The Kensingtons formed part of 25th Brigade, and were one of the lead infantry units in the northern pincer
Pincer movement
The pincer movement or double envelopment is a military maneuver. The flanks of the opponent are attacked simultaneously in a pinching motion after the opponent has advanced towards the center of an army which is responding by moving its outside forces to the enemy's flanks, in order to surround it...
of the attack, targetting Fromelles
Fromelles
-References:* -External links:*** video report from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission*...
. Lee was part of D Company, which along with C Company lead the Kensingtons during the assault. During the attack, the initial objectives were achieved, but at heavy cost. However, the attacking forces soon ran out of ammunition and retreated the following morning. Of the 550 men that the Kensingtons had engaged, there were 499 casualties, including 13 officers; in total the British casualties numbered over 11,000 men.
During the attack Lee was shot in the leg; a bullet hit his left thigh and fractured his femur
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
. He lay for three days between the lines having been given up for dead. A memorial service was held after the announcement of his death. After three days, Lee was found by the Germans and transported to hospital in Valenciennes
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
. The ten hour journey was initially made in the passenger compartment of a train, with sacks of straw, before he transferred to a Red Cross
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human...
train at Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
. For the first week he was looked after by the French Red Cross, before the Germans took over. He remained in Valenciennes for six weeks, and remained bedridden for the duration of his stay. After this time, he was transferred to a second hospital in Hannover. For the first half of the two day journey, Lee had to lie on a wooden seat with a blanket under him and his leg in an iron case, which hurt his back significantly, and was provided with no food. The second half of the journey was completed on a Red Cross train. During his stay in Hannover, Lee began to heal quickly, but after receiving advice from a fellow prisoner, he greatly exaggerated the injury, and was selected to be returned to England. He began the journey on 1 October 1915, and boarded the boat for England five days later. Although Lee had amplified the severity of his injury, in England he discovered that one of his legs would be permanently shorter than the other, and he had suffered significant muscle death. He was told that he would neither be able to fight nor play cricket again. He was discharged from the army on 4 December 1915, with the Silver War Badge to show that he had served honourably. He later also received the 1914-15 Star
1914-15 Star
The 1914-15 Star was a campaign medal of the British Empire, for service in World War I.The 1914-15 Star was approved in 1918, for issue to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who served in any theatre of the War between 5 August 1914 and 31 December 1915 .Recipients of this medal also...
, British War Medal
British War Medal
The British War Medal was a campaign medal of the British Empire, for service in World War I.The medal was approved in 1919, for issue to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who had rendered service between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918...
and Victory Medal
Victory Medal (United Kingdom)
The Victory Medal is a campaign medal - of which the basic design and ribbon was adopted by Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Siam, Union of South Africa and the USA in accordance with decisions as taken at the Inter-Allied Peace Conference at...
. After leaving the army, Middlesex paid for Lee to be treated by a specialist, and he was able to play a match for the Army Service Corps
Royal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...
against Lancing College
Lancing College
Lancing College is a co-educational English independent school in the British public school tradition, founded in 1848 by Nathaniel Woodard. Woodard's aim was to provide education "based on sound principle and sound knowledge, firmly grounded in the Christian faith." Lancing was the first of a...
in early 1916, in which he scored a century.
Coaching in India
Having been invalided out of the Army, Lee worked as a filing clerk in the War OfficeWar Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
, a position which allowed him plenty of time to play cricket with the MCC and in other wartime matches. Towards the end of the summer in 1916, he met Frank Tarrant's wife, who suggested that Lee should accompany her husband to work in India. He readily accepted, but before he was able to leave, his mother died and Lee felt that he should remain at home to look after his two young brothers. A year later, with the household settled, Lee took Tarrant up on the offer. He was originally booked on the Nyanza, which was sailing to Bombay
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, but was transferred to the Nagoya at the last minute, which sailed directly to Lee's final destination of Calcutta
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
. The Nyanza was torpedoed twenty miles out of Plymouth, and though it returned to port, 49 lives were lost. During the Nagoya's journey, the convoy of which it was part was attacked passing through the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
by the German U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
UB-50
SM UB-50
SM UB-50 was a German Type UB III submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 20 May 1916. She was commissioned into the Pola Flotilla of the German Imperial Navy on 12 July 1917 as SM UB-50....
. One of the ships, the City of Lucknow, an 8,000 ton cargo steamer in the convoy, was sunk. The rest of the journey was completed without incident, despite a rumour that the Emden, a German light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
lay in wait for the convoy.
In India, Lee worked as a football and cricket coach for the Maharaja of Cooch Behar
Jitendra Narayan
Jitendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur was Maharaja of Cooch-Behar, in India from September 1913 until his death in December 1922...
, but was treated more like a guest than a paid retainer. He played a few first-class matches during his time in India, and in his first match in the country, for the Maharaja's XI against Lord Willingdon's
Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon
Major Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon was a British Liberal politician and administrator who served as Governor General of Canada, the 13th since Canadian Confederation, and as Viceroy and Governor-General of India, the country's 22nd.Freeman-Thomas was born in England and...
XI, Lee claimed his maiden five-wicket haul, taking five wickets and conceding eleven runs. He added another three wickets in the second innings to record the best bowling analysis of the match. In November 1918, Lee played for England against India. The Indian team did not have Test status, which was not afforded attained until 1932, but they had a strong team, and dominated the match against an England side which was far from representative. Lee claimed four wickets in the match for the concession of 177 runs, and made scores of eight and nine with the bat. Lee's highest score, and only century in first-class cricket in India was made in a match he was playing against the Maharaja of Cooch Behar's team. Appearing instead for MC Bird
Morice Bird
Morice Carlos Bird was an English cricketer who played in 10 Tests from 1910 to 1914, all of them in South Africa....
's XI, Lee opened the batting and scored 104 runs. He also claimed seven wickets in the match, which his side won by an innings.
Return to county cricket
Despite the injury he sustained during the war, when county cricketCounty cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
resumed in 1919, Lee took his leave of the Maharaja and returned to England to resume his career with Middlesex. County Championship matches were played over two days, an experiment which was unpopular with Lee, who described it as a "nightmare season". Even with these shorter matches, Lee passed 1,000 first-class runs in a season for the first time in his career, and won himself a regular place in the Middlesex side. He scored four centuries during the season, including one in each innings of a charity match played against 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...
at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
. During the first innings, he reached 163, sharing a second wicket partnership of 226 with Jack Hearne, and in the second he scored 126. His batting average for the season was 40.76; the first of only three times that it would exceed 40 during his career. The championship reverted back to three-day matches for 1920, and Lee enjoyed his greatest successes as a batsman during the season. He scored centuries in successive matches in mid-May, reaching 102 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 Lord's, and then 119 against Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
at the same venue. Against Sussex, each of Middlesex's top four batsmen scored centuries; in addition to Lee's 119 runs, Pelham Warner scored 139, Nigel Haig
Nigel Haig
Nigel Esme Haig was a cricketer who played for Middlesex and England.Tall, stringy and deceptively frail in appearance, Haig played regularly from 1912 to 1934 as an amateur batsman who could open the innings or bat further down the order and as a tireless swing bowler somewhat above medium pace...
131, and Hearne remained 116 not out when the side declared
Declaration and forfeiture
In the sport of cricket a declaration occurs when a captain declares his team's innings closed and a forfeiture is when a captain chooses to forfeit an innings. Declaration and forfeiture are covered in Law 14 of the Laws of cricket...
. This was the first time the feat had been achieved in first-class cricket. Lee also took eleven wickets in the match, taking five in the first innings and six in the second to complete his maiden ten-wicket haul. In doing so, he became one of only eight Middlesex cricketers to have taken ten wickets in the same match as scoring a century. Playing against Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
at Southampton
County Ground, Southampton
The County Ground in Southampton, England was a former cricket and football ground. It was the home of Hampshire County Cricket Club from the 1885 English cricket season until the 2000 English cricket season...
the following month, Lee scored his first double century, being 221 not out when Middlesex declared. He was also not out in the second innings, meaning that he was on the pitch for the full duration of the match. In total, Lee scored 1,518 runs at an average of 43.37 in first-class matches in 1920. He ranked third amongst Middlesex batsmen—by both runs scored and batting average—in the County Championship, which the county won narrowly, completing victory in the final session of their final match. In A History of Cricket, H. S. Altham
Harry Altham
Harry Surtees Altham, CBE, DSO, MC was an English cricketer who became an important figure in the game as an administrator, historian and coach. His Wisden obituary described him as "among the best known personalities in the world of cricket"...
and E. W. Swanton
E. W. Swanton
Ernest William Swanton CBE is chiefly known for being a cricket writer and commentator under his initials, E. W. Swanton. He worked as a sports journalist for The Daily Telegraph and as a broadcaster for BBC Radio for 30 years. He was a regular commentator on Test Match Special, easily recognised...
praise Lee's "all-round excellence" during the season: in addition to his runs, he claimed 40 wickets in the Championship at an average of 22.40.
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...
for the first of many winters playing and coaching in the country, accepting an invitation from the Wanderers Club
Old Wanderers
Old Wanderers was a cricket ground in Johannesburg, South Africa. The ground hosted 22 Test matches from 1895 to 1939, before being rebuilt as Johannesburg's Park Station in 1946...
in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
. For the second consecutive season, Lee scored in excess of 1,500 runs in all first-class matches in 1921, aided by his highest career score; 243 not out against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire 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 Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
. Lee batted for over six hours to reach the score in a match which Middlesex won by an innings. He only scored one other century during the season, 121 runs against Sussex, but passed 50 on nine occasions. However, he enjoyed his best season as a bowler, claiming 72 first-class wickets at an average of 19.66, the best of his career.When bowling over 300 deliveries. Middlesex won the County Championship once more, and Lee finished third in both the batting and bowling tables, behind Hearne and Hendren amongst the batsmen, and Jack Durston
Jack Durston
Frederick John "Jack" Durston, born Clophill, Bedfordshire, on 11 July 1893 and died at Southall, Middlesex, on 8 April 1965, was a cricketer who played for Middlesex and England....
and Haig, the bowlers. After the season, he travelled once more to South Africa, this time to coach at both St. Andrew's School
St. Andrew's School, Bloemfontein
St. Andrew's School, established in 1863 is a public school for boys located in Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa.The years of study are from pre-primary to grade 12...
and Grey College
Grey College, Bloemfontein
Grey College is a public school for boys located in Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa, one of the 23 elite, historically significant and prestigious Milner Schools...
in Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.Bloemfontein is popularly and...
. His obituary in the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
states that by the end of 1921 his best years were over.
Lee was certainly less prolific over the following few years: he averaged under 25 with the bat in each of the years from 1923 to 1925, and only passed 1,000 first-class runs in the first of the three. For the second time in his career, Lee was part of a batting line-up in which each of the top four batsmen scored a century: against Hampshire in Southampton, Lee scored 107, fellow opener Hugh Dales got 103, Hearne reached 232 and Hendren remained 177 not out as Middlesex declared with 642 runs. In 1923, he recorded his best bowling performance, taking eight wickets for the concession of 39 runs in the first innings against 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....
at Cheltenham
College Ground, Cheltenham
The College Ground is a cricket ground in the grounds of Cheltenham College, England. Gloucestershire County Cricket Club have played more than 300 first-class and more than 70 List A matches there; it also hosted a Women's One Day International between England and Australia in 2005.The College...
. He took a further four wickets in the second innings to help Middlesex to an eight wicket victory. He claimed 50 wickets for the third and final time that season, in which he was utilised heavily, being Middlesex's third most used bowler. He did not travel to South Africa in either of 1923–24 or 1924–25, a fact which he describes as "cause and effect" of his poor form in 1924 and 1925. He travelled to South Africa again in 1926, spending the first of three successive winters in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, coaching at South African College Schools
South African College Schools
The South African College Schools, commonly referred to as SACS, is a primary and secondary education institution located in Newlands, Cape Town, South Africa. Founded in 1829, it is the oldest school in South Africa and one of four schools expressly named by Cecil John Rhodes to offer an annual...
. This coincided with a revival in his county cricket batting form; in 1926 he passed 1,000 runs after missing out on the total for two years.
Heading toward the twilight of his career, Lee enjoyed a batting renaissance in 1928 and 1929. He averaged over 35 in each season, and scored runs heavily, reaching 1,715 runs in the first year and 1,995 in the second, the most in any season of his career. For the only time in his career, Lee was selected in 1928 to play for the professional "Players" team in the prestigious Gentlemen v Players
Gentlemen v Players
The Gentlemen v Players game was a first-class cricket match that was generally played on an annual basis between one team consisting of amateurs and one of professionals . The first two games took place in 1806 but the fixture was not revived until 1819. It was more or less annual thereafter...
fixture. Appearing in the contest at The Oval in early June, he opened the batting and scored 56 runs. The match finished as a draw with the final day lost to rain. In 1929, he scored a century in each innings of a match for the second time, making 124 and 105 not out against a strong 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...
bowling attack. Later that season, he scored his third and final double century, scoring 225 runs against Surrey at The Oval, during which he shared a second wicket partnership of 319 with Gubby Allen
Gubby Allen
Sir George Oswald Browning "Gubby" Allen, CBE was a cricketer who played for Middlesex, Cambridge University, MCC and England. Australian-born, Allen was a fast bowler and hard-hitting lower-order batsman, who captained England in eleven Test matches...
. Lee's 1,617 runs for Middlesex in the County Championship in 1929 made him their leading run-scorer, although both Hearne and Hendren topped 1,000 runs with superior averages. The following season saw Lee accumulate 1,485 first-class runs at an average of 26.05, in the season which saw him play more matches than in any other: 34 in total. He reached a century only once, scoring 150 runs 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...
at Taunton.
Solitary Test
For the English winter of 1930–31, Lee took on positions at both St. Andrew's College and Rhodes UniversityRhodes University
Rhodes University is a public research university located in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, established in 1904. It is the province’s oldest university, and is one of the four universities in the province...
, both in Grahamstown
Grahamstown
Grahamstown is a city in the Eastern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa and is the seat of the Makana municipality. The population of greater Grahamstown, as of 2003, was 124,758. The population of the surrounding areas, including the actual city was 41,799 of which 77.4% were black,...
in South Africa. The MCC were touring that winter, and suffered heavily with injuries and illness. No fewer than seven players were missing at various stages, and the England captain, 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...
, requested that Lee be excused from his coaching duties to join up with the touring party. Having believed he had secured this permission, he made his first appearance against Natal, scoring 14 runs in his only innings. He played in three further tour matches, twice making scores in the forties, but not reaching a half-century during the tour. His only 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...
appearance came in the fourth Test between England and South Africa. Lee opened the innings alongside Bob Wyatt
Bob Wyatt
Robert "Bob" Elliott Storey Wyatt was an English cricket player. He played for Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and the English cricket team....
and scored 18 and 1 in his two innings of the match, which finished a draw. During the match, the MCC were contacted by one of the schools he had been coaching at, which claimed that Lee had broken his contract by leaving without permission. Lee argued vehemently against these claims, citing the fact that the sportsmaster at the school had told Jack White
Jack White (cricketer)
John Cornish White, known as "Farmer" or "Jack", was an English cricketer who played for Somerset and England. White was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1929...
that he had permission to leave, but the MCC were unmoved, and refused to issue Lee his England cap
Cricket cap
A cricket cap is a type of soft cap, often made from felt that is a traditional form of headwear for players of the game of cricket, regardless of age or gender. It is usually a tight-fitting skullcap, usually made of six or eight sections, with a small crescent shaped brim that points downwards...
and blazer until he had apologised. Lee felt he had no need to apologise, and never received either cap or blazer, though small compensation came in the form of an England touring tie, which Jack Hobbs
Jack Hobbs
Sir John Berry "Jack" Hobbs was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches from 1908 to 1930....
gave to him.
Later career
Though now into his forties, Lee remained a regular in the Middlesex side in the early 1930s, and in 1931 he scored 1,291 runs at an average of 30.02, including two centuries. Both of his brothers, JackJack 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...
and Frank
Frank Lee (cricketer)
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 cricketer and an umpire who officiated in Test matches....
, also scored a first-class century during the season, Jack scored 113 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...
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...
, and Frank carried his bat
Carry the bat
In cricket, the term carry the bat refers to an opening batsman who is not dismissed when the team innings is closed...
to remain 134 not out for Somerset against Sussex. The feat was the first instance of three professional brothers all scoring first-class centuries in the same season. Two years later, all three brother were involved in a dismissal: Harry Lee was caught for 82 runs by Frank from the bowling of Jack. Though Lee passed 1,000 first-class runs in each of 1932 and 1933, he did so with averages under 25, and in 1934 he was dropped from the Middlesex side in order to encourage some younger players to break into the team. He continued to appear for the MCC during the season, and scored a century against 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...
in early July. He was briefly recalled to the Middlesex team in August, and recorded a final century, reaching 119 against Warwickshire. Although he was successful in the subsequent match against Surrey, making scores of 65 and 38 not out, Middlesex terminated his contract at the end of the season, much to his disappointment. In 437 first-class appearances, Lee scored a total of 20,158 runs at an average of 29.95. He scored 38 centuries and passed 1,000 runs in a season on 13 occasions.
Upon the completion of his playing career, Lee began umpiring almost straight away, standing in non-first-class MCC matches. He petitioned Middlesex to be put forward for first-class duties for the following season, which they duly did. He was approved by the county captains, and umpired first-class cricket from 1935 until 1946. He then returned to coaching, taking on a position at Downside School
Downside School
Downside School is a co-educational Catholic independent school for children aged 11 to 18, located in Stratton-on-the-Fosse, between Norton Radstock and Shepton Mallet in Somerset, south west England. It is attached to Downside Abbey...
in Somerset from 1949 until 1953. He was a regular attendee 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...
throughout the remainder of his life, and by the time of his death in 1981, he was England's second oldest Test cricketer.
Playing style
In his own words, Lee was not a "brilliant youngster like Jack Hearne or Denis ComptonDenis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
, but an ordinary, average county cricketer". In truth, Lee was not simply an average county cricketer; his 18,594 first-class runs 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...
rank him eleventh in their all-time list, and he is one of only seventeen cricketers to have scored over 5,000 runs and taken over 300 wickets for the county. H. S. Altham
Harry Altham
Harry Surtees Altham, CBE, DSO, MC was an English cricketer who became an important figure in the game as an administrator, historian and coach. His Wisden obituary described him as "among the best known personalities in the world of cricket"...
and E. W. Swanton
E. W. Swanton
Ernest William Swanton CBE is chiefly known for being a cricket writer and commentator under his initials, E. W. Swanton. He worked as a sports journalist for The Daily Telegraph and as a broadcaster for BBC Radio for 30 years. He was a regular commentator on Test Match Special, easily recognised...
suggested that figures alone do show his true worth, as at the time the Lord's pitch did not favour batsmen, and had he played his career on "some other ground where the pitch was a batsman's paradise, his figures would have borne a truer relation to his value." Lee batted with a noticable crouch, and scored predominantly on the leg side
Leg side
The leg side, or on side, is defined to be a particular half of the field used to play the sport of cricket.From the point of view of a right-handed batsman facing the bowler, it is the left hand side of the cricket field...
. His style was unattractive to watch, but effective, and although Hearne and Hendren drew most of the plaudits for their more colourful methods, Lee received praise for his toughness and courage.