Berry Les Image 1 Leicestershire 1935

Description

Dorking, Surrey born right-hand batsman Les Berry started his career in the middle order but became an opener. For most of his cricket career, he was known as L.G. Berry. Having moved there as a child, he joined Leicestershire in the 1924 season, when he played in half the first class matches but with little success. The following year, however, he made 1,071 runs at an average of 21 and appeared in virtually every match. He was then a regular member of the team until he retired, at the age of 45, at the end of the 1951 season.

As well as the 1,000 runs he scored in 1925, he passed the 1,000 run mark in every English first class cricket season from 1928 to 1950, and his 2,446 runs at an average of more than 50 runs an innings in 1937 remains the Leicestershire record for a season. His first century, against Worcestershire at Ashby-de-la-Zouch in 1928, was a score of 207 at not much short of a run a minute, and by the time he retired he had added 44 others for Leicestershire: the total of 45 first-class centuries remains the County record, in addition he made 148 half centuries in 609 first class matches, with a highest score of 232.

Described as “robust in build, he hits very hard without taking undue risks, combining a strong defence with a variety of scoring strokes”, he also holds the County record for most first class runs with 30,143 at an average of 30.25, and his seven centuries in 1937 have been equalled for Leicestershire by Willie Watson and Brian Davison, but never beaten. Among those was 156 against New Zealand which attracted the England selection committee, but he wasn’t picked for the Test matches. He was awarded a benefit by Leicestershire in 1938.

Berry was a record holder in another respect as well: when cricket resumed after the Second World War, Leicestershire had no suitable amateur to captain the side, so Berry became the County captain. Though Ewart Astill had captained Leicestershire in a similar hiatus in 1935, Berry was the first professional captain for one of the English cricket Counties who was more than a stopgap: he was reappointed for two further seasons, and in his final season as captain, 1948, he was joined as a professional County captain by Tom Dollery of Warwickshire.

Berry was perhaps unlucky not to be chosen for representative matches, but was not very successful in the few games he played for teams other than Leicestershire. Every single one of his scores of 50 and over was made for the County side. He was a good outfielder and took 181 catches in first class play, but he was no particular bowler, although he did claim 10 wickets in first class cricket with his occasional bowling with a best return of 1-1.

After retiring from cricket, he became the cricket coach at Uppingham School.

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