By Mike Latham
Keith Roscoe recently broke the all-time amateur bowling
record in the Lancashire League, held for nearly a century by Fred Duerr, who
captured 1,815 wickets between 1902 and 1929. I featured Keith’s remarkable
feat in a recent blog on this site.
It got me thinking: Who was Fred Duerr? I set out to find
out, with considerable help from Mike Davage, the highly respected Norfolk
based historian.
We were both indebted to the Lancashire League’s historian Nigel
Stockley, whose amazing statistical work and research has enabled the league to
have a complete run of scorecards, from formation year in 1892, on the Cricket
Archive website. This is a simply remarkable achievement.
Fred, like Keith, began his Lancashire League journey at
Bacup, but it was at Ramsbottom that the bulk of his career was played out and
his greatest successes achieved.
He was born in Heywood, Lancashire in 1871, the son of a
science teacher, George, who originated from Bristol.
George’s younger brother Frederick became famous in his own
right, founding the Duerr’s jam-making firm in Heywood in 1881, which still
thrives to this day and remains a family business, now based in Manchester. It
is the oldest family-owned jam-maker in England.
There is a fascinating, in-depth history of the Duerr family
of jam-makers here: https://duerrs.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/14416-Duerrs-History-6th-Ed.pdf
Included in the history is a family tree which lists Fred as
a famous cricketer: https://duerrs.co.uk/family/family-gallery/
From what can be ascertained Fred had no great interest in
jam, more focusing on getting batsmen in a pickle.
He started work in the textile industry, learning his trade
as a colour mixer to a calico printer, and played cricket for a junior team in
the Rossendale Valley. His performances soon caught the eye of Bacup, and after
making his first-team debut in 1902 he was rarely out of the spotlight for the
best part of three decades.
The Nelson batter Ernest Wynne was Duerr’s first wicket, caught
and bowled splendidly one-handed after he had driven the debutant for three
fours. That was on 19 April 1902.
After six seasons at Bacup he moved to Ramsbottom, now
living in nearby Edenfield and married to Margaret from 1898. The wickets
tumbled as he came on to bowl, and in three seasons he captured 100 wickets: 101
at a cost of 11.48 in 1911, 109 at 8.82 in 1916, 102 at 10.10 in 1919.
Some high-profile professionals, many with Test match
experience, were engaged as professionals but quickly found reputations counted
for nothing in the Lancashire League.
One observer noted: “The vagaries of the Lancashire pitch
and the high tension at which Lancashire League cricket is played – both are
factors new players find most difficult to contend with.”
Fred Duerr
Fred Duerr was undoubtedly one of the greatest- if not the
greatest- bowlers in the illustrious history of the League.
Along with Alf Pollard of Nelson and Colne and Fred Hartley,
an amateur and professional, Duerr was one of a trio of slow bowlers of great
ability who might well have been looked after by Lancashire County. Only
Hartley made it to first-class cricket, his two appearances separated by 21
years, his debut in 1924, his next and final game the Hedley Verity memorial
match in 1945.
Pollard and Hartley’s bowling records stand comparison with
Duerr, the former taking 1,623 Lancashire League wickets at 9.80, the latter
1,699 at 10.55. Duerr’s 1,815 wickets came at a cost of 10.37.
Duerr had wonderful control of flight and length and could
make the ball turn in a very awkward manner. He was a sportsman of the best
type and heartily welcomed on the grounds of all the clubs in the Lancashire
League.
His friend and rival, Alf Pollard was considered to have the
more classical action, but Duerr was no less effective. When Fred sadly passed
away at Ramsbottom in March 1941, Alf delivered a graceful eulogy.
“It was at Ramsbottom that Fred’s reputation was
established,” Alf said. “It was innocuous stuff he bowled and those who were
not in the centre of the field, but watching the games far off, often wondered
why he was not clouted out of the field.
“I only saw him suffer once in this way, and that was when (Australian
Test player Ted) McDonald used the long handle to him and scored 40 runs in
quick time. Usually he had batsmen tied up, and his innocent-looking bowling
had more deadly qualities than spectators imagined. He was a fine servant to
the Ramsbottom club and a conspicuous figure in Lancashire League circles.”
During his time at Ramsbottom, Duerr won two championship
winner’s medals, in 1921 and 1925. On both occasions the former Kent player
William Hickmott, a left medium bowler, was the club’s professional. Hickmott
played 34 games for Lancashire in 1923-24.
William Hickmott
In 1921 the pair dominated, the pro taking 94 wickets at
9.41, Duerr 68 at 9.60. Four years later Duerr took 96 at 7.58, Hickmott 118 at 7.41.
After the latter success the Ramsbottom team paraded the streets of the town in
two charabancs, accompanied by a band, the streets thronged with locals
celebrating the success.
I am indebted to my friend MD for his statistical work in
analysing Duerr’s remarkable career:
For Bacup, he took seven wickets in an innings twice, six
wickets 12 times, five wickets 12 times. He went wicket-less in 19 of his 124
games. He bowled 156 of his 334 victims for Bacup.
He captured his 100th Bacup wicket in his 40th
match, his 300th in his 112th match.
He made his highest score for Bacup, 55 not out v Rawtenstall July 1904.
At Ramsbottom he castled 540 men and was wicketless
in just 33 of his 415 matches.
In five seasons he took wickets in every match.
In the League at the time, sides batted on after a win, such as the loss to Accrington in May 1912 - Accrington won by 4 wickets and Duerr then snapped up the remaining six wickets.
He took nine wickets in an innings four times, the best analysis 9-15 against Colne in 1924, eight on 13 occasions, seven on 17 occasions. Twice he took the first nine wickets to fall only for a colleague to capture the tenth.
Though he had no pretentions as a batsman, he hit 60 opening the innings against Rawtenstall in 1916, the highest score of his career, putting on 159 for the first wicket with AE Wolstenholme.
His last match was on 10 August 1929 at Todmorden, taking 5-35 as the home side won by four wickets.
1 comment:
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