Who was Fred Duerr?

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 100^th Bacup wicket in his 40^th match, his 300^th in his 112^th 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.