An English Gentleman

[fredfertang]

An English Gentleman

Still a candidate for the accolade of England's finest post war batsman, Peter May is the subject of Martin's latest feature

 

[Red]

Great read Fred. I have always felt May and Cowdrey and under-discussed when remembering the English greats, sadly, because they didn't average the arbitrary "50".

I've seen (limited) footage of them both, and they are both what batsman should be, imo. Class, poise and elegance.

 

[chasingthedon]

One of the few top batsmen to average significantly more in the second innings than the first in Tests, almost 10 runs more.

 

[oblongballs]

A very good batsman, according to all those that watched him, including my father and uncles. His captaincy is also important and he seemed to be a man who enjoyed the extra responsibility. From what little I have seen of him, he looks to be an astute, technically impressive batsman but his numbers do not add up and there's a reason he is not mentioned among the greats internationally, because he was just a step below them. There is nothing wrong with that. In terms of England, he was certainly one of out very best.

 

[jimmy101]

Great read once again Fred. Interesting point on Surrey's pitches of the 1950s. I've also heard that the Oval is also the largest FC ground in England, so May's FC average of 51 is truly remarkable.

 

[AndrewB]

In the 8 seasons from 1951-8, May averaged over 60 in 4 of them, and over 50 in 3 of the other 4 (in the wet season of 1956 his average dropped to 37).
Of the other Surrey batsman, the highest seasonal averages from 1951-8 were 50.63 by Subba Row in 1953, and 40.23 by Barrington in 1954.

 

[the big bambino]

Considering the conditions of pitches generally in the 50s, I think May's average has to be adjusted favourably when making comparisons with batsmen of other eras. Thereby making him an atg imo.