Len Bates
FullnameLeonard Thomas Ashton Bates
Birth date20 March 1895
Birth placeBirmingham, Warwickshire, England
Death date11 March 1971 (aged 75)
Death placeColdwaltham, Sussex, England
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium-pace
Club 1Warwickshire
Year 11913–1935
Columns1
Column 1First-class
Matches 1444
Runs 119,380
Bat avg 127.84
100s/50s 121/102
Top score 1211
Deliveries 1583
Wickets 19
Bowl avg 152.33
Fivefor 10
Tenfor 10
Best bowling 12/16
Catches/stumpings 1161/0
Date2 January
Year2015
Sourcehttps://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/27/27752/27752.html Cricket Archive

Leonard Thomas Ashton Bates (20 March 1895 – 11 March 1971) was an English cricketer. He was a right-hand batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler who played for Warwickshire.

Born in the pavilion at Edgbaston Cricket Ground where his father, John, was head groundsman,[1] Bates would go on play 200 first-class matches at the ground scoring over 8,000 runs.[2] In total Bates represented his county 441 times between 1913 and 1935, he also made two appearances for 'The Rest' against England in 1927 and once for the Players against Gentlemen in 1925.[3]

Bates scored a total of 19,380 first-class runs at an average of 27.84, passing 1,000 runs in a season 12 times and three times passing 1,500.[4] He scored 21 centuries, two coming against Kent at Coventry in 1927, his highest was a score of 211 against Gloucestershire in 1932.[5]

After retiring as a player in 1935, he fulfilled the role of coach and head groundsman at Christ's Hospital until 1963. He died at Coldwaltham following a long and debilitating illness in which both his legs were amputated.[1]

References

  1. ^ Wisden 1972 – Obituaries, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, Retrieved on 8 November 2008
  2. ^ First-class Batting and Fielding record on each ground, CricketArchive, Retrieved on 8 November 2008
  3. ^ First-class Batting and Fielding record for each team, CricketArchive, Retrieved on 8 November 2008
  4. ^ First-class Batting for each season, CricketArchive, Retrieved on 8 November 2008
  5. ^ Gloucestershire v Warwickshire, County Championship 1932, CricketArchive, Retrieved on 8 November 2008