George Leer
George Leer (1748 at Hambledon, Hampshire – 1 February 1812 at Petersfield, Hampshire) was a famous English cricketer who played for Hampshire in the time of the Hambledon Club.
Virginia Spate | |
|---|---|
| Born | ca. 1748 Hambledon, Hampshire, England |
| Died | 1 February 1812 Petersfield, Hampshire, England |
| Occupation(s) | Cricketer, singer and brewer |
Leer began playing in the 1760s. His name has become almost synonymous with the now archaic long stop fielding position (i.e., directly behind the wicket-keeper) that was deemed so necessary in underarm days.
According to Arthur Haygarth, Leer "was a good and successful bat, but was mostly famous as long-stop to Thomas Brett’s tremendous bowling in the Hambledon matches. He was always called "Little George", and was a fine singer, having a sweet counter-tenor voice.[1] In John Nyren’s book, he is stated to have been a native of Hambledon, but latterly he was a brewer, residing at Petersfield, where he died".[2]
George Leer was a small man who made 44 known first-class appearances from the 1772 season to 1782.
References
- Arthur Haygarth, Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744-1826), Lillywhite, 1862
- Ashley Mote, John Nyren's "The Cricketers of my Time", Robson, 1998
Further reading
- Ashley Mote, The Glory Days of Cricket, Robson, 1997
- David Underdown, Start of Play, Allen Lane, 2000