Reginald Taylor (cricketer)

Reginald Minshall Taylor (30 November 1909 – 7 January 1984) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Essex from 1931 to 1946.

Reginald Taylor

Personal information
Full name	Reginald Minshall Taylor
Born	(1909-09-30)30 September 1909 Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England
Died	7 January 1984(1984-01-07) (aged 74) Hillbrow, Johannesburg, South Africa
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Slow left-arm orthodox
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1931 – 1946	Essex
Career statistics
Competition FC Matches 206 Runs scored 6755 Batting average 20.59 100s/50s 5/27 Top score 193 Balls bowled 4654 Wickets 92 Bowling average 31.88 5 wickets in innings 3 10 wickets in match 0 Best bowling 7/99 Catches/stumpings 185/0
Source: Cricinfo, 15 January 2017

He was the first professional cricketer to win the DFC, for service as an observer in Bomber Command at Dunkirk in 1940.[1]

Dudley Carew said of him:

In the early 'thirties Taylor would have gone down on a short list [of] the most promising young batsmen in England, but somehow he could never get into the habit of making runs consistently. He had a charming cut, and could not make a stroke that was ungraceful, but whether it was some unconscious negligence in his make-up ... or some flaw in his technique, his batting average was a constant disappointment.[2]