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Peter Eckersley: The Flying Cricketer
"Peter Eckersley wasn't among the greatest of Lancashire cricketers with bat and ball but no other player can match his qualities of Charisma, Loyalty, Leadership, Bravery, Courage and Sacrifice."
Malcolm Lorimer tells the tragic tale of a Lancashire captain who took the Lancashire team to two County Championship titles in his few years in charge, He only relinquished the leadership of the county when he became a Member of Parliament, which he still was when he was tragically killed in a wartime flying accident.
Malcolm Lorimer tells the tragic tale of a Lancashire captain who took the Lancashire team to two County Championship titles in his few years in charge, He only relinquished the leadership of the county when he became a Member of Parliament, which he still was when he was tragically killed in a wartime flying accident.
141 pages, Paperback
First published March 18, 2024
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April 17, 2024
Malcolm Lorimer has done the literary cricket world a great service by writing a biography of Peter Eckersley who, despite leading Lancashire to two County Championship titles in his relatively few years in charge had for so long been under the radar as it were. Now, thanks to Malcolm and the production of the family archive by William Eckersley, there is a record of his achievements and also, sadly, of his tragic early death.
Born in the Lancashire village of Lowton, Newton-le-Willows, on 2 July 1904, Eckersley played his club cricket for Leigh before going on to Rugby, where he played for the cricket XI, and Cambridge University, where he played some games for the University Crusaders who were regarded as the University second XI. While at Rugby Lancashire recognised his potential as a cricketer and he played a couple of games for the county second XI in 1922 before being given his first-class debut against Cambridge University in 1923.
Then after a couple of games in 1924 he graduated to the first team, playing in 10 games in the 1925 season and thereafter he became an integral part of the championship winning side under Leonard Green in 1926 and 1927. He scored his maiden, and only, first-class century, 102 not out against Gloucestershire in 1927 but due to an unsuccessful call to politics he missed the 1928 season altogether. But after three championships in a row, Green decided that he was retiring and, Lancashire, recognising Eckersley's leadership qualities, was, at the age of 25, named as captain for the forthcoming 1929 season.
It was a wise decision for he proved to be a most understanding and approachable skipper, handling some hardy professional with a great deal of tact, and in 1930 he had his most successful season, not only scoring 885 runs but also leading the side to another County Championship title. And to show that it was no flash in the pan he repeated the triumph in 1934.But 1935 was to be his final full season as once more the call of politics took him away from the game.
Having not been elected in his first attempt in politics he tried again for Manchester Exchange and being successful he had no time to devote to full-time cricket so he stood down from the captaincy. Thereafter he played occasional games, for such as for Lord's and Commons against the MCC and his final first-class game was when he captained an England XI against the touring Australians at Stanley Park, Blackpool in August 1938. In 292 first-class matches he had scored 5,629 runs at an average of 19.54 and taken seven wickets with his very occasional bowling.
But his presence in the team spoke for more than mere statistics for he was recognised as 'a vigilant effective leader' and was always well respected his team-mates. Indeed, the doyen of Lancashire cricket reporters at the time, Archie Ledbrooke (who was to die in the Manchester United Munich air disaster) said of him, 'His tact and his boyish capacity for friendship endeared him to the Lancashire team and he proved a highly successful captain in spite of the many changes which the Lancashire XI underwent during his period of office.'
He does have one other claim to fame in that he was he made history for being the first club to fly to away games, Eckersley himself being the pilot. He and his wife, Audrey, were both members of the Lancashire Aero Club and when war broke out in 1939, despite being in a reserved occupation as a standing MP, he chose to enlist in the Fleet Air Arm. And it ultimately that decision that cost him his life as on 13 August 1940 near Eastleigh, Hampshire, his Percival Proctor aircraft malfunctioned and he and his flying companion, 20-year-old Sydney Snow, both lost their lives.
His cricket also took him on a number of tours with the MCC and Sir Julien Chan's Xi and the tours are briefly reported in the book with some photographs and letters from each reproduced. The two latter items could perhaps have been enlarged to make them more visible and readable and one report of a big game hunt in India is, for me, reportedly too vividly for today's readership; suffice it to say that some of the players went on a big game hunt, as was the way of things in the 1920s/30s, but the graphic descriptions of how the panthers were killed could just as easily have been left out.
That withstanding, the well illustrated book is compassionately written and recognises Eckersley's worth as a cricketer, as a Member of Parliament and overall as a decent human being.
Born in the Lancashire village of Lowton, Newton-le-Willows, on 2 July 1904, Eckersley played his club cricket for Leigh before going on to Rugby, where he played for the cricket XI, and Cambridge University, where he played some games for the University Crusaders who were regarded as the University second XI. While at Rugby Lancashire recognised his potential as a cricketer and he played a couple of games for the county second XI in 1922 before being given his first-class debut against Cambridge University in 1923.
Then after a couple of games in 1924 he graduated to the first team, playing in 10 games in the 1925 season and thereafter he became an integral part of the championship winning side under Leonard Green in 1926 and 1927. He scored his maiden, and only, first-class century, 102 not out against Gloucestershire in 1927 but due to an unsuccessful call to politics he missed the 1928 season altogether. But after three championships in a row, Green decided that he was retiring and, Lancashire, recognising Eckersley's leadership qualities, was, at the age of 25, named as captain for the forthcoming 1929 season.
It was a wise decision for he proved to be a most understanding and approachable skipper, handling some hardy professional with a great deal of tact, and in 1930 he had his most successful season, not only scoring 885 runs but also leading the side to another County Championship title. And to show that it was no flash in the pan he repeated the triumph in 1934.But 1935 was to be his final full season as once more the call of politics took him away from the game.
Having not been elected in his first attempt in politics he tried again for Manchester Exchange and being successful he had no time to devote to full-time cricket so he stood down from the captaincy. Thereafter he played occasional games, for such as for Lord's and Commons against the MCC and his final first-class game was when he captained an England XI against the touring Australians at Stanley Park, Blackpool in August 1938. In 292 first-class matches he had scored 5,629 runs at an average of 19.54 and taken seven wickets with his very occasional bowling.
But his presence in the team spoke for more than mere statistics for he was recognised as 'a vigilant effective leader' and was always well respected his team-mates. Indeed, the doyen of Lancashire cricket reporters at the time, Archie Ledbrooke (who was to die in the Manchester United Munich air disaster) said of him, 'His tact and his boyish capacity for friendship endeared him to the Lancashire team and he proved a highly successful captain in spite of the many changes which the Lancashire XI underwent during his period of office.'
He does have one other claim to fame in that he was he made history for being the first club to fly to away games, Eckersley himself being the pilot. He and his wife, Audrey, were both members of the Lancashire Aero Club and when war broke out in 1939, despite being in a reserved occupation as a standing MP, he chose to enlist in the Fleet Air Arm. And it ultimately that decision that cost him his life as on 13 August 1940 near Eastleigh, Hampshire, his Percival Proctor aircraft malfunctioned and he and his flying companion, 20-year-old Sydney Snow, both lost their lives.
His cricket also took him on a number of tours with the MCC and Sir Julien Chan's Xi and the tours are briefly reported in the book with some photographs and letters from each reproduced. The two latter items could perhaps have been enlarged to make them more visible and readable and one report of a big game hunt in India is, for me, reportedly too vividly for today's readership; suffice it to say that some of the players went on a big game hunt, as was the way of things in the 1920s/30s, but the graphic descriptions of how the panthers were killed could just as easily have been left out.
That withstanding, the well illustrated book is compassionately written and recognises Eckersley's worth as a cricketer, as a Member of Parliament and overall as a decent human being.
Displaying 1 of 1 review