Ernie Carless

Who was Ernie Carless?

Ernest Francis Carless was a Welsh cricketer. Carless was a right-handed batsman who played primarily as a wicketkeeper. He also bowled right-arm off-breaks though he did not bowl in first-class cricket. Carless played football in the Football League for Cardiff City and Plymouth Argyle as an inside forward. He was born at Cadoxton, Glamorgan.

Carless made his first-class debut for Glamorgan in 1934 against Middlesex, though Tom Brierley kept wicket in this match; he played one further match for the county in that season, against Surrey, when Carless kept wicket. During the Second World War he played for the club in fund-raising matches. Following the end of the war and the resumption of County Cricket in 1946, Carless made his final first-class appearance, 12 years after his previous first-class match, in a Glamorgan side which was beset by injuries and struggling to field a team. His final first-class match was against Essex. In his 3 matches he scored 35 runs at a batting average of 11.66 and a high score of 25.

In 1947, Carless joined Devon, where he made his Minor Counties Championship debut for the county against Cornwall.