George Dews

Who was George Dews?

George Dews was an English cricketer and footballer. As a cricketer, he was a right-handed batsman who played for Worcestershire between 1946 and 1961. He was also an excellent fielder: his 353 catches for the county were a record at the time. As a footballer, he made nearly 300 Football League appearances for Middlesbrough, Plymouth and Walsall, scoring 85 goals.

Born in Ossett, Yorkshire, Dews was unable to play for his native county and so travelled south. He made his Worcestershire debut on 29 May 1946 against Lancashire, but was out for a king pair, being dismissed in each innings by slow left-armer Eric Price. He was also out for a duck in his third innings, against Warwickshire, and despite a long run in the team in 1948, it was not until 1950 that he really came good.

That year he broke the 1,000-run barrier for the first time, a feat he would repeat in all but one year for the rest of his first-class career. His 1,170 runs came at 29.25, and included his maiden century: 101 not out against Hampshire. 1950 also saw Dews receive his county cap.