Leslie Townsend

Who was Leslie Townsend?

Leslie Fletcher Townsend was an English cricketer who played for England between 1929 and 1934, for Derbyshire between 1922 and 1939 and also for Auckland New Zealand between 1934 and 1936.

Townsend was born at Long Eaton, Derbyshire. He did not play cricket in his youth and was only attracted to the game by watching Nottinghamshire's star batsman George Gunn. Townsend first played for his native county Derbyshire in the 1922 season and obtained a regular place in the 1924 season .

In the 1925 season Townsend scored over 800 runs at an average of 18. These modest figures, with 59 as his best score, placed Townsend fourth in the county's averages. In the 1926 season after a very slow start Townsend developed as a bowler in August on a number of treacherous pitches. He took 6 for 32 against Nottinghamshire at Ilkeston and 9 for 36 for two innings against Northamptonshire at Chesterfield.

In the 1927 season, with Derbyshire rising to fifth in the Championship, Townsend's medium pace off-break bowling was close to the top of the averages. He took 5 for 29 on a sticky wicket against the formidable Lancashire side and 5 for 42 against Warwickshire.