Lester to be sorely missed at Yorkshire

Mr Lester, one of Yorkshire’s best batsmen in the years immediately after the Second World War, and who served as the club’s scorer for 31 years, died in his home town of Scarborough.

His passing follows that of Bob Appleyard, his former Yorkshire team-mate, who died on March 17, aged 90.

It was as a hard-hitting right-hand batsman that Mr Lester made his name, his attacking style much appreciated by colleagues and spectators.

Particularly strong on the leg-side, he could strike the ball fiercely and with apparently little effort, while also displaying great finesse with the late cut.

Between 1945 and 1956, Mr Lester played 228 first-class games for Yorkshire, scoring 10,616 runs at 34.02, with 24 centuries. His highest score was 186 against Warwickshire at Scarborough in 1949.

In 1947, Mr Lester finished third in the national averages to the Middlesex pair of Denis Compton and Bill Edrich, averaging 73 from 11 innings. His highest aggregate came in 1949, when he made 1,801 runs at 37.52.

One of his most treasured memories was of 1948 when he played against Don Bradman at Bramall Lane. Bradman scored 54 and 86 in the drawn tour match.

After entering his 30s, Mr Lester developed a foot problem and lost form after 1954. He served as second team captain for four years and led the club to the Minor Counties Championship.

In 1964, he made one last appearance when illness saw him drafted into the Yorkshire side for a Gillette Cup match at Lord’s.

He remained a familiar figure at Scarborough whenever Yorkshire played there and will be sorely missed.