Sir Alec Bedser

Sir Alec Bedser

Eric and Alec (right) in 1946
Personal information
Full name	Alec Victor Bedser
Born	(1918-07-04)4 July 1918 Reading, Berkshire, England, UK
Died	4 April 2010(2010-04-04) (aged 91) Woking, Surrey, England, UK
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right arm medium-fast
Relations	Eric Bedser (twin brother)
International information
National side	England
Test debut (cap 311)	22 June 1946 v India
Last Test	12 July 1955 v South Africa
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1939–1960	Surrey
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class Matches 51 485 Runs scored 714 5,735 Batting average 12.75 14.51 100s/50s 0/1 1/13 Top score 79 126 Balls bowled 15,918 106,062 Wickets 236 1,924 Bowling average 24.89 20.41 5 wickets in innings 15 96 10 wickets in match 5 16 Best bowling 7/44 8/18 Catches/stumpings 26/– 289/–
Source: CricketArchive, 7 January 2009

Sir Alec Victor Bedser CBE (4 July 1918 – 4 April 2010) was a professional English cricketer, primarily a medium-fast bowler. He is widely regarded as one of the best English cricketers of the 20th century.

Bedser played first-class cricket for Surrey from 1939 to 1960 alongside his identical twin brother Eric. He took 1924 first-class wickets in 485 matches. He played Test cricket for England from 1946 to 1955, taking 236 wickets in 51 Test matches. He passed Clarrie Grimmett's world record for Test wickets in 1953. He held the record until his final tally was passed by Brian Statham in 1963.

After retirement as an active cricketer, Bedser became the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and was the president of Surrey County Cricket Club. He was knighted in the 1997 New Year Honours.

Bedser was born in Reading, Berkshire, ten minutes after his identical twin brother Eric (1918–2006). His father was a bricklayer, but had been stationed in Reading with the Royal Air Force during the First World War. The brothers remained inseparable through their lives: they often dressed identically, and shared a bank account; neither married.

Within six months the family moved to Horsell, Surrey, where, at the age of seven, the brothers played their first organised cricket. The family moved to Knaphill, Surrey and then to a house they helped their father to build in Woking. They were educated at Maybury Junior School and then Monument Hill Central School in Woking. Over the next decade, the twin brothers played cricket together for Monument Hill School and Woking Cricket Club. They also both played football for Monument Hill School, both as full backs.