Following Martin Chandler’s intriguing personal portrait of Lancastrian and England pace bowler, Peter Lever, writer Peter Kettle contributes this supplementary piece on his Test career – focussing on Lever’s triumphs down under.
A right arm fast-medium merchant, threatening early in an opposition’s innings with away swing, often pronounced, and later on employing a trade-mark off-cutter with the worn ball.
23rd April 1974 – at age 33
Dismissing Garry Sobers when on 79 for a Rest of the World XI against England: The Oval, mid-August 1970 – Lever taking
7 for 83 from 33 overs in the first innings
Martin Chandler has written a well-rounded and perceptive account of Peter Lever’s first-class cricket career, with plenty of personal insights (Cricket Web, 3 March 2018). This piece focusses on the deeds of his dichotomous Test career, and mainly serves as an adjunct to Martin’s review.
I venture further than Peter Lever himself to take a look at two of his immediate successors in the first-class game: JK Lever and a surprise player – one that even many cricket nuts may not know anything about. So that readers know in advance: as a proportional of total words, excluding photo captions: PL gets 72% of my text, JKL gets 8% and the surprise guest gets 20%. (Apologies to all those who insist on getting everything down to two decimal places!)
To business: Peter Lever was highly successful against Australia down under in four of his seven Test matches there during the 1970/71 and 1974/75 seasons – phenomenally so in one of them.
PL When Not Down Under
Yet, in his other ten Test matches, Peter Lever excelled in only two of them, both of which were at home: against Pakistan taking 4 for 75 in the match at Headingly and against India taking 5 for 84 in the match at Old Trafford. Four more of his other ten Test matches were in New Zealand, in the wake of two tours of Australia – an overall showing of 4 wickets at 64.5 runs apiece. In all, Lever’s ten Tests besides those down under produced a return of 18 wickets for 856 runs – so captured at an extravagant 47.6 runs apiece.
His whole Test career return being 41 wickets at 36.8 apiece, bowling in 31 innings. The average cost being quite a bit above the marker for high achievement for fast-medium Test bowlers of modern times.
PL’s Doings Down Under
Lever’s exploits down under during the 1970/71 Test series included match figures of:
- 3 for 55 at Sydney
- 4 for 98 at Adelaide
- 4 for 66, the second time at Sydney
During the 1974/75 series, he captured 9 wickets for 103 runs from 27 overs at Melbourne, following a void at Brisbane (nil for 53 and nil for 58, from a combined 34 overs). A little strangely, of these three venues where he succeeded, only Melbourne is generally known for having conditions favourable for swing bowling.
The arithmetic shows that, in the four successful outings just noted, Lever took 20 wickets for 322 runs: accordingly, at only 16.1 runs apiece. A cost double that figure would still have been respectable. In his seven Test matches down under combined, Lever captured 22 wickets while conceding 653 runs: thus costing, on average, 29.7 runs each – which rates highly for Australian pitches and weather conditions, and bearing in mind the quality of the opposition.
Bald statistics are one thing, but they don’t mean a lot without the context. So what hinged on the matches concerned in Australia and to what extent did Peter Lever’s best figures contribute to a team’s victory or staving off defeat?
Elaborating on Lever’s triumphs: the 1970/71 Test Series
- Peter Lever’s 1970/71 deeds took place within the context of England’s first post-WW2 series of 6 Test matches (pedantically, and misleadingly, labelled in Wisden’s Book of Test Cricket as a seven Test series – the scheduled 3rd Test at Melbourne, due to start on 31st December, being rescheduled after rain caused abandonment during the third day without any play).
Presumably driven by net revenue prospects, the authorities concerned agreed to staging further 6 match Ashes series in Australia in 1974/75 and 1978/79, and in England on five successive occasions: 1981,’85,’89, ’93 and ’97; before reverting to tradition.
- After being omitted for the 1st Test at Brisbane – a high scoring draw – Lever came in for Derek Underwood making his debut in the 2nd Test at the WACA Ground (Perth), reflecting its reputation for assisting pacemen. This turned out to be another high scoring draw in which Lever – taking over after Shuttleworth’s new ball stint – had a hand in reducing Australia to 17 for 3 in their first innings – capturing Doug Walters’ wicket (making 7 runs), though ending with no more than 1/78. Centuries by Ian Redpath and Greg Chappell saw Australia to a strong total of 440, overhauling England by nearly fifty runs. Lever again dismissed Walters in the second innings during his five overs (for ten runs) as the match started to peter out – Australia finishing with 100 for 3 wickets after being set a target of 245.
- Lever played a very useful role in the next match, at Sydney, capturing opener Bill Lawry’s wicket early on in first innings to have Australia 38 for 2 – finishing with figures of 2/32, the best of the trio delivering at above medium pace. Australia’s total of 236 fell nearly 100 runs behind England.
Boycott accumulated an undefeated 142 at a sedate rate, to enable a target to be set for Australia’s second innings of 416 runs. Lever followed up with 1/24 from his 11 overs, capturing Doug Walters yet again (caught behind for 3), to have Australia 14 for 3, which effectively ended any attempt to chase. After which it was a procession of low scores, apart from two batsmen who managed to get into double figures: Lawry undefeated for a very slow 60 and Stackpole at number six making 30. The match being won for England by John Snow who demolished Australia with 7/40 in a measly total of 116 runs. England going 1-0 up, with three matches to come.
- Next a disappointing outing for Lever at Melbourne, ending without a wicket to his name. Snow, Willis and Underwood couldn’t keep Australia’s scoring to within winnable limits – making totals of 493/9 declared and 169/4 declared, to set England a win target of 271 runs. This was never attempted; another tame draw resulting.
- So England were now one up with two matches still to be played. It’s on to Adelaide, where Boycott, Edrich and Fletcher at the top of the order laid the basis for England’s painstakingly built total of 470 runs. Only for Illingworth, the dour – tactically astute – Yorkshireman, to then lose his nerve and fail to enforce the follow-on after dismissing Australia when 235 runs behind. Lever had been the leading light in restricting them in the first innings, taking the new ball with Snow and capturing 4 for 49, including the Chappell brothers and Walters once more (again caught behind).
The ultra-conservative Illingworth then set Australia 469 runs to win in 500 minutes (declaring at 233 for 4, in large part due to Boycott’s undefeated century) – such a target being regarded as highly infeasible in those days. Australia proceeded slowly and safely, reaching 328 for 3 by the close (at 2.85 runs per over) – yet another draw eventuating.
- Back to Sydney for the crucial sixth and final match, with England still holding a one-nil lead. After England spluttered, laboriously, to reach a mediocre 184 runs on first innings, Lever played a major role in keeping the opposition under control – restricting their lead to 80 runs. He captured two of the top three in the order with the new ball (Ken Eastwood and Rod Marsh) – being entrusted with it for the third match in succession.
- At that stage, Australia were 32 for 3 in reply, and not long after that 66 for 4; then to be rescued by their middle order. Lever finishing with 3 wickets for 43 from just on 15 overs, the best of England’s quartet of pacemen.
Building on a solid start (94 for 1), England chipped away in their second innings to reach a total of 302, setting Australia a very gettable target of 223 runs. Lever got a vital early wicket, that of Ian Chappell at number 3 – Australia then 22 for 2 – after which Underwood, Illingworth and the often deceptive medium pace of Basil D’Oliveira doing nearly all of the subsequent damage in limiting Australia to 160 runs in their second innings – giving England a win by 62 runs. Only Keith Stackpole rose above 30 runs, compiling a fairly brisk 67. Australia had threatened at 131 for 5, but crumpled after Greg Chappell went for 30, stumped by Alan Knott from Illingworth’s economical off spin.
A Spell on the Outer
- After returning home from New Zealand, Peter Lever put in satisfactory performances in Tests 2 and 3 against Pakistan. Yet he was then discarded – initially in favour of Snow in combination with Geoff Arnold and John Price – and went entirely missing in seven successive Test series. He would make an unsuccessful return in Test 1 against Australia at Brisbane in the 1974/75 series, going wicketless.
PL’s Doings in the 1974/75 Test Series
- Peter Lever was recalled for the match in this series at Melbourne – replacing Bob Willis with a damaged knee – although, by then, the series had already been lost by 4 convincing wins to none (with one match ending in tense draw).
- Here, Lever put in match winning effort. He destroyed Australia in their first innings by taking 6 for 38, including the initial four batsmen to be dismissed in a spell of six overs with the new ball. All were caught in the slips and at gully: Ian Redpath, Rick McCosker, Greg Chappell and Ross Edwards. Just two runs coming of their combined bats. Australia slumped to 23 for 4 and, ultimately, being all out for a mediocre total of 152.
After England replied by amassing 529 runs – Mike Denness and Keith Fletcher making big centuries after a shaky start to the innings – Australia’s second innings looked promising with the third wicket falling not until 248 were on the board. But, after that stage, no one gave the eventual centurion, Greg Chappell, much support. Geoff Arnold, Tony Greig and Lever polished off the rest with two wickets each. The last three wickets falling for just 6 runs, including Chappell bowled by Lever for 102, in an eventual total of 373 – falling short by an innings and a handful of runs. Lever, the outstanding bowler – on both sides – taking 3 for 65, giving him the match figures (mentioned earlier) of 9 for 103. A welcome consolation win for England.
Immediate Successors
Peter Lever was succeeded in Test matches by name-sake JK (John Kenneth) Lever, also of fast-medium pace, though a left armer. JK became highly successful as a seam bowler who also swung the ball in to right handers.
Born eight and a half year after Peter Lever, in September 1940, JK’s Test career (1976-86) yielded 73 wickets from 38 innings: close on two wickets per innings, acquired at a laudable 26.7 runs apiece. In his three Tests in Australia (bowling in six innings), JK captured 13 wickets – 2.2 per innings – at 23.7 runs apiece, one-sixth lower than his predecessor’s 28.4 apiece down under.
And in his 22 ODIs (1976-82), JK took 24 wickets at a subdued unit price (for this format of the game) of 29.7 runs.
For Essex in first-class matches (1967-89), JK captured 1,473 wickets from 12,530 overs – a strike rate of one victim per eight and a half overs, claiming them at an enviable average price of 23.5 runs.
JK practising in 1969 at Chelmsford, a week before the first match of the season
JK’s classical action: England vs New Zealand: ODI, 15th July 1978
The unknown to most readers is the presence in first-class cricket, from 1974-81, of a Minor Counties left armer of similar pace to JK Lever. Also delivering in-swing to right-handers with the new ball, while later on producing cutters when it got old.
This player being Doug Yeabsley – born at Exeter in January 1942 – who was good enough to have earned an England cap. He happened to be a schoolmaster of mine when I attended Haberdashers’ Aske’s Grammar School at Elstree in Hertfordshire: teaching there full-time from 1964 through to 2013, and being the lead cricket master up to until the mid-1990s.
Devon vs Dorset at Paignton, 1963: Yeabsley third from left (age 21)
Devon vs Dorset at Paignton, 1971: Yeabsley front row, third from left
Doug Yeabsley was regarded by those in the know as the best amateur pace bowler in England during the 1970s and early-1980s. Ian Botham reckoned the was the second best left arm pace bowler in England, after JK Lever. Yeabsley was approached by Somerset to turn professional, and by some other counties, but they were foiled by his desire to continue teaching as well as the calls of rugby union – he was a back-row forward for Harlequins for many seasons and later a flanker for Saracens.
Consider his record when playing for the Minor Counties combined team against those of touring Test countries:
1974 vs the Pakistanis: 2/60 and 3/45 (all being among the top 5 batsmen in the order).
1976 vs the West Indians: 3/69 (Lawrence Rowe, Deryck Murray and Bernard Julien) and 1/32 (claiming Viv Richards).
1977 vs the Australians: 2/62 (David Hookes for 1 run and Kerry O’Keeffe for 6 runs) and 2/35 (Gary Cosier for 13 and Kim Hughes for 2)
in a memorable victory by 6 wickets, following a declaration by each side.
1979 vs the Indians: 1/67 and 2/53 (all among the top 4).
1980 vs the West Indians: 2/44 (claiming both openers, Faoud Bacchus for 7 and Desmond Haynes for 15) and 0-28.
1981 vs the Sri Lankans: 1/63 (claiming HM Goonatilleke at number 3).
During his Minor Counties Championship career – 31 seasons extending from 1959, at age 17 when still at St Luke’s College in Exeter, through to 1989 – Yeabsley took 735 wickets (3.1 per two day match) at an average cost of 20.5 runs, whilst conceding only 2.27 runs per over. Also a capable lower middle-order batsman, he averaged 21.3 runs from his 216 innings. His last full season being 1986, at age 44.
Yeabsley was known for long accurate spells of miserly bowling, exemplified by an opening stint for the Minor Counties South team delivered to Hampshire’s Barry Richards (at age 28) and Gordon Greenidge (six months before his Test debut), at Portsmouth in mid-May 1974. His 11 consecutive overs conceded just 14 runs.
Doug Yeabsley, Captain of Minor Counties South, tossing up with Somerset’s Captain, Brian Close: Torquay, June 1974 (Yeabsley taking 3 for 38 in 11 overs)
