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Percy George Herbert Fender (22 August 1892 – 15 June 1985) was an English cricketer who played 13 Tests and was captain of Surrey between 1921 and 1931. An all-rounder, he was a middle-order batsman who bowled mainly leg spin, and completed the cricketer's double seven times. Noted as a belligerent batsman, in 1920 he hit the fastest recorded first-class century, reaching three figures in 35 minutes which remains a record in 2013. On the basis of his Surrey captaincy, contemporaries judged him the best captain in England. As early as 1914 Fender was named one of ''Wisden's'' Cricketers of the Year. After war service in the Royal Flying Corps he re-established himself in the Surrey team and became captain in 1921. His captaincy inspired the team to challenge strongly for the County Championship over the course of several seasons, despite a shortage of effective bowlers. Alongside his forceful though sometimes controversial leadership, Fender was an effective performer with bat and ball, although he lacked support as a bowler. From 1921, he played occasionally in Tests for England but was never particularly successful. Despite press promptings, he was never appointed Test captain, and following a clash with the highly influential Lord Harris in 1924, his England career was effectively ended. Further disagreements between Fender and the Surrey committee over his approach and tactics led the county to replace him as captain in 1932 and to end his career in 1935. A very recognisable figure, Fender was popular with his team and with supporters. Cartoonists enjoyed caricaturing his distinctive appearance, but he was also well known outside cricket for his presence in society. In addition to his cricket career, Fender worked in the wine trade, had a successful career in journalism, and wrote several well-received books on cricket tours. He worked well into the 1970s, even after going blind. He died in 1985. ==Early life== Fender was the elder son of Percy Robert Fender, the director of a firm of stationers, and Lily, ''née'' Herbert.〔 〕 Born in Balham, Surrey, in 1892, he was encouraged to play cricket by his mother's family who were involved in Brighton club cricket,〔Streeton, pp, 32–33.〕 and from the age of eight he attended cricket matches to watch Sussex when visiting them.〔Streeton, p. 34.〕 First educated at St George's College, Weybridge, then at St Paul's School, London,〔 Fender did not excel academically, but was proficient in many sports.〔Streeton, p. 36.〕 At St Paul's, Fender began to attract attention as a cricketer.〔Streeton, p. 37.〕 Awarded his school colours in 1908, he remained in the school team for three years.〔 In 1909, he topped the school's batting averages, scoring a century in one match against Bedford School. In the same game, he was criticised by his schoolmaster for bowling lobs.〔Streeton, p. 25.〕 Fender's success led to his selection for a representing Public Schools XI against the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) at Lord's. His success for St Paul's continued in 1910, but his school career came to an abrupt end following an argument between his father and the High Master of the school. The dispute concerned a cricket match which Fender had played without parental permission, and his father was unhappy that cricket was taking precedence over academic studies.〔Streeton, pp. 37–38.〕 Fender was removed from the school immediately; he still came top of the batting averages for 1910 but although selected, he was not allowed to play at Lord's that summer as he was no longer a schoolboy.〔Streeton, p. 38.〕 Despite his successes, St Paul's cricket masters did not consider him a reliable cricketer; he was criticised for taking too many risks when batting and for experimenting with too many different styles while bowling. Fender's biographer, Richard Streeton, observes that "Fender's experiments were frowned upon from his earliest days but ... already there was never any shortage of ideas in his cricket thinking."〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Percy Fender」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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