John Lester

John Lester
Lester in around 1897
Personal information
Full name
John Ashby Lester
Born(1871-08-01)August 1, 1871
Penrith, Cumberland, England
DiedSeptember 3, 1969(1969-09-03) (aged 98)
Haverford, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm slow
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1894–1906Merion
1896–1908Gentlemen of Philadelphia
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 47
Runs scored 2,552
Batting average 33.14
100s/50s 2/18
Top score 126*
Balls bowled 2,314
Wickets 57
Bowling average 22.22
5 wickets in innings 3
10 wickets in match 1
Best bowling 7/31
Catches/stumpings 15/–
Source: CricInfo, September 28 2018

John Ashby Lester (August 1, 1871 – September 3, 1969) was an American cricketer, active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and a teacher. Lester was one of the Philadelphian cricketers who played from the end of the 19th century until the outbreak of World War I. His obituary in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, described him as "one of the great figures in American cricket."[1] During his career, he played in 53 matches for the Philadelphians, 47 of which are considered first class. From 1897 until his retirement in 1908, Lester led the batting averages in Philadelphia and captained all the international home matches.[2]

  1. ^ "Wisden – 1970 – Obituaries in 1969". John Wisden & Co. 1970. Retrieved February 14, 2007.
  2. ^ "The C. C. Morris Cricket Library – Famous Cricketers – John A. Lester". Haverford College. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2007.