A right-hand batsman, Ted Lester's career with Yorkshire lasted for a decade immediately after the war. He made his debut as an amateur and in 1947 he finished third in the national averages with 657 runs in 11 innings, including three hundreds. He turned professional in 1948 and was a model of consistency, passing 1000 runs in seven of the next eight seasons, his best year coming in 1949 (when Yorkshire were joint champions) when he made 1801 runs. His form fell away sharply in 1955 when he mustered only 410 runs in 16 matches before being dropped, and he made only one outing in1956, against Scotland. He continued to play regularly for the 2nd XI. He went on to become the county's scorer, and in 1964 he made one last appearance when illness meant he was drafted into Yorkshire's side for a Gillette Cup tie at Lord's. Lester made 0 and Yorkshire lost. He continued as scorer until 1988.
Martin Williamson