Harry Dean (cricketer)

Template:Infobox Historic Cricketer Harry Dean, born August 13, 1884 and died at Garstang, Lancashire, March 12, 1957, was a cricketer who played for Lancashire and England.

Dean was a left-arm bowler who could bowl fast-medium swing or slower spinners to suit the conditions. Joining Lancashire in 1906, he made an immediate impact with 60 wickets in his first season. He took 100 wickets in 1907 but was expensive given that virtually all the pitches suited spin bowling, but improved steadily to be by 1910 clearly the best bowler in the Lancashire eleven with 137 wickets. In 1911, although he was overworked when Walter Brearley was away on business, Dean went from strength to strength, taking 175 wickets in the County Championship. When Brearley played with him, the two could be formidable indeed. Against Kent on a perfect wicket at Canterbury they got down eight wickets for 58 at the start and went on to take all twenty wickets in the match - Brearley twelve for 218, Dean eight for 144 - depriving Kent of a hat-trick of titles in the process. In 1912, now bowling almost spin, Dean was better than ever and in wet weather carried all before him, taking 13 for 49 against Worcestershire and Aigburth and fifteen wickets against Kent.

He played three times for England that summer in the 1912 Triangular Tournament - twice against South Africa and once against Australia. Though he bowled very well in these games, he was near retirement before the next home Tests were played and he was never thought likely to do well abroad.

In 1913, Dean was steady but rather expensive on the hard wickets, but on a rain-affected pitch in a special "Roses match" against Yorkshire arranged for the visit of King George V to the Aigburth ground at Liverpool, Dean accomplished one of the best performance in first-class cricket. He took nine wickets for 62 runs in the first innings, and eight for 29 in the second, and his match figures of 17 for 91 remain the best in a first-class match for Lancashire or against Yorkshire.

In 1914, Dean was absent for most of the first half of the season, and did only one notable performance on returning when he took 13 for 84 against a strong Hampshire side, whilst he was very disappointing in 1919. However, he surprised the critics in 1920 with a superb season, taking over 120 wickets and helping Lancshire to second spot. He bowled very well in 1921 even if helped by some appalling batting sides, but then switched to Cheshire in the Minor Counties Championship, for whom Brearley had played and Dean continued to play until 1926.

References

• Cricinfo page on Harry Dean