Ames, Leslie

Leslie Ames, in full Leslie Ethelbert George Ames, (born Dec. 3, 1905, Elham, Kent, Eng.—died Feb. 26, 1990, Canterbury, Kent), one of the outstanding all-round English cricketers.

At the age of 17 Ames became a batsman for Kent; he became a wicketkeeper in 1927. He began playing in test matches in 1929, and in 1931–38 he was the first-choice keeper for England. His finest season was in 1933, during which he scored 3,059 runs (average 58.80). During World War II he served in the Royal Air Force; subsequently he seldom kept wicket. After his retirement in 1951 he continued with Kent as coach, then as secretary-manager (1960–74). He also was an England test selector in 1950–56 and 1958, and he managed England on tour three times.

In a playing career that spanned 1926–51, the quick, aggressive Ames, as a batsman, scored 37,248 runs (average 43.51) and 102 centuries, including 2,434 runs (average 40.56) and eight centuries in test matches. As a wicketkeeper he dismissed 1,121 batsmen (including 418 stumped, a world record in his lifetime, and 703 caught); he recorded seasonal doubles (at least 1,000 runs and 100 dismissals) in 1928, 1929, and 1932.