| Personal information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John James Warr | |||
| Born | 16 July 1927 Ealing, Middlesex, England |
|||
| Batting style | Right-hand bat | |||
| Bowling style | Right-arm fast-medium | |||
| International information | ||||
| National side | English | |||
| Career statistics | ||||
| Competition | Tests | First-class | ||
| Matches | 2 | 344 | ||
| Runs scored | 4 | 3,838 | ||
| Batting average | 1.00 | 11.45 | ||
| 100s/50s | –/– | –/3 | ||
| Top score | 4 | 54* | ||
| Balls bowled | 584 | 53,012 | ||
| Wickets | 1 | 956 | ||
| Bowling average | 281.00 | 22.79 | ||
| 5 wickets in innings | – | 35 | ||
| 10 wickets in match | – | 5 | ||
| Best bowling | 1/76 | 9/65 | ||
| Catches/stumpings | –/– | 118/– | ||
| Source: [1], | ||||
John James Warr (born 16 July 1927, Ealing, Middlesex, England)[1] is an English former cricketer. He played in two Test matches for England.[1]
His Test bowling average remains the worst of any English player, but Warr turned it into comic relief in his highly humorous after dinner speeches.[1]
He played for Middlesex as a right-arm fast-medium bowler, in 260 first-class matches between 1949 and 1960. He took 703 wickets for the county at an average of 20.75, with a personal best of 9 for 65. He captained the county in 1959 and 1960. After taking 87 wickets in the 1950 season, which ranked him 32nd on the list of wicket-takers in the first-class season.[2]
Warr was selected for the 1950–51 Ashes tour. He played in two of the five Test matches, but went wicketless through his three first innings, and in the fourth he took the wicket of Australia's number seven, Ian Johnson, caught behind. In those four innings, he conceded 281 runs, and as of 2006[update] his bowling average remains the worst of any England Test player.[3] According to the 1952 Wisden Cricketer's Almanack Warr "tried hard and cheerfully, but he could not be regarded as Test class."[4]
John in fact in these two Tests took one for 281, which caused a few of us thereafter childishly to hum in his presence the Ancient and Modern Hymn number 281, 'Lead us Heavenly Father, lead us', with emphasis on the lines "Lone and Dreary, Faint and Weary, Through the Desert thou did'st go." In fact, of course, it was J.J. Warr's prime virtue was that he never seemed either faint or weary, on the field or off. Laughter was seldom far away when he was about... - E.W. Swanton[5]
However, he did take 100 first-class wickets twice - in 1956 and 1959, and played a total of 15 matches for the Gentlemen of England.
After retirement, he became a leading figure at the Jockey Club and was President of the MCC in 1987-8.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bill Edrich |
Middlesex County Cricket Captain 1958–1960 |
Succeeded by Ian Bedford |