Peter Eele

Peter James Eele (born 27 January 1935 at Taunton, Somerset), was a cricketer who played for Somerset and later acted as an umpire in first-class matches in England.

Eele was a lower-order left-handed batsman and a wicketkeeper. He was the reserve wicketkeeper to Harold Stephenson at Somerset in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and his first-class cricket career was dictated largely by Stephenson's state of health. So 43 of Eele's 54 first-class matches came in two seasons: 1958, when Stephenson was injured for the second half of the season, and 1964, when Stephenson was able to play only three times.^[1] When Stephenson left the county somewhat unwillingly at the end of the 1964 season, Somerset recruited Geoff Clayton of Lancashire as his wicketkeeping replacement. Eele stayed as Clayton's deputy for a couple of seasons, but then left the staff.

Eele's batting was his weak point. He passed 40 in a first-class innings only once, though he then went on to make an unbeaten 103 against the Pakistan Eaglets team in 1963.^[2] As a wicketkeeper, he was "tidy and unshowy".^[3]

After leaving Somerset, Eele played Minor Counties cricket for Devon. From 1981 to 1984 and then again from 1989 to 1990 he was on the first-class umpires list.^[4]

References