35 Facts About Wilf Barber

Wilfred Barber was a professional first-class cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1926 to 1947.

Wilf Barber played two Test matches for England in 1935 against South Africa.

An opening batsman with an excellent batting technique, Barber often batted in the middle order.

Wilf Barber scored 16,402 runs in first-class cricket at an average of 34.28 with 29 centuries.

Wilf Barber made his debut in 1926 and made several appearances over the next few seasons.

Wilf Barber scored a thousand runs for the first time that season, a feat he was to achieve eight times, while he scored over 2,000 runs in 1935.

Until the Second World War broke out, Wilf Barber continued as a regular member of the Yorkshire side.

Wilf Barber's career continued in club cricket and he went on to coach local sides before his death in 1968.

Wilf Barber was born on 18 April 1901 in Cleckheaton, Yorkshire.

Wilf Barber did not appear for the Yorkshire Second XI until he was 25, in 1926, when he scored 600 runs, including a century, and averaged 40.

Wilf Barber was scheduled to bat later in the innings and was not needed to bat as Yorkshire completed an easy victory.

However, Wilf Barber was in and out of the side over the next two seasons.

Wilf Barber did not play 20 matches or reach 500 runs in either season and passed fifty only four times in total.

Wilf Barber finished fifth in the Yorkshire batting averages, the first time he had been placed so high.

Wilf Barber's runs played a part in Yorkshire winning the County Championship in his first full season.

Wilf Barber scored 2,147 runs at an average of 42.09 and finished third in the Yorkshire averages.

Also in 1935, Wilf Barber was chosen to represent England in the Test series against South Africa.

Wilf Barber was one of six Yorkshire players selected that season.

Wilf Barber scored 83 runs in four innings with a highest score of 44 in the fourth Test but England only drew these matches and he was left out of the final game.

Wilf Barber took a wicket with his second ball in Test cricket, when the match was heading towards an obvious draw.

Wilf Barber was the senior professional but was not as effective as had been expected in Australia.

Wilf Barber scored 797 runs in all first-class matches, average 41.94, including two centuries.

Wilf Barber was second in the Yorkshire batting averages in 1936, fourth in 1937 and 1939 but slipped to sixth in 1938.

Wilf Barber played a further three matches in 1947 to bring his career to a close.

From 1932, when Wilf Barber became a regular player, until his last full season in 1946, he was part of a Championship winning side seven times.

Wilf Barber scored a total of 16,402 runs in his career with 29 hundreds and 182 catches, and was described by Gerald Howat as "the fourth pillar" of the Yorkshire batting in the mid-1930s.

Jim Kilburn said that Wilf Barber was "small in stature but upright in style".

Wilf Barber was a good batsman on the off side and had a very good defensive technique, while his strength on the leg side was noted on his Test debut.

Wilf Barber was more comfortable in normal circumstances than in a crisis and did not enjoy batting on difficult pitches.

Wilf Barber was a kind, modest man, who never believed that his contribution was good enough, even if he had scored a century.

Wilf Barber had scored 73 in the first innings but Kent had built up a lead of 148 on the second day of the match.

Wilf Barber shared in seven other century opening partnerships Yorkshire, four of them with Arthur Mitchell, and six other 200 partnerships.

Wilf Barber's fielding, generally done in the deep, was described by Wisden as "first rate".

Wilf Barber went on to play for Mirfield in the Central Yorkshire League between 1952 and 1955.

Wilf Barber died, aged 67, in a hospital in Bradford after a short illness, on 10 September 1968.