Fiery Fred " t'finest bloody fast bowler that ever drew breath"

Fred Trueman was born in Stainton near Maltby in South Yorkshire in 1931. Had he been born just 300 yards south, he would have been across the county border in Nottinghamshire and never have played for Yorkshire at all.

He was educated at Maltby Secondary School and played his early cricket for Sheffield United CC. He was first noticed by the Yorkshire County Cricket team after he took six wickets for one run against a top English league side at the age of fifteen.

He made his first-class debut for Yorkshire in 1949 and rose rapidly through the English cricketing ranks, becoming one of the best of his generation's greatest fast bowlers. ‘Fiery Fred’ hated batsmen and his scowl and flowing black hair were as well known as his classical bowling action.

Test Wicket Record

Fred was the first man from any country to take 300 Test wickets, a record he achieved at The Oval in 1964. Since that time many bowlers have gone past his overall figure of 307, but few have matched his average of 21.57 and strike rate of a wicket every 49 balls.

He no doubt would have taken many more test wickets if it had not been for numerous clashes he had with the Yorkshire and England cricketing authorities.

Fred Trueman was a fast and frightening bowler. In his first Test series, in 1952, he helped reduce India to 0 for 4 on his debut, and took 8 for 31 - the best Test bowling figures by a genuinely fast bowler at the time - in his third match.

In the second half of the 1950s he formed a great new-ball partnership with Brian Statham, the Lancashire fast bowler, who raced him neck-and-neck to 250 test wickets.

County cricket legend

Fred was a major part Yorkshire's dominance of the County Championship in the 1960s, and he retired after their sixth title in 10 years, in 1968. That was the season in which he was also a part of Yorkshire’s victory over the touring Australians.

In total Fred took 2,302 first class wickets (including four hat tricks) at an average of 18.27, The Yorkshire public idolised him for good reason - in 459 first-class matches for the county, he took 1,745 wickets at an average of 17.12. He claimed 100 wickets in a season on 12 occasions, with a best return of 175 wickets in 1960.

After cricket

Fred wrote a column for a Sunday newspaper for 43 years and in the 1970s he presented the Yorkshire TV programme Indoor League, and ended each programme with his catchphrase, "I'll sithee". In addition for many years he was a radio summariser for the BBC's Test Match Special commentary team. He was made an OBE in 1989.

Fred was a natural storyteller and became an after-dinner speaker earning enough money to have a large bungalow near Skipton in the Yorkshire Dales and a Rolls Royce — with the number plate FST 307.

Fred Trueman died on 1 July 2006.