George Paine (cricketer) facts for kids

George Alfred Edward Paine (born June 11, 1908 – died March 30, 1978) was an English cricketer. He played in four important Test matches for England in 1934 and 1935.

Paine was a tall player. He batted right-handed, usually lower down the batting order. He was also a skilled left-arm spinner, meaning he bowled with his left arm and made the ball spin.

He started his career playing for Middlesex in 1926. After five matches, he moved to live in an area that allowed him to play for Warwickshire. He made his first appearance for Warwickshire in 1929.

Becoming a Top Spinner

When George Paine first started playing, his bowling was sometimes a bit expensive. This means the other team scored a lot of runs off his bowling. But by 1931, he had improved a lot. He learned to add more "flight" and "spin" to his deliveries. This made it harder for batsmen to hit his balls.

He became a top-class spinner. In 1931, he took 127 wickets, which is a great achievement. He continued to take over 100 wickets in each of the next five seasons. His best year was 1934, when he took an amazing 156 wickets. He was even at the top of the first-class bowling averages that year.

Because of his excellent performance, he was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in the 1935 edition of the famous Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. This is a very special award in cricket.

Playing for England

In 1934 and 1935, George Paine was chosen to go on a tour with the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) team. This team represented England. They traveled to the West Indies to play a series of Test matches. His teammate from Warwickshire, Eric Hollies, also went on this tour.

Test Match Highlights

Paine played in all his Test matches during this tour. He was the best bowler for England, taking 17 wickets. This was more than any other English bowler on the tour.

He also showed his batting skills in the third Test match. He was sent in as a nightwatchman. A nightwatchman is a player who usually bats lower down the order, sent in to bat near the end of a day's play to protect better batsmen. Paine scored his highest Test score of 49 runs in this match. England scored 226 runs in that innings.

Tour Results

However, the tour itself was not a big success for England. The West Indies won the four-match series by two games to one. Even though Paine did well, he was not chosen to play in any more Test matches after this tour.

Later Career and Retirement

After the West Indies tour, George Paine's performance for Warwickshire changed. In 1935, he still took over 100 wickets, but he was not as effective as before. The 1936 Wisden almanac mentioned that he was "suffering from physical trouble." It seems he had rheumatism, which affected his ability to bowl with the same flight and spin.

He was sick for much of 1936. In 1937, he returned but was not in good form. After another difficult season in 1938, he decided not to accept the terms Warwickshire offered him for 1939. He then left first-class cricket. He did make one final appearance in a match in 1947.

After he retired from playing cricket, George Paine became a coach. He worked at Solihull School, teaching young players the game.