page_title: John Lester
section_title: Legacy and later life
hierarchical_section_title: John Lester / Legacy and later life
caption_attribution_description: English: American cricketer John A Lester in front of the main building of the Merrion Cricket Ground at Haverford College in Haverford, Pennsylvania.
context_page_description: John Ashby Lester was an American cricketer, active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Lester was one of the Philadelphian cricketers who played from the end of the 19th century until the outbreak of World War I. His obituary in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, described him as "one of the great figures in American cricket." During his career, he played in 53 matches for the Philadelphians, 47 of which are considered first class. From 1897 until his retirement in 1908, Lester led the batting averages in Philadelphia and captained all the international home matches.
context_section_description: John Lester helped to lift Philadelphia cricket to the highest levels of international play with his leadership and understanding of the sport. He is one of the few American cricketers noted in Cricket Scores and Biographies, which said that he was "a watchful batsman who could hit well and had plenty of strokes and strong defence." In 1951 he authored A Century of Philadelphia Cricket, which was a definitive history of the game in the area. Lester was also integral in the foundation of the C.C. Morris Cricket Library when he proposed in 1964 that cricket, "with a history and literature second to none should be given a permanent home in the United States." In 1969, he made his final public appearance at a cricket function when the library was opened at Haverford. Lester received his PhD in education from Harvard University in 1902 and for many years was head of the English department at The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania and served as a university professor. He died in 1969 and as a lasting memorial, the pavilion at Cope Field is named in his honor.
caption: John Lester posing at bat in later life
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