ESPNcricinfo XI: Cricketing twins | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo Cricketing twins, some who confused the opposition, others who faced off against each other 26 Steve and Mark Waugh: Spot the difference © Getty Images The Waughs It's difficult to talk twins, in cricket at least, without starting with the Waughs - over 35,000 international runs and 73 hundreds between them, not to mention more than 400 wickets too. Steve started in international cricket first, then was famously dropped to allow Mark to make his debut. He was soon back, though, and both remained automatic choices for almost a decade. After sharing a womb, they shared a room for years too - but still ended up as very different personalities. And that background set up one of Test cricket's best one-liners, when Mark Waugh poked fun at the England newcomer Jimmy Ormond at The Oval in 2001. Informed that there was no way he was a good enough player for Test cricket, Ormond replied: "Maybe not - but at least I'm the best player in my family." The Bedsers ...

Certainly England's best-known sporting twins, the strongly built Bedsers churned out runs and, especially, wickets for Surrey for more than 15 years after the Second World War, including the period when they won a record seven successive Championship titles. The story goes that they tossed a coin to decide which one would remain a quick bowler and which would try spin: Alec won, and became the cornerstone of England's pace attack for the best part of a decade, while Eric 's offbreaks were confined to county cricket. They remained inseparable, though, into their late eighties. ... and the other Bedsers When Mr and Mrs Bedser of East London in South Africa produced twin boys in May 1948 it probably seemed like a good idea to call them Alec (established as an England star by then) and Eric (a considerable presence in county cricket). But even the proud parents must have been surprised when the new twins followed their namesakes in becoming fine cricketers: Alec played for Border in South Africa's Currie Cup, and Eric came close. Sadly, the younger Alec Bedser died in a road accident not long after his 33rd birthday.

A Signal honour The first twins to play together in a Test match were New Zealand's Signal sisters, Liz and Rose , who both toured England in 1984, and made their debuts together in the first Test at Headingley . Rose made 0 and 8 not out, and never played again, but Liz won five more caps. Later in that 1984 series, Jane Powell from Sheffield won her first cap for England: her twin, Jill , had played one Test five years earlier. The Marshalls Hamish and James Marshall from Auckland were the first identical twins to play together in a (men's) Test match, doing so against Australia at home at Eden Park in March 2005. Ricky Ponting admitted he had no idea how to tell them apart, but - although they did bat together in both innings - Ponting's task was helped by the fact that the twins used different makes of bat (and James sported a forearm guard). James has a strange record to his name, having scored 161 in what looks likely to be his last one-day international, against Ireland in 2008. The Dentons ...

Billy and John Denton were born in Northamptonshire, and both played more than 100 matches for the county, often forming an effective opening partnership. Billy once scored 230 not out against Essex , after a first-wicket stand of 97 with his twin. A younger brother, Arthur, also played a few games for Northants. ... and the Rippons Dudley and Sydney Rippon were born in Kensington, but played for Somerset, where they often opened the batting together. If that wasn't confusing enough, in one match in 1919 Sydney couldn't get time off work, but played anyway under an alias, borrowing his grandmother's name and appearing as "S Trimnell". The local paper tried its best to blow his cover, observing that "although his name is new, he is by no means a stranger to county cricket". And in the Championship match at Northampton in 1914 the Rippon twins went in first for Somerset, while the Dentons opened for Northants. The Matambanadzos The magnificently named Everton Zvikomberero Matambanadzo played three Tests for Zimbabwe as an opening bowler in the late 1990s, without much success.

His twin Darlington never quite made the Test side, although he did play a fair bit for Mashonaland. Everton's first name brings to mind Jim Laker's comment on being told by Everton Weekes that his father had named him after the famous football club: "Good thing he didn't support West Bromwich Albion." The Vareys Darlington-born David (Cambridge) and Jonathan (Oxford) Varey opposed each other in the varsity matches of 1982 and 1983. In 1982 Jonathan dismissed his brother, but Cambridge won; the following year the match was drawn. David, though, was the one who played a few times for Lancashire, and scored a century for them - against Oxford University - in 1985. Taylor-made The identical Taylors, born in Buckinghamshire, both had long county careers, Mike as a medium-paced allrounder for Nottinghamshire and Hampshire, and Derek behind the stumps for Surrey and Somerset. Twice - in a Championship match in 1970 and a Benson & Hedges Cup quarter-final in 1974 - Derek caught his brother for a duck.

It was appropriate that Derek ended up in Taunton, as the brothers' third forename is Somerset. The Shevills The first international twins of all were the Shevills, who both played for Australia in the inaugural women's Test series, against England in 1934-35. But they didn't quite appear together: Fernie , by then Mrs Blade, opened the bowling in the first match , and Irene kept wicket in the second and third Tests. Another sister, Essie Shevill, played in all three Tests as well. Steven Lynch is the editor of the Wisden Guide to International Cricket 2012 © ESPN Sports Media Ltd. Woking Bedser cricketer statues unveiled by Sir John Major - BBC News BBC News Woking Bedser cricketer statues unveiled by Sir John Major 8 June 2015 Close share panel Image caption Sir Alec and Eric Bedser both played for England and Surrey Statues of cricketing twins Sir Alex and Eric Bedser have been unveiled by former prime minister Sir John Major. The life-size bronze statues at either end of the Bedser Bridge in Woking, Surrey, show Sir Alec bowling from the town side to his twin brother Eric.

Sir Alec bowled for England in the 1950s and also played for Surrey. Eric was an all-rounder who played for Surrey. The newly-constructed Bedser Bridge links Horsell to Woking town centre. Sir John said he grew up about a mile away from the Oval and he saw a lot of both players. "I remember seeing them play a great deal and it was a wonderful introduction to cricket," he said. Woking council commissioned sculptor Allan Sly to create the statues of the twins, who grew up in Horsell. The Lightbox gallery has staged a display to explore the twins' lives and cricketing achievements. The exhibition runs until 12 July. The Bedser twins | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo The Bedser twins Norman Preston on the young days of Alec and Eric Bedser The Bedser twins: for once not dressed alike © Cricinfo "As like as two Bedsers " may well become an accepted term among cricketers, for no more bewildering similarity between two men could be imagined than that of Surrey's twin players, Eric Arthur and Alec Victor Bedser.

From the time that they first saw the light within ten minutes of each other at Reading on July 4, 1918, the amazing likeness has puzzled their friends. They have always weighed the same --at present 15 st. 6 lbs.--they both stand 6 ft. 3 ins., and wear clothes of precisely the same measurements, from gloves, when those of sufficient size can be obtained, to specially made boots. They have the same mannerisms - carefully practised one suspects - they speak in the same way, they write a precise facsimile, each produces a smile which is an exact "carbon copy" of the other. As they have been together almost throughout their 25 years of existence, the difficulties of recognition encountered by embarrassed scorers and pressmen - and indeed by everybody except "Mother "-- can readily estimated. Umpires, too, have had their problems. Once, when Alec was run out in a match, Eric followed in, but the umpire refused to allow him to bat "again" until Alec was recalled from the pavilion for purposes of comparison. From the age of six months they have lived at Woking, their father's birthplace.

They played cricket at school, where few matches were arranged, and those on pitches of doubtful quality, and both their father, a local cricketer, and mother, a much keener judge and follower of the lame than most members of her sex, gave them every encouragement. At the tender age of five rears, they began cricket training under father in the back garden and continued it for years. The twins joined a team of local choirboys, and, when seven, Eric won a prize for making top score in a match in which boys twice his age participated. Their keenness on cricket prompted them to spend hours at a stretch working on a wicket, rolling, mowing and carrying water from a nearby stream. At 14 they joined Woking CC and, to provide a distinguishing mark, Alec wore a black belt. Hereabouts, Alan Peach, the Surrey player, commenced coaching at an indoor school in the neighbourhood, and the twins put in much time here bowling to players desiring a knock. Although they never received any actual coaching, moth Alec and Eric are deeply grateful to Peach for the considerable advice they received from him during that period.

After a few games with the Young Players of Surrey, they were taken on the playing staff at The Oval in April, 1938, and Eric promptly made his mark, scoring 50, retired, and 100, retired, in the first trial. At once the twins gained places in the Second XI. Their success was immediate. Eric, firstly a batsman, hit 457 runs in 18 innings (highest score 92, not out), average 30.46, and was third in the bowling averages, taking with his spinners 22 wickets, average 19.95. Alec, bowling fast-medium in-swingers, headed the bowling figures with 42 wickets at a cost of 17.38 runs apiece, and averaged 13.50 for 12 innings in batting. Next year for the Second XI, Eric's batting figures were: 13 innings, 316 runs, highest score 120, average 26.33. and his five wickets cost 43.40. Alec took 41 wickets.

average 14.29, and hit 68 runs in six innings. That season, the last before the war, Surrey headed the Minor Counties Competition, and the Bedsers made their debut in first-class cricket against Oxford University at The Oval in June. Unfortunately rain ruined the game, and neither received much chance to show his quality. Since the war, as members of the RAF, they have accomplished fine things. Not much has been seen of Eric in big cricket this year, but Alec has eared grand bowling figures, performing the hat-trick for an England XI against a West Indies XI at Lord's and also for the R.A.F. at Westcliff against Metropolitan Police, when he took nine wickets and held a catch. His most startling analysis was that at Hove in 1942 when, playing for RAF against Police in a Sussex Services Tournament match, he dismissed nine batsmen in 23 deliveries for three runs, eight times hitting the stumps. The Bedsers, who saw service in France earlier in the war, have devised a scheme to overcome any suggestion of favouritism. They do not take any privilege leave during the winter, in order that they may get time for cricket during the summer . months.

For a time, the war simplified one thing. Eric, promoted to Flight-Sergeant some 12 months ago, wore a crown over his three stripes, so that it became possible, when they were in uniform, to distinguish which twin was which. Now Alec has also become a Flight-Sergeant, and the exact similarity is restored. © The Cricketer Well played, Woking! Statues of favourite sons Alec and Eric Bedser cheer up canal bridge | Wokingmatters Well played, Woking! Statues of favourite sons Alec and Eric Bedser cheer up canal bridge June 13, 2015 – 2:11 pm Sir Alec Bedser Eric Bedser The welcome addition of statues of Woking’s cricketing twins Alec and Eric Bedser has transformed a hitherto undistinguished new bridge over the Basingstoke canal into something that has interest at both ends. Sir Alec, who played for Surrey and England, is bowling to brother Eric, who only played for Surrey, at the other end of the bridge.

Eric appears to have smashed Sir Alec for six – and to that end, a bronze ball has been lodged in the wall of Woking borough council’s civic offices on the other side of the road. The bronze statues, by sculptor Allan Sly, were unveiled by former prime minister and Surrey cricket fan Sir John Major, who famously said upon his election defeat in 1997 that he was leaving Downing Street and off to the Oval to watch some cricket that same afternoon – a refreshing sense of priorities and of life after politics, some might say. There are two questions to raise about these statues, however. One question is: will/should they encourage impromptu games of cricket upon the Bedser bridge, to the inconvenience of passersby? The answer: probably not. Another question: why are the Bedser twins represented in their full, lifesize glory, while Woking’s other famous sons, The Jam, appear as three abstract blocks of wood on the other side of town? The answer: the Bedser twins grew up and lived in Woking throughout their lives. The Jam recorded a song about Woking titled Town Called Malice. The Bedsers never did that.

Like this: Waugh, Marshall, Bedser, and other twins who played cricket together - Cricket Country › Series › New Zealand tour of England, 2015 › Articles Waugh, Marshall, Bedser, and other twins who played cricket together If the Overtons make their debuts, they will be etched in history as the first twins to have played international cricket for England. | Updated : June 17, 2015 7:33 AM IST Jamie and Craig Overton could become the first twins to play international cricket for England © Getty Images With twins Craig and Jamie Overton being called-up to the England squad for the remaining two One-Day Internationals (ODI) against New Zealand, there is a high chance that they could become the first twins to play international cricket for England . Pramod Ananth lists some other twins to have played together. Craig Overton’s all-round abilities has earned him a place in the England squad in place of Chris Jordan, whereas his twin brother Jamie has been named as Liam Plunkett’s replacement. Craig, three minutes elder to Jamie, made his List A and First-Class debut for Somerset just days ahead of his ‘younger brother’.

If they make their debuts, they will be forever etched in history as the first pair of twins to have played international cricket for England. Jamie has 20 List A wickets to his name and was called up to the England squad for the ODI series against Australia in 2013, aged 19 with just 13 List A games under his belt. He played five tour games, but did not make it to the senior side. Jamie has just 10 wickets in 15 List A games, but is a handy batsman lower down the order. His scores of 86 and 99 against Sussex and Lancashire respectively in the First-Class arena help back it up. Here are some of the other twins, who played cricket together: 1. Steve Waugh & Mark Waugh (Australia): Perhaps the most accomplished twins in the history of cricket, Steve and Mark Waugh were pillars of Australian cricket for many, many years. They played 108 Tests and 214 One-Day Internationals (ODI) together.

The won the 1999 World Cup together and were part of the Test team that recorded 16 wins in a row from 1999 to 2001. Steve and Mark have 61 international centuries and well over 25,000 runs between them. Here are a cumulative statistics of matches they have played together for Australia in ODIs and Tests: Steve Waugh and Mark Waugh playing together in ODIs Players 25 31 It must be noted that though the Waughs were the first Australian twins to play Test cricket together, the Shevills were the first twins to do the same. Fernie (nee Blade) and Rene Shevill played in the same series — against England Women in 1934-35. Fernie played the Women’s Test, while Rene played the second and the third at SCG. Essie, an elder sister, played all three; this meant that both Fernie and Rene played alongside Essie, but Fernie and Rene never played together. 2. Hamish Marshall & James Marshall (New Zealand): Hamish and James became the first ever identical twins to play a Test — against Australia at Eden Park.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting apparently had no idea how to tell them apart but figured that the twins used different stickers on their bats. The twins have played 20 Tests and 76 ODIs together from 2000 to 2008 but were never really regulars for their national sides. Hamish is however believed to be one of those players who had immense talent but never really managed to shine on the big stage. Also Read Overton twins: Jamie and Craig commit to Somerset deals - BBC Sport BBC Sport Overton twins: Jamie and Craig commit to Somerset deals 7 Oct 2013 Media playback is not supported on this device Overton twins revel in rivalry Jamie and Craig Overton have signed contract extensions to keep them at Somerset for a further three years. The 19-year-old Devon-born twins both made their County Championship debuts in 2012.

OTHER CRICKETING TWINS The Bedsers - Eric (Surrey); Alec (England & Surrey) The Waughs - Steve (Australia, New South Wales, Kent & Somerset); Mark (Australia, New South Wales, Essex) The Marshalls - Hamish (New Zealand, Buckinghamshire, Gloucestershire); James (New South Wales, Northern Districts, Buckinghamshire) Fast-bowler Jamie enjoyed a successful season this year, which resulted in a call-up to England's one-day squad for the series against Australia. All-rounder Craig, meanwhile, missed most of the 2013 campaign because of a stress fracture in his lower back. Both brothers have featured for England Lions in recent years. Somerset director of cricket Dave Nosworthy said: "As a club we are extremely pleased to have secured these two young diamonds. "Both Craig and Jamie are very highly rated nationally and as west country lads we are excited to be able help them develop and at the same time to have them performing on the field for us.

"Long-term expectations around these two is high, so it will be key now for them to just keep their feet on the ground and to get the hard yards in." Share this page BBC Sport - Cricket - England Test bowling great Sir Alec Bedser dies England Test bowling great Sir Alec Bedser dies Receiving his knighthood in 1997 was a proud moment for Sir Alec Sir Alec Bedser, one of the finest of all England bowlers, has died at the age of 91, it has been announced. Bedser, knighted in 1997, passed away on Sunday evening at a hospital in Woking after falling ill last month. He took 236 wickets in 51 Tests over 10 years before serving a record 23 years as a selector and managing two tours. Along with twin brother Eric, Bedser was an integral part of the Surrey team that won seven consecutive County Championships between 1952 and 1958.

He had been the last man alive to have taken the wicket of Australian legend Sir Donald Bradman in a Test match, and never bowling above medium-fast - with the wicketkeeper standing up to the stumps - he dismissed the great batsman six times in all. Bradman stayed in regular contact by post with Bedser until his own death in 2001, and rated the Englishman as the finest bowler of his type he had faced. 606: DEBATE I had the privilege to spend an hour in his company in August 2008 for an article to mark the 100th anniversary of Sir Don Bradman's birth and was stunned by the incredibly lucid memories Sir Alec was able to share with me BBC Sport's Oliver Brett "The Don" famously finished Test cricket with an average of 99.94 having been bowled for a duck by leg-spinner Eric Hollies in his final match against England at The Oval in 1948. But Bedser told BBC Sport in an exclusive interview in August 2008 that, had he been bowling at the time, he would have served up a boundary ball for Bradman to dispatch for four.

"We had lost the series hopelessly already, what did it matter? It matters a lot now though, no-one else will do it [finish with a 100 average]," he said. Bedser remains one of England's greatest bowlers, having taken 100 or more wickets in a county season 11 times during his career. Mickey Stewart, 77, another former Surrey and England star and one of Bedser's closest friends, said: "This is obviously a very sad day for me and everybody who has been associated with Alec both during his Surrey and England days. "I first met him in my debut season with Surrey in 1953 when he was the senior professional and it was an honour and a great experience to play with him. "He was an incredibly accurate medium pace bowler with great control and I know he was extremely proud of the great Sir Don Bradman saying he was the finest bowler of his type that he played against. "He was also great friends to myself and my family. Whenever there were moments of concern, Alec was always the first on the phone to see that everything was OK.

"Alec was the typical traditional English professional cricketer and never quite understood all the fuss that goes on about the game today - both on and off the field. When he took his 11 wickets against India in 1946, the press rang at home to speak to his mother for her reaction. Her reply was: 'Well, isn't that what he's supposed to do as a bowler?'." Bedser excelled in Ashes series, making his highest Test score of 79 as a nightwatchman in the 1948 series, and five years later recorded his best international bowling figures of 7-44 against Australia. In the Coronation summer of 1953, he also beat Maurice Tate's record of 39 Australian wickets in an Ashes series. Sir Alec was often seen in public with twin brother Eric, who died in 2006 Bedser played his first Test in 1946 for England in a home series against India, having made just 12 previous first-class appearances for Surrey.

The 28-year-old immediately impressed, taking 11 wickets in a remarkable debut with his accurate medium-fast seam bowling, swiftly becoming the first Englishman to take 200 Test wickets. He remains seventh on England's all-time leading wicket-taker list topped by Sir Ian Botham with 383 and was inducted into the International Cricket Council's Hall of Fame, along with 21 compatriots in January 2009. Following his retirement, Bedser remained a central figure in English cricket, serving as a selector over three decades, as well as presiding as chairman between 1969 and 1981. Alec and twin Eric, who were inseparable, continued to be familiar faces at the Oval, attending at least one day of every county match at Surrey's home ground during an English summer. "Our absolute and complete affinity is hard to explain," said Alec. "But it is true and very real to us - so much so that as long as I can remember we have never been happy apart." Eric passed away in May 2006, but before he died the twins were often mistaken for each other by friends, colleagues and team-mates.

Among those to pay tribute to the more famous of the two brothers was former Prime Minister John Major. The keen Surrey and England fan said: "Alec Bedser was one of the greatest medium-fast bowlers of all time. He was also one of the great thinkers about cricket and his wisdom was one of the great untapped resources of the modern game. "As a young boy at The Oval, Alec was my bowling idol. In later years he became a friend I cherished greatly. Few people have served cricket better. None will be more missed." Surrey chief executive Paul Sheldon said: "Sir Alec was an iconic figure in world cricket. He upheld all the great traditions of the game and represented an era that has had a lasting impact on the history of Test and County cricket. "In our sadness at the passing of one of the world's greatest cricketers, we can also celebrate the end of an innings which brought pleasure to millions - and who was respected by all who were privileged to have known him." International Cricket Council chairman David Morgan said: "I kept in regular contact with him by telephone and the last time we spoke was just a few weeks ago.

He was still a keen follower of the game and was up to date with the latest scores and developments." England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Giles Clarke said: "Alec Bedser deserves to be remembered as one of the greatest England bowlers of all time, a master of the craft of seam bowling and a true legend of the game." Bookmark with: New statues honour Bedser twins - Woking Borough Council Woking Borough Council New statues honour Bedser twins 08 June 2015 Please note: these pages contain archived information. Whilst the details were correct when first published, they may since have 'aged' and some of the information could be out-of-date. For this reason, links in the content of archive news stories have been disabled. The Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH joined distinguished guests when he unveiled two statues representing Horsell cricketing legends, Sir Alec and Eric Bedser, at an official unveiling ceremony hosted by The Lightbox gallery and museum on Monday 8 June 2015.

The life-size bronze statues, positioned at either end of Bedser Bridge, depict a dynamic Sir Alec bowling from the town side to his twin brother, Eric, who has uncompromisingly smashed the ball for six beyond Victoria Way towards the Civic Offices. In appreciation of the shot, and with the assistance of former England player and coach, Micky Stewart, a bronze cricket ball positioned on the Civic Offices depicts where the ball landed. Regarded as England’s greatest cricketing twins, the Bedsers who grew up in Horsell played first-class cricket for Surrey throughout their careers, while Sir Alec also represented England 51 times during the 1950s. Before the unveiling, Sir John said: “As someone with a deep affection for the game, it gives me great pleasure to unveil these magnificent statues in honour of Alec and Eric Bedser who were – and will remain – unique. “Through our shared love of cricket, I was lucky enough to know the twins, and to appreciate their passion for the game, as well as for golf, gardening and their family home in Woking.

To think that these sporting greats nurtured their enthusiasm and knowledge of cricket just a stone’s throw from where we are today should make this town and its residents feel very proud indeed.” Cllr John Kingsbury, Leader of Woking Borough Council, added: “It is with delight and honour, we welcome cricketing enthusiast, The Rt Hon Sir John Major, to officially unveil these very special bronze statues of Horsell’s finest sporting sons, Sir Alec and Eric Bedser. Throughout and beyond their cricketing careers they never forgot their roots and helped to put Woking on the map. “I would also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Keith Smith who sadly passed away earlier this year. Without his enthusiasm, drive and determination these statues would not have been possible. He would have been immensely proud to see the Bedsers immortalised and would have enjoyed this moment.

“So it is only right that these stunning bronze statues represent a fitting tribute to Sir Alec and Eric Bedser’s cricketing achievements that they will inspire future generations of young cricketers from the local area to take up the game and continue the Bedser legacy.” To complement the official unveiling, an exhibition open to the public will be hosted by The Lightbox gallery and museum from Tuesday 9 June until Sunday 12 July. The exhibition celebrates the lives of the Bedser twins and their achievements through personal mementoes and sporting memorabilia to recordings of interviews about their rise within the game and their later roles within cricket. In recognition of the Bedser’s cricketing achievements, the Bedser Cricket Festival, named in their honour, will be hosted by Woking & Horsell Cricket Club between Tuesday 16 and Sunday 21 June 2015. Enjoy the skills, spills and thrills of leather on willow, as we commemorate the lives of the Bedser twins with a series of youth and senior cricket matches, culminating in a fixture against Surrey County Cricket Club’s Masters XI, featuring well known cricketing faces from the recent past on Sunday 21 June.

For more information, please visit To ensure the legacy of the Bedsers lives on, in 2013, Surrey County Cricket Club and the Surrey Cricket Board, established the Bedser Foundation to raise the profile of cricket through the development of the game specifically within Woking’s 33 schools and to identify Surrey’s next generation of cricketing stars. The two life-size statues cast in bronze were commissioned by Woking Borough Council and designed and sculpted by national and internationally recognised sculptor, Allan Sly RA Cert. FRBS. Further information The Bedser Twins Sir Alec Victor Bedser CBE (4 July 1918 – 4 April 2010) was primarily a medium-fast bowler, widely regarded as one of the best English cricketers of his generation. He played first-class cricket for Surrey from 1939 to 1960 alongside his identical twin brother Eric. He took 1,924 first-class wickets in 485 matches and played Test cricket for England from 1946 to 1955, taking 236 wickets in 51 Test matches.

After retirement, Sir Alec became the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and was the president of Surrey County Cricket Club. He was knighted in 1996. Eric Arthur Bedser (4 July 1918 – 24 May 2006) was an all-rounder, regarded as a useful right-handed batsman and right-arm off-spin bowler. In a first-class career that lasted 23 years, Eric played in 457 matches for Surrey, scoring 14,716 runs taking 833 wickets. After retiring from playing cricket he went into business with his brother. While Sir Alec became a selector for England, Eric served on various committees at Surrey. He was president of Surrey County Cricket Club in 1990. The Sculptor Allan Sly is a sculptor who has been successfully engaged in private and public commissions since graduating from the Royal Academy Schools in 1977. He has won numerous awards for figurative sculpture and his work is held in private collections in Europe and America. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors and also Senior Lecturer at Wimbledon College of Arts.

Sly is predominantly interested in the character and movement of the human figure. His sculptures, life-size and larger, often reflect his fascination with the qualities of character formed by life experience. His latest commissions include three life-size sculptures in bronze of the scientists Watson Crick and Franklin describing the moment of the discovery of DNA and a life size four figure composition in bronze of The Beatles at the height of their career. These sculptures are held in a private collection in Warwickshire. The Bedser Twin sculptures Sly was approached in April 2013 by Woking Borough Council and commissioned to make the sculptures of Alec and Eric Bedser to go onto the newly constructed bridge, Bedser Bridge, in Woking. Research and photographic references were supplied by the Lightbox before the sculptor could begin his preliminary designs and in June 2013 work begun on the full size figures. In August 2014 the clay modelling of both figures was completed and the final bronzes were finally finished in May 2015. Cllr Kingsbury's full speech "Sir John, High Sheriff, Mr. Mayor,Member of Parliament distinguished guests. It is my pleasure, as Leader of the Council, to thank you all for attending today.

I am sure you will agree with me that it’s a splendid occasion honouring Sir Alec and Eric Bedser. I was privileged to have known them both and I saw Eric score a brilliant 100 at Guildford. I would now like to mention a few other people. "The first person I would like to thank is Keith Smith. He was a true “Citizen of Woking”. It was Keith’s inspiration for the Bedser Foundation that led me, together with Mickey Stewart, Ray Morgan and Douglas Spinks to work with the sculptor of these excellent bronze statues of the Bedser twins we have seen unveiled today. Sadly Keith passed away before he was able to see the finished sculptures but later this year we will produce interpretation panels on the approaches to the bridge to remember both the Bedser’s and Keith’s inspiration. I am delighted that Betty, Keith’s widow, together with their sons, Kevin and Nigel, have joined us today and I hope that seeing these statues reminds them of the significant contribution Keith made to this Borough. Let us pause for a few moments in memory of Keith.

"I would also like to thank Mickey Stewart, who with the help of friends and colleagues from Surrey Cricket Club found pictures, equipment and details of the era when the Bedsers played to ensure that the sculptures reflect the equipment of the time; no coloured trainers or branded pads just good old standard equipment with the old fashioned buckles! It was a great pleasure for me to visit “work in progress” at the sculptor’s studio on three occasions with Mickey and Keith. I am sure that you and your fellow trustees of the Bedser Foundation will ensure the Bedser Scholarship will help young people of today enjoy and develop their cricket skills, and I am sure that as they walk across the Bedser Bridge they will be inspired. "Today we have seen unveiled the two exciting sculptures of the Bedsers that are a delight to behold. This would not have been possible without the skills, dedication and patience of the sculptor, Allan Sly, who has joined us today with his wife Rosalind, who was always most welcoming when we visited the studio. Allan has compiled a record of his work on the sculptures and with colleagues at the Lightbox has prepared, as part of the Bedser Exhibition that you can see today, a story board of the Sculptures.

Allan, please come forward a take a much deserved bow for your excellent work. "May I ask you all to show your appreciation in the usual way! "Allan will be here until the end of the event and will be delighted to speak to you about his work. "These occasions do not happen by magic and therefore I would like to thank the staff of Woking Borough Council, the Lightbox, and our contractors for their excellent work. I asked the Chief Executive how we found Allan and he said it was thanks to Mrs Patricia Grayburn MBE of the University of Surrey whom he met at a Charity Dinner; thank you Mrs Grayburn and I am pleased that you could join us today. "The last person, but most certainly not the least, that I wish to thank is the Rt Hon Sir John Major. Sir John, your love of cricket is well known and your willingness to join us today, despite your busy schedule, is greatly appreciated. I am even wearing my MCC tie in your honour! I enjoyed your address and the unveiling of the Bedser statues. You may have noticed that, as organisers, we were a little tense in case the drapes didn’t come off!! However officers assured me that contingency plans were in hand.

I understand this was the two staff standing either side of the statues to give the drapes a tug in case they got caught. To quote the usual encouragement I receive from the Council’s Chief Executive: “It will be alright in the end and if it’s not alright it’s not the end”. I am sure we all agree that in the end it has been a great success! "Sir John, I am grateful that you agreed to unveil these statues to our unique local cricket legends and have also agreed to stay and meet our guests and see the Bedser Exhibition in The Lightbox. "May I, therefore, in bringing my remarks to a close thank Sir John for joining us today and invite all of you to show your appreciation in the usual Woking way." Cllr John Kingsbury Eric Bedser - Telegraph Sport Obituaries Eric Bedser Eric Bedser, the Surrey cricketer who died yesterday aged 87, was older by 10 minutes than his identical twin brother Alec; and it was perhaps only chance which decreed that, while Alec became the mainstay of England's bowling in the years after the Second World War, Eric did not progress beyond county level.

12:02AM BST 25 May 2006 As teenagers, both Bedsers bowled medium-fast. Deciding, however, that some variation was required in the fraternal armoury, they tossed a coin to decide which twin should continue to bowl in this style, and which should take up another mode of attack. The spin of the coin favoured Alec, so Eric thenceforward concentrated on bowling off-breaks. A better batsman than Alec, he won a place in the Surrey side as an extremely useful all-rounder. Had Eric Bedser been playing for any other county, he would surely have done the Double (1,000 runs and 100 wickets) several times. But with Jim Laker and Tony Lock as team-mates, opportunities for another spinner were limited. Only when these two great bowlers were away playing for England did Eric Bedser have much of a chance with the ball; and his performances on these occasions played a crucial role in Surrey's seven successive county championship titles between 1952 and 1958.

Indeed in 1956 (Laker's annus mirabilis, when he claimed 19 wickets in a Test match against Australia), Eric Bedser actually had the better bowling average for Surrey, taking 68 wickets at 17.22 apiece, against Laker's 57 at 18.17. No wonder that Stuart Surridge, Surrey's captain, observed that without Eric Bedser Surrey might not have carried off the title. Undoubtedly, Eric Bedser could have found a better career for himself away from Surrey, save that neither twin would contemplate separation for any length of time. As though anxious to emphasise that they were both sprung from the same egg, they invariably wore the same clothes, and enjoyed the frequent confusion of their identities. Though they sometimes exchanged sharp remarks on the field - "Rubbish, bowl straighter Alec, make them play," Eric would shout from slip - and were unsparing in criticism of each other's golf shots, the bond between them was indissoluble.

Eric delighted in Alec's greater success as though it had been his own: "Our absolute and complete affinity is hard to explain," he once wrote, "but is true and very real to us. Our lives have been so close that we are, for all purposes, one. We share everything and have never quarrelled seriously." Related Articles John Mortimore 12 Mar 2014 Eric Arthur Bedser and Alec Victor Bedser were born at Reading on July 4 1918, and brought up first in two rooms belonging to an aunt on Horsell Common, and then at Knaphill. They were the third generation of the family to live in the Woking area. The twins' father, after serving in the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War, earned his living as a bricklayer. In his spare time he enjoyed games of cricket at Woodham Hall, and at soccer turned out on the right wing for Woking in the Isthmian League. Very far from spoilt, the twins grew up with a cautious attitude to life that allowed no scope for frills or frivolity. From the age of five they walked a mile each way to Maybury Junior School.

When they went on to Monument Hill Central School, they impressed with their industry and dedication, and even when separated from each other in class continued to make the same mistakes in their work. Eric became captain of the school football team. Both twins were good enough soccer players to be chosen first for Woking Boys and then for Surrey Boys. They had dreams of playing for Arsenal. Cricket, however, was always the Bedsers' first love, and they were fortunate to come to the notice of the Rev RT Jourdain, the cricket-mad vicar of All Saints, Woodham, where they sang in the choir. Jourdain organised matches in which the twins began to shine. He also took them to see Surrey v Middlesex at the Oval, and (in June 1932) England v India at Lord's. At 14 Eric began work as a clerk in a solicitor's office in Lincoln's Inn Fields, whither Alec soon followed him. The work left the twins with little spare time; every morning they caught the 8.05 from Woking, returned home at 7.30 pm, and then settled down to evening classes in book-keeping until 10 pm.

Even on Saturdays they were not free until 1.30 pm. But another piece of luck came their way when Alan Peach, a former Surrey all-rounder, opened a cricket school at Woking. The twins devoted every spare moment to the school, earning their place with long stints of bowling while profiting from the tuition on offer. But their presence in a side sometimes caused trouble: when they played together for Woking, Eric was accused of batting twice. Alan Peach had strong contacts with the Oval - after the Second World War he would be Surrey's coach - and in April 1938 the Bedsers took the considerable risk of abandoning the Law and joining the Surrey ground staff. In the summer their wages were £2 a week, plus minimal match fees; in the winter they were paid £1 a week retainer. It was a hard and narrow school, with a rigid hierarchy: young players were not encouraged to initiate conversation, or even to enter the senior professionals' dressing room. Yet within weeks Eric was opening the batting with Jack Hobbs in a charity match, and in June 1939 both twins made their Surrey debuts against Oxford University at the Oval.

Eric once more opened the batting, this time with Laurie Fishlock, and scored 14. Neither he nor Alec, however, took any wickets, and Alec made a duck. In the next game, against Cambridge, Eric scored only one, but had George Mann, the future England captain, LBW. With the outbreak of hostilities, the twins followed their father's example in the First World War and joined the RAF. They had a narrow escape when strafed by by a German fighter on the Belgian border in May 1940, and found themselves stranded in France as the Allies collapsed before Hitler's onslaught. The Bedsers were fortunate to be rescued by a Surrey member who took them most of the way to Dunkirk in his car. Later they served together in Algiers, Tunis and Naples. At Caserta they visited the grave of the great Yorkshire spin bowler Hedley Verity, who had been killed in action in 1943, and helped arrange a marble headstone. By that time Eric was a warrant officer and his brother a flight sergeant; Alec had refused promotion to warrant officer since that would have meant their being separated.

At the end of the war the twins returned to an Oval which bore its full share of the scars of conflict. In 1940 the ground had been prepared as a PoW camp for Germans who might be captured in the expected invasion of London; later it was used as a barrage balloon and searchlight base. The groundsman, Bert Lock, performed miracles to get it ready for first-class cricket in 1946. When the county championship resumed that summer, Alec immediately made his mark, and was selected for the first Test against India. Eric's progress was more sedate, though he made more than 1,000 runs for Surrey in 1947, and in July 1949 suddenly burst out with centuries against Somerset and Nottinghamshire. That year, his best with the bat, he scored 1,740 runs at an average of 34.11. Thanks to the generosity of Alfred Cope, a football pools promoter, in 1946-47 Eric had been able to join Alec, who was playing for England in Australia. It was an opportunity which the Australian barrackers did not miss.

"You'll never get him out," they shouted at Alec, "send for Eric." Eric also accompanied his twin on other tours. In South Africa in 1948-49 they were asked to be godparents to another pair of Bedser twins christened Eric and Alec. The South African Alec Bedser proved himself a fine games player before dying early in a car crash, and played first-class cricket for Border in three Currie Cup matches. In 1950 Eric was selected to play for The Rest against England in a Test Trial at Bradford. That was the game in which Jim Laker took eight wickets for two runs in the Rest's first innings of 27. One of those two runs came from a full toss which Laker served up to allow his county colleague Eric Bedser to get off the mark. It was said that Alec Bedser ran several yards back at mid-on to facilitate the single. In the second innings Eric top-scored with 30. He would never play for England, but when he accompanied Alec on MCC's tour of Australia in 1950-51 he found himself called up due to injuries to play for MCC against Tasmania.

There was no story-book ending, however; he made only two and took no wickets. As the 1950s wore on, and Alec's bowling lost some of its zip, there were seasons (1956, 1957, 1959 and 1960) when Eric finished above his twin in the Surrey bowling averages. In 1961, after Alec had retired, Eric took 72 wickets, more than in any other season. His last first-class match was for MCC against Cambridge University in 1962. He had played in 487 first-class matches and made 14,716 runs at an average of 24, with 10 centuries. As a bowler he took 833 wickets at 24.95 apiece. In 1954 with their friend Jack Fagan, the Bedsers had set up a shop to sell office equipment in Woking. They soon bought another shop at Staines, and then acquired Henry Baker Ltd, a small business in St Bride Street, off Ludgate Circus.

In 1962 they went into partnership with Ronald Straker to form Straker-Bedser, a company with 180 employees and 25 shops in London and the Home Counties. By the time Straker-Bedser was taken over by Ryman in 1977 it had an annual turnover of £1.8 million. Shortly afterwards Ryman was bought by Montagu Burton. The twins stayed on for a while, but left at the end of the 1970s to become consultants for Brengreen Holdings, run by another friend, David Evans, who had played professional cricket for Gloucestershire and Warwickshire, and football for Aston Villa. These business activities were far from being a sinecure for the twins, who involved themselves actively at every point. Since Alec's time was also taken up by his role as a Test selector, Eric shouldered more than his share of the burden. Alec Bedser was knighted in 1997. "I owe much to my Other Half," he wrote, "and if it is deemed that I served the game, then cricket also is in his debt." Neither of the Bedser twins married.

They lived together in a house at Woking which they had helped their father build in 1953. Published May 25 2006 Arthur McIntyre obituary | Sport | The Guardian Arthur McIntyre obituary England wicketkeeper who helped Surrey to victory in the 1950s England captain Peter May (batting) and Surrey's Arthur McIntyre (wicket keeper) in training at the Oval, 16th April 1956. Photograph: Dennis Oulds/Getty Images Tuesday 23 February 2010 13.00 EST First published on Tuesday 23 February 2010 13.00 EST Share on Messenger Close Arthur McIntyre, who has died aged 91, was England's oldest surviving Test cricketer. He was one of the finest wicketkeepers of his time. But that time, essentially, was the 1950s and, because he had the misfortune to be a contemporary of that extrovert genius Godfrey Evans, he played only three Tests for England. Instead, McIntyre's career was defined by his achievements at county level.

He was Surrey's keeper during that county's richest period, when they won seven back-to-back championships in the 1950s. He was at his best standing up to Alec Bedser, who succeeds him as England's oldest Test player. No player, arguably, has had a stronger association with his county. He grew up in Princes Square, in Kennington, within sight of The Oval, and when he retired as a player he remained with the club for a further 20 years as a coach, shaping the skills and attitudes of another generation of cricketers. "He was very much old school," says Pat Pocock, the former Surrey and England off-spinner. "Let's say the psychological side of coaching didn't come into it. I remember him telling one player who complained of a sore ankle to just run it off. It later transpired that the player had a double fracture. "He could be a grumpy bloke and a tough bloke. He was a hard-bitten old pro, an old-fashioned coach and someone you just didn't mess with. He coached the second team, mostly, and he kept everyone on their toes because they were afraid of him.

But he was an outstanding wicketkeeping coach and helped Jack Richards become an England keeper. He will be remembered as one of Surrey's greatest servants." Unlike Pocock, Micky Stewart played with McIntyre. The man who would become Surrey captain and manager of the England side first played for the county in 1954, when McIntyre was still at his peak."He was a top, top, keeper, very quick on his feet both behind the stumps and running between the wickets as a useful lower-order batsman." But for all his renowned toughness, McIntyre had a human side that helped the players warm to him. "I remember playing against Essex and, in my 90s, approaching my maiden championship century," Stewart recalls. "Arthur walked down the wicket and told me not to be nervous, to keep playing normally and the hundred would come. The next thing I knew, he was calling yes-no-yes-no and I was diving full length to make my ground. He nearly ran me out twice. He was more nervous for me than I was for myself." Although McIntyre was to become strongly associated with Surrey, his father came from Aberdeen and his mother from Aberystwyth.

Arthur first played for Surrey in 1938, two years after he had been put in charge of the cycle shed at The Oval, and made his last appearance for the club in 1963. He played 390 first-class matches, scoring 11,145 runs at an average of 22.83. He scored seven centuries and reached 1,000 runs in a season on three occasions. He took 638 catches and made 157 stumpings. He also took four wickets, for it was as a leg-break bowler and aggressive batsman that he entered the game. He was coached by "Tich" Freeman, one of England's greatest wrist spinners. After his two appearances in 1938 he made nine in 1939, so the second world war robbed him of what might have been six of his most productive summers. In the war, he served in north Africa. He helped organise cricket in Bari, on the Adriatic, after being wounded in the Anzio landings in Italy. As a sergeant in the Army Physical Training Corps, he kept wicket for the Central Mediterranean Force.

It was in Italy that the Bedser twins, Alec and Eric, persuaded the 5ft 5in McIntyre that his lack of height might handicap him as a bowler. He once scored a century for Western Italy against Eastern Italy. After the war he was coached by one of England's most famous wicketkeepers, Herbert Strudwick, who was a close friend of McIntyre's boyhood hero Jack Hobbs. He played for Surrey as a batsman in 1946, when the keeper was Gerald Mobey, and scored a century against Kent. But it was when Mobey retired at the end of the 1946 summer that McIntyre was given the chance to establish himself as one of the club's best and most fondly remembered keepers. He played regularly until 1958, when he was one of Wisden's five cricketers of the year. With England, though, he was less fortunate. He played three matches between 1950 and 1955. He scored only 19 runs and took eight catches, and England were badly beaten in each of these games. His wife, Dorothy, predeceased him.

• Arthur John William McIntyre, cricketer, born 14 May 1918; died 26 December 2009

Question: England and Surrey cricketing twins Alec and Eric had what surname?
Answer: Bedser