Peter James Eele (27 January 1935 – 25 January 2019) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Somerset and was later a first-class umpire.[1][2]

Peter Eele
Personal information
Full name
Peter James Eele
Born27 January 1935
Taunton, Somerset, England
Died25 January 2019 (aged 83)
Wellington, Somerset, England
BattingLeft-handed
RoleWicketkeeper
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1958–1965Somerset
First-class debut31 May 1958 Somerset v Sussex
Last First-class21 June 1965 Somerset v Cambridge University
List A debut27 May 1964 Somerset v Nottinghamshire
Last List A10 May 1969 Devon v Hertfordshire
Career statistics
Competition First-class List A
Matches 54 3
Runs scored 612 12
Batting average 12.24 4.00
100s/50s 1/0 0/0
Top score 103* 6
Catches/stumpings 87/19 4/0
Source: CricketArchive, 6 July 2008

Eele was a lower-order left-handed batsman and a wicketkeeper. He was the reserve wicketkeeper to Harold Stephenson at Somerset in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and his first-class cricket career was dictated largely by Stephenson's state of health. So 43 of Eele's 54 first-class matches came in two seasons: 1958, when Stephenson was injured for the second half of the season, and 1964, when Stephenson was able to play only three times.[3] When Stephenson left the county somewhat unwillingly at the end of the 1964 season, Somerset recruited Geoff Clayton of Lancashire as his wicketkeeping replacement. Eele stayed as Clayton's deputy for a couple of seasons, but then left the staff.

Eele's batting was his weak point. He passed 40 in a first-class innings only once, though he then went on to make an unbeaten 103 against the Pakistan Eaglets team in 1963.[4] As a wicketkeeper, he was "tidy and unshowy".[5]

After leaving Somerset, Eele played Minor Counties cricket for Devon. From 1981 to 1984 and then again from 1989 to 1990 he was on the first-class umpires list. He umpired 124 first-class and 101 List A matches.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Somerset mourn the loss of Peter Eele". Somerset CCC. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  2. ^ "Peter Eele". CricketArchive. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  3. ^ "First-class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Peter Eele". www.cricketarchive.com. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  4. ^ "Somerset v Pakistan Eaglets". www.cricketarchive.com. 19 June 1963. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  5. ^ David Foot and Ivan Ponting. Somerset Cricket: A Post-War Who's Who (1993 ed.). Redcliffe Press. p. 42. ISBN 1-872971-23-7.
  6. ^ "Peter Eele as Umpire in First-class Matches". www.cricketarchive.com. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
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