Long Marston Bowler takes 900th league wicket

The veteran left arm spinner who now captains Long Marston’s third team, reached the milestone when had Dinton Thirds’ opener Meher Madhu Chilukiri caught by wicket keeper Samuel Squire for five. Beesley went on to take 4-24 as Long Marston won the game by 40 runs, taking them to third in Division 8A.

Beesley is the third highest wicket taker in Cherwell League history, behind Leighton Buzzard’s Lee Selfe and Trevor Spindler. Spindler, most recently of Thame Town, played for England Over 70s on their 2022 ‘Ashes’ tour of Australia.

Like Lee Selfe, Beesley is a one-club cricketer. He joined Long Marston aged 11 in 1982, made his senior debut in 1984, graduating to the first team in 1991. Long Marston joined the Cherwell League in 1994, and Beesley’s best league performance was 7-30 against Bledlow in 2013. Club sources say that overall, he has taken in the region of 2000 wickets.

Lee Beesley is respected at Long Marston as a true club man. Over the years, he’s captained the club at all levels, had a long stint as vice-chair and in 2013 received the Thomas Chapman Memorial Award for lifetime achievement - services to the club. “I love this club, it’s been very dear to me for a long time,” Beesley says.

This August, Beesley is scheduled to have a knee replacement operation, which will see him out of contention for the remainder of the season. He’s already planning for 2025 though and has even committed himself to captaining the third team once again, next season.

He’s only 53, so that gives him plenty of time to chase down Trevor Spindler’s Cherwell League wickets record.