hundred, but sufficient to give him an average of 45 for six Tests. He was not at his best in a 1933–1934 tour of India and Ceylon, and the weaknesses of his unorthodox style against leg spin meant he did not get a chance against the Australians in 1934. In 1935, though he had such poor support that Northamptonshire only twice reached 300 in an innings and in one game against Worcestershire he scored 141 out of 199 before being ninth out, Bakewell improved considerably upon his 1934 form and played with considerable success in two Tests against South Africa. Northamptonshire's dependence upon him was starkly seen in that he averaged 42 an innings and nobody else did better than 23. The following year he was not as consistent, but in the last match he played a magnificent unbeaten innings of 241 against the strong bowling of Derbyshire – who had sealed their only ever County Championship title – to almost give Northamptonshire an elusive victory. However, on the return journey from Chesterfield a horrible accident occurred when the car in which Bakewell and teammate Reggie Northway were travelling flipped over. Northway was killed and Bakewell's right arm was so badly damaged that, despite considerable efforts at rehabilitating this arm through extremely specialised treatment (involving electric shocks designed to restore consciousness) during 1937 and 1938, he was never able to play cricket again, although hopes for his recovery existed as late as 1939. Indeed, he vanished completely from the public eye for the rest of his life. References External links Fred Bakewell at ESPNcricinfo Test batting First-class batting 1908 births 1983 deaths Sportspeople from Walsall England Test cricketers English cricketers Northamptonshire cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Players cricketers North v South cricketers Wisden Cricketers of the Year English cricketers of 1919 to 1945 H. D. G. Leveson Gower's XI cricketers