Leslie Fletcher Townsend (8 June 1903 – 17 February 1993) was an English cricketer who played for England between 1929 and 1934, for Derbyshire between 1922 and 1939, and also for Auckland in 1934–35 and 1935–36. He was the leading all-rounder for Derbyshire between the wars and at his peak probably the most deadly bowler on a sticky wicket Derbyshire ever produced, owing to his perfect length and ability to turn the ball back from the off. His pace was almost medium and even the most fleet-footed of batsmen could not hit him easily on a bad pitch; however, his lack of flight and variety made him less effective on good pitches. Townsend was also an enterprising middle order batsman, who set a longstanding record for most centuries for Derbyshire in a season in 1933. Career for Derbyshire Townsend was born at Long Eaton, Derbyshire. He did not play cricket in his youth and was only attracted to the game by watching Nottinghamshire's star batsman George Gunn. Townsend first played for his native county Derbyshire in the 1922 season and obtained a regular place in the 1924 season. In the 1925 season Townsend scored over 800 runs at an average of 18. These modest figures, with 59 as his best score, placed Townsend fourth in the county's averages. In the 1926 season after a very slow start Townsend developed as a bowler in August on a number of treacherous pitches. He took 6 for 32 against Nottinghamshire at Ilkeston and 9 for 36 for two innings against Northamptonshire at Chesterfield. In the 1927 season, with Derbyshire rising to fifth in the Championship, Townsend's medium pace off-break bowling was close to the top of the averages. He took 5 for 29 on a sticky wicket against the formidable Lancashire side and 5 for 42 against Warwickshire. In the 1928 season, his deadliness on sticky wickets was so pronounced he topped the county bowling table with 101 wickets, including 13 against Sussex, and his batting developed so much he edged past 1000 runs with a best score of 98. In the 1929 season, despite only one five-wicket return, he again managed 100 wickets. He was chosen for a second-string tour of the West Indies but did nothing of note. The 1930s saw Townsend's batting bloom due to improved technique. Having not scored a century before the 1930 season, he hit four alone