his Christian name, native village, date of death, and age, could not be discovered. He was a regular country bumpkin, a very civil and inoffensive young fellow, but did not continue the game long, why is not recorded.
George Leer's last recorded match was in 1782, he being now only 33 years of age, thus discontinuing the game early in life, why is now unknown. He was a good and successful bat, but was mostly famous as longstop to Brett's tremendous bowling in the Hambledon matches. He was always called 'Little George', and was a fine singer, having a sweet counter-tenor voice. In Nyren's book, he is stated to have been a native of Hambledon, but latterly he was a brewer, residing at Petersfield, where he died. He is, however, buried in Hambledon churchyard, where his tombstone (in 1858) was nearly illegible. The inscription was, however, as follows:
Sacred to the Memory of
GEORGE LEER,
Who died February 1st, 1812,
Aged 63.
He was a short man, of fair complexion, and of a pleasing aspect. It may also be stated that his name is spelt as above, and not Lear, as in Nyren's book, and in the old scores.
'Lumpy's' last recorded match was for England against Hampshire, on the Vine in 1789, he being now 54 years of age. His real name was Edward Stevens, though he always played under the former appellation, which was given him (said Beldham in 1857) because he was so fat. A Hampshire paper of 1859, however, states that he acquired the name because he once, at one of the dinners of the Hambledon Club, 'did eat a whole apple-pie.' By a third account, however, he acquired this nickname from some peculiarity in his bowling.
