Full Name

Bernard Constable

Born

February 19, 1921, East Molesey, Surrey

Died

May 14, 1997, Huntingdon, (aged 76y 84d)

Batting Style

Right hand Bat

Bowling Style

Legbreak

RELATIONS

(brother)

TEAMS

Bernie Constable was one of the unsung heroes of the great Surrey side of the 1950s. He played 434 matches for the county, starting in 1939 and finishing in 1964, and indeed got better as he aged. His best season came in 1961, when he was 40 and had had a kneecap removed: he scored 1,799 runs that year. As a batsman, he was technically correct and outstanding against spin, a vital skill given the pitches Surrey prepared in that era. He was a brilliant cover point, and a first-rate student of cricket's intricacies. He knew the game inside out and every first-class player inside out. said Micky Stewart. I learned more about cricket from Bernie Constable than from anyone else. He will be remembered best as an Oval character. Though his family were boat builders, by the Thames at East Molesey, he was regarded as the epitome of the cock-sparrer Cockney, an image he played up to with his confident strut round the field and his willingness to argue with anyone, including his captain, Stuart Surridge. On your toes, Bernie, Surridge once shouted when Constable slipped on a sodden outfield at Leicester. On me toes? he roared back. I'm on me knees. He would complain just as loudly if he disagreed with Surridge's field placings. What do you need three of them over there for? Give'em a fourth and they can play cards. The highlight of his career might have been the unbeaten 205 - in under five hours - he made against Somerset at The Oval in 1952. But it was probably the moment he ran two against Glamorgan, while Wilf Wooller was debating with the umpire about whether a disputed catch was fair or not.
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack

Bernie Constable Career Stats

Batting & Fielding

FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAve100s50sCtSt
FC4467018218849205*30.4527-1800
List A220442.000010

Bowling

FormatMatBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
FC44655083017645/131-47.143.2886.0-10
List A2000-----000

Debut/Last Matches of Bernie Constable

FC Matches

Span
1939 - 1964

List A Matches

Span
1963 - 1964

Recent Matches of Bernie Constable

Photos of Bernie Constable

Bernie Constable
Bernie Constable on the attack
Peter Loader is congratulated by David Fletcher for his 8 for 21
King George VI is introduced to Bernie Constable by Errol Holmes