A defensive top-order batsman and offspinner, Desmond Surfleet made his mark in school (UCS) and club cricket (Finchley) before arriving at Cambridge in 1931. After impressing in the Freshmen's match he made his debut against the New Zealanders, making 86, and despite two more reasonable matches he was left out of the side from mid June. He did, however, have a lengthy run in the Middlesex side that summer without any real success, although The Times described him as "unlucky". He played in Cambridge's opening game of 1932, but for the second match against Middlesex he played for the county against his university. They were his only two first-class appearances of the summer, and in his final year he made a hundred in the Seniors match but was unable to win a place in a strong side, although he made his final two outings for Middlesex. Thereafter he went into teaching and he was unavailable for any major cricket. His innings of 86 on debut was his only first-class fifty in 14 matches.
Martin Williamson