Despite press promptings, he was never appointed Test captain, and following a clash with the highly influential Lord Harris in 1924, his England career was effectively ended.

[8] Fender was removed from the school immediately; he still came top of the batting averages for 1910 but although selected, he was not allowed to play at Lord's that summer as he was no longer a schoolboy.

He became friends with the actor Jack Hulbert and developed an interest in musical theatre, for which he provided financial support; he also wrote lyrics for some songs.

"[6] In an already powerful Surrey side he batted aggressively, bowled more frequently than at Sussex—mainly as a support bowler to the main attack—and established a reputation as an excellent slip fielder.

He was dropped early on but batting in a carefree, highly aggressive style, reached 100 runs in 35 minutes, as of 2021 still the fastest individual century on record in first-class cricket.

[55] Fender made his Test debut on 14 January 1921 but achieved little with bat or ball,[13] partly owing to his lack of match practice in the preceding weeks.

Fender began to take wickets consistently in the middle of the season, and scored a century in the Gentlemen v Players match, so he was chosen for the fourth Test.

[76] Wisden praised his inspirational captaincy, and concluded: "Over and above all this he was, by general consent, by far the best of the county captains, never losing his grip of the game and managing his side with a judgement that was seldom at fault.

Frank Mann led the team; his appointment was criticised in the press, which judged him to lack playing ability and suggested that the selectors favoured those associated with Lord's—Mann was Middlesex captain.

[88] Surrey finished fourth in the Championship, hampered once again by their lack of bowlers; their batsmen frequently made large scores but the team could not bowl out the opposition and many games were drawn.

Fender pointed out in a letter published by the press that Lord Harris and the MCC were aware that this was common practice at the Scarborough Festival, despite their claims to the contrary.

[102] When Carr was dropped before the final Test, the journalist Home Gordon reported that a "certain amateur"—Gibson suggests this must have been Fender—was waiting by the phone for news that he was to captain England.

[103] However, Streeton believes that by this stage, Fender was never likely to be chosen;[100] he played in a Test trial match and for the Gentlemen against the Players,[13] but Greville Stevens was preferred in the England team.

[109] In his newspaper reports that summer, Fender was critical of Bradman during one spell in the final Test when he batted unconvincingly against fast bowler Harold Larwood on a pitch affected by rain.

[116] Jardine later conceived the strategy of Bodyline, where fast bowlers bowled at the batsmen's leg stump, frequently pitching the ball short and hitting him.

There were disagreements over expenses, and the committee disapproved when Fender declared Surrey's innings closed after one ball, to make up time in a rain-affected match.

[133] He worked in southern England with a responsibility for moving men and equipment, and was mentioned in dispatches for his role in preparations for the Allied invasion of Europe.

[1] As a batsman, Fender's approach was aggressive; whatever the circumstances he hit the ball very hard, and his ability to play a variety of strokes made it difficult for captains to place fielders effectively.

[1] Fender's aggressive approach made him an inconsistent scorer, but Surrey had a strong batting side and his hitting power was more valuable to the team than if he had played in more orthodox fashion.

[144] Fender's love of experimentation and his surprise variations made him difficult for batsmen to face, but produced inconsistent results and he sometimes conceded many runs.

Good catching was vital in a Surrey side which possessed weak bowling, making his contributions even more important,[139] and critics regarded him as one of the best slip fielders in England.

[141] The journalist and cricket writer John Arlott wrote of Fender: "Unmistakable on the field, lanky, bespectacled, curly-haired, slouching along, hands deep in pockets and wearing a grotesquely long sweater, he was immortalised by cartoonist Tom Webster".

[147][148] His Times obituary stated: "[Fender] was a sharp captain, quick to observe the slightest opportunity of advantage and ready to gamble on his ability to exploit it.

[152] His innovative approach included the introduction of caps with larger peaks to shade his players' eyes from the sun, and he recruited a baseball coach to improve their throwing.

Other purported reasons included that he had not been to Oxford or Cambridge, and that he was in the wine trade, which was considered an unsuitable career for a gentleman, but in later life Fender dismissed these as potential factors.

[153] The cricket writer Martin Williamson suggests that "in an era where gentlemen played by the rules, Fender was adroit at stretching the Laws to snapping point.

[159] Fender's proposals shocked senior cricket figures,[153] and caused another clash with the influential Lord Harris;[158] allied to other disagreements between the pair, it may have ended his England career.

[139] His Wisden obituary concluded: "He was one of the most colourful figures in the cricket world for many years ... and was widely regarded as the shrewdest county captain of his generation".

[165] For a time, Fender produced his own whiskey brand, which he tried to sell when touring South Africa with the MCC in 1922–23, but strong competition from the larger distilling companies meant that it was only a short-lived success.

The series represents Fender as a bon viveur who had a considerable influence on the young Douglas Jardine, and is seen as epitomising an English establishment disdain for Don Bradman on his emergence as a Test cricketer.