AFTER Kevin Pietersen scored 158 runs in the last Ashes Test that secured the series for England, some people speculated that his total of 473 runs was the highest ever achieved by an England player in his debut Ashes series.

But this honour actually falls to R E Foster, a former pupil of Malvern College. In 1903, he scored 486 runs for the MCC against Australia, during a tour in which he played all five Ashes Tests.

Foster's 287 in the first innings of his first test included a stand of 130 for the tenth wicket with the bowler Wilfred Rhodes - an England record to this day.

'Tip' Foster, as he was known, became something of a legend. Son of college housemaster Rev H Foster, he was one of seven brothers, all of whom played cricket for Worcestershire.

There were also three Foster sisters. Cicely played golf for England and Jessie was said to be the best bowler in the family.

Tip never seemed to need to practice and played only as an amateur when business commitments allowed. Nonetheless, in his first appearance for the Gentlemen v Players in 1900, he made a century in each innings

In his first match for Worcestershire in 1905 he scored 246 against Kent. He repeated this score against Somerset the next year.

Foster captained Malvern College, Oxford University and England against South Africa in the 1907 Test Series.

His talents also extended to football, which he played for England against Scotland, Ireland and Wales, sometimes as captain. Foster died from diabetes in 1914 at the early age of 38.