Les was on the books of Wolves and Aston Villa before the Second World War. During hostilities he served in the Royal Marines, seeing action in Crete and on the D-Day beaches in Normandy. He was an occasional wartime guest player for Exeter City and Plymouth Argyle and played in forces matches, notably appearing for the Navy against an international-packed RAF side at Hampden Park.

After the war he played for Nuneaton Borough and then joined City as a part time player-coach and cover for the first team. A centre-half he made a solitary first team appearance when George Mason and his understudy Ron Cox were injured in May 1947. After a short spell at Kettering He joined Lockheed Leamington in 1949 as the club were joining the Birmingham Combination. He captained Brakes' first Birmingham Senior Cup win in 1951 before switching his allegiance to Banbury Spencer.

He returned to Leamington as manager in 1956 and his three-year managerial tenure included a Birmingham Senior Cup win. It also laid the foundations for the successful sides of the 1960s. Les was also a highly rated opening bowler, playing local cricket into his late 50s. He lived in Bedworth until his death in 2001.