All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

101 dip, unrelenting accuracy, and great perseverance. These attributes made him a formidable opponent on hard pitches where bowlers more reliant on spin struggled. Somerset depended heavily on amateurs: in 1921 the names of 26 of the 30 players used in the Championship were prefixed by ‘Mr’ on the scorecard. In the early 1920s they consistently finished around mid-table in the Championship, a decent performance given their limited resources. They were led by the forceful ex-rugby union international John Daniell who captained them in all but two of the 15 seasons between 1908 and 1926, and who did much to hold the side together during difficult times. Worcestershire on the other hand consistently finished near to (or at) the bottom. They were led by Chile-born amateur Maurice Jewell, a moderate cricketer but another whose efforts to keep his county club alive should not be underestimated. The county had joined the Championship in 1899, playing then, as they still do, at the beautiful New Road ground. By mid- June 1921 White had already taken ten or more wickets in a match four times. And he liked bowling against Worcestershire. He would eventually take more wickets against them (218) than against any other opponents, including 16 in one day at Bath in 1919. Batting first Somerset made 237, mainly thanks to a century by the 51-year-old Ernie Robson, one of the county’s few professionals. The Somerset attack was then opened by workhorse Robson and White, who soon had Fred Bowley caught by Cambridge undergraduate Tom Lowry (a future New Zealand captain and brother-in-law of future England captain Percy Chapman). Bowley’s 276 against Hampshire in 1914 was a Worcestershire record that would stand until 1982. The other opener was stalwart allrounder ‘Dick’ Pearson (who two years later would achieve the double for the only time in his career at the age of nearly 43). With only three wickets down just before the close Worcestershire were probably feeling pleased with their day’s work. However, White then held one back to Pearson and caught and bowled him, and the sides ended the day evenly placed with Worcestershire 108 for four. White quickly took another wicket, his fifth, on Monday morning but Somerset were then held up by a captain’s innings by Jewell who made 66 before being stumped by Harry Chidgey. At 222 for six the home team might have hoped for a first innings lead, but White quickly removed the tail and the two sides finished exactly level after their first innings. Last man in had been Humphrey ‘Barmy’ Gilbert, a barrister who had bowled with considerable success for Oxford University before the War. In 1909 he had been asked to be at Edgbaston for the First Test in case he was needed to play against Australia. He was no bat however and had soon been caught by Philip Hope who, together with Robson and Chidgey, was one of only three members of the Somerset side who been playing when Alonzo Drake had scythed his way through them seven years before. White had bowled almost unchanged for 42 overs for his all-ten, light work for someone who would become well used to bowling over 50 overs in an innings and who would three times exceed 70. He had nearly achieved an all-ten at Bristol in August 1914, taking nine for 46, but missing Thomas Jack White