All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

124 Gubby Allen Middlesex v Lancashire, 1929 County Championship Lord’s Cricket Ground, St John’s Wood on 15, 17, 18 June 1929 (3-day match) Toss won by Lancashire Match drawn Umpires: LA Benwell, J Stone Lancashire 241 (GE Tyldesley 102, GOB Allen 10-40) and 310-9 dec (JL Hopwood 106 not out); Middlesex 228 (HW Lee 124, RK Tyldesley 5-40) and 170-5 (HW Lee 105 not out) Lancashire first innings C Hallows b Allen 12 FB Watson b Allen 47 GE Tyldesley b Allen 102 J Iddon b Allen 0 JL Hopwood c Price b Allen 48 TM Halliday b Allen 0 +W Farrimond b Allen 6 *PT Eckersley not out 8 RK Tyldesley b Allen 0 EA McDonald st Price b Allen 1 G Hodgson b Allen 0 Extras (b 11, lb 5, nb 1) 17 Total (all out, 111.3 overs) 241 Fall of wickets 1-23, 2-102, 3-102, 4-215, 5-215, 6-228, 7-239, 8-239, 9-241, 10-241 Middlesex bowling: NE Haig 29-8-48-0, FJ Durston 10-3-17-0, GOB Allen 25.3-10-40-10, RWV Robins 22-1-54-0, IAR Peebles 12-2-26-0, JW Hearne 8-1-28-0, JL Guise 5-1-11-0 Middlesex: JL Guise, HW Lee, JW Hearne, GOB Allen, Lord Aberdare, RWV Robins, NE Haig (capt), WFF Price (wk), JHA Hulme, FJ Durston, IAR Peebles In club cricket captains are occasionally warned that a player might struggle to get to a game for the start because he has to work in the morning. But surely not in the first-class game? Not now, but it was possible when counties included amateurs in their ranks, many of whom, like Allen, had to earn a crust somehow or another. Working with Debenhams, Allen couldn’t get to Lord’s for the start of the match against Lancashire in 1929, but his captain’s tolerance would be well rewarded. One of the game’s most influential figures (some might say too influential!), George Oswald Browning Allen was born in Sydney in 1902 (Uncle Reginald having played for Australia) and brought to England aged six. He was a genuine fast bowler whose classic side-on action enabled him to produce sharp outswing, a batsman who would make a Test century, and a brilliant fielder, usually close in. After Eton and Cambridge most of his cricket was