All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

131 Tich Freeman The official captains unavailable, both teams were led by deputies. For Essex Henry Franklin was standing in for Harold Morris and his usual deputy Charles Bray, whilst Kent were captained by Jack Bryan in place of Geoffrey Legge. Franklin and Bryan were both schoolmasters whose availability was mainly limited to the summer holidays. Franklin and Bryan died within a month of each other in 1985. Aged 88 Bryan was the oldest living Kent cricketer and the last surviving member of the MCC side to Australia in 1924/25 (although he never played Test cricket). On a first day on which 17 wickets fell, Kent led off with a mediocre 122, nineteen-year-old future England fast bowler Ken Farnes taking five for 36 in only his second first-class match. The only real resistance came from 44-year-old opener Wally Hardinge who carried his bat for 49, the eleventh (and final) time he had performed this feat, and the third time against Essex. The Essex openers Leonard Crawley, cousin of Kent opener Aidan, and Dudley Pope then gave their side a good start. Twenty-three-year-old Pope had recently made his maiden first-class century at Hove. Four years later, having established himself in the Essex side, he was returning from the last match of the season at Gloucester, where he had made a century against his former county, when the car he was driving collided with a lorry and he was killed instantly. Just nine runs behind Kent’s total with only two wickets down, and with Jack (C.A.G.) Russell, to this day one of the county’s highest ever run- scorers, at the crease, Essex were probably hopeful of a decent first-innings lead. On the other hand Freeman had taken five wickets (at least!) in each of the last nine innings he had bowled against them, and the sequence wasn’t going to end yet as the bamboozled middle and lower order failed against him completely. By the close he had taken seven for 49, reducing the home side to 137 for seven. The ever ready Ames had made two more stumpings, including Essex counterpart Roy Sheffield who surely should have known better. An interesting character, Sheffield loved to travel. This had its drawbacks, particularly in 1932/33. Whilst other cricketers were engaged in the Bodyline series he was being arrested on suspicion of being a Bolivian spy. After cricket he settled in New Zealand where he lived until the age of 90. Freeman’s cousin Jack Russell was 41 not out overnight but the Essex tail didn’t stay with him too long on Thursday morning, Freeman needing only a quarter of an hour to finish off the innings. Both Farnes and leg-spinning amateur Harold Palmer would finish their careers with batting averages well below double figures, but 21-year-old leg-spinner Peter Smith would eventually make eight centuries (including a record 163 at number 11 against Derbyshire in 1947). He would be the only member of the Essex side who played 18 years later on the same ground when the Australians scored 721 in a day (Smith 38 overs four for 193). He finished his career with 1,697 wickets, a total only exceeded by five other leg-spinners, and is Essex’s leading wicket-taker. Russell had remained undefeated. Aged 43 and in his last season, he