All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

135 Tich Freeman The two teams played another draw in the return match at the Angel Ground, Tonbridge two weeks later. The visitors had a measure of revenge in their first innings, hitting Freeman’s 48 overs for 179 runs. He did however take another seven wickets. In all he took 241 Championship wickets in 1931. He would probably have welcomed some support. Kent’s next highest wicket-taker with 61 was Charles (Father) Marriott, a very skilful wrist-spinner, but who was only available during the school holidays. Although Freeman twice took all-ten against Lancashire, not surprisingly given their strength his record against them was not as good as against most other counties: in all Championship matches he took a wicket every six and a half overs at 17.30 apiece, whereas against Lancashire he took his wickets every nine and a half overs at 24.70. In the three Test matches against New Zealand in 1931 England used three leg-spinners, all amateurs: Freddie Brown, Ian Peebles and Walter Robins. In total during 1931 these three took 270 wickets at 21 runs each, with a strike rate of 45 balls per wicket. All three were in their early/mid 20s and Brown and Robins were also good batsmen but the comparison with Freeman’s season (276 wickets at 16 runs each, strike rate 35) is of interest. The end of Freeman’s career in 1936 was anticlimatic. He still got 100 wickets, but at the age of 48 physical exertion was taking its toll and to provide some rest, the Kent Committee suggested a match-to-match contract. Freeman declined and there was no re-engagement. Only Wilfred Rhodes has exceeded his 3,776 first-class wickets. Of bowlers taking at least 2,000 first-class wickets, his strike-rate (a wicket every 41 balls) is bettered only by Surrey’s Tom Richardson and Yorkshire’s Schofield Haigh. In 1949 Tich Freeman was one of the first former professionals to be offered honorary MCC membership. Appropriately for somebody who loved to bowl all day, he retired to a house in Maidstone he named ‘Dunbolyn’. He died in 1965. Later that year a plaque in his honour was unveiled at Canterbury.