All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

136 George Geary Leicestershire v Glamorgan, 1929 County Championship Ynysangharad Park, Pontypridd on 14, 15 August 1929 (3-day match) Toss won by Leicestershire Leicestershire won by 15 runs Umpires: TW Oates, F Parris Leicestershire 102 (FP Ryan 5-38) and 141 (JC Clay 5-63); Glamorgan 160 (G Geary 6-78) and 68 (G Geary 10-18) Glamorgan second innings WE Bates c Bradshaw b Geary 4 AH Dyson lbw b Geary 0 D Davies c Bradshaw b Geary 2 MJL Turnbull b Geary 20 DE Davies c Shipman b Geary 0 JJ Hills b Geary 0 *JC Clay c Berry b Geary 15 HRJ Rhys not out 6 T Arnott lbw b Geary 0 FP Ryan b Geary 2 +T Every b Geary 0 Extras (b 9, lb 9, nb 1) 19 Total (all out, 32.2 overs) 68 Fall of wickets 1-8, 2-8, 3-11, 4-13, 5-19, 6-55, 7-58, 8-66, 9-68, 10-68 Leicestershire bowling: G Geary 16.2-8-18-10, WE Astill 16-6-31-0 Leicestershire: EW Dawson (capt), AW Shipman, GL Berry, NF Armstrong, H Riley, JC Bradshaw, WE Astill, G Geary, TE Sidwell (wk), CAR Coleman, HA Smith Tall and well-built, George Geary bowled fast-medium off a short run-up and with an easy action. He was persistently accurate and, like his great contemporary Maurice Tate, came quickly off the pitch. Moving the ball both ways he possessed a dangerous leg cutter, and if the conditions helped him could be near unplayable. He was also a useful batsman and a brilliant slip fielder. The eldest of 16 children, Geary was born in Barwell, Leicestershire in 1893, his father a shoemaker. He made his first-class debut in 1912 but his career nearly ended during the War when his left shoulder and thigh had an encounter with a spinning propeller, the side effects of which he was still feeling when county cricket resumed. Deciding that he wasn’t yet up to the rigours of first-class cricket, he played in the Lancashire League before resuming as a Leicestershire regular in 1922. His pre-war promise was soon confirmed and two years later he played the first of 14 Test matches that would yield 46 wickets. He made important contributions in the 1926 and 1928/29 Ashes-winning series, took twelve for 130 on Johannesburg matting in December 1927, and appeared twice against the