All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

141 a second when the Yorkshire captain lifted his right leg gave him just enough time to whip off the bails. It all happened too quickly however for some of the crowd, and they let the umpire know in no uncertain terms what they thought of the decision. The unfortunate Walker toured England in both 1930 and 1938, but never played for his country. A bomber pilot during the Second World War, he was shot down over Germany in 1942 and died at the age of 33. Grimmett had wrapped up the innings by dismissing Bill Bowes, bowled first ball, probably not an unusual experience for someone who in a 20-match first-class career had not yet once reached double figures, and whose final tally of runs would not match his 1,639 wickets. The one batsman who evaded Grimmett was 52-year-old Wilfred Rhodes, who had previously opened for England with some success but was now batting down the order and preparing the way for his equally great left-arm spin successor Hedley Verity, who would make his first-class debut a week later. The vociferous Bramall Lane crowd could sometimes be hostile to the opposition, but they knew their cricket and as Grimmett ran back to the pavilion they rose to him in sincere and hearty appreciation of his feat. Tim Wall had bowled 16 wicketless overs at the other end. Three years later, when he took all-ten for South Australia against New South Wales, Grimmett would be the one who was empty-handed. When bad light and rain finally stopped play at 6.15 pm the Australians’ score was 69 for one. Ominously, Bradman, who had begun the tour with scores of 236 and 185 not out, was on 24. More rain prevented play until after lunch on Monday, and Bradman ‘only’ scored 78, but the Australians still reached 320 all out just before the close, mainly thanks to 121 by captain Bill Woodfull. The visitors were well placed for victory, but rain came to Yorkshire’s rescue by preventing play on the third day. In the return match at Bradford two months later Bradman scored one, Grimmett took 11 wickets, and the Australians won by ten wickets. Grimmett never took all ten wickets in an innings again, but he took nine twice, including nine for 180 against Queensland in December 1934, still the most expensive ever nine (or ten) wicket analysis. After taking 44 South African wickets in 1935/36, still an Australian Test series record, Grimmett must have looked forward to more success against England back home the following season. Controversially however he had played his last Test, losing his place to Frank Ward, a good bowler but not in Grimmett’s class. Even more surprisingly, given his previous success there, Grimmett was not selected for the 1938 tour of the British Isles. Bill O’Reilly called the decision a ‘shameful omission’. Grimmett was still bowling well enough at the age of 48 to take 73 wickets in 1939/40. He retired at the end of the following season having taken 1,424 first-class wickets, still a record for bowlers who have never played county cricket. Grimmett had many strings to his bow. He wrote three instructional books, coached, played golf to a good standard and later in life sold insurance. He died in Adelaide in 1980 aged 88. Clarrie Grimmett