All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

142 Hedley Verity Hedley Verity followed in the tradition of the great Yorkshire left-arm spinners. However, usually bowling at around slow-medium pace and relying on changes of pace rather than flight to deceive batsmen, he was dissimilar in style from his incomparable predecessor Wilfred Rhodes. Tall with an easy run-up and smooth high action, he was able to make the ball lift uncomfortably on most wickets and give his close fielders plenty of work. His accuracy and control meant that on helpful wickets he was devastating, whilst on batsmen-friendly ones he was still a formidable and unyielding opponent. In the words of Don Bradman ‘there’s no breaking point with him’. And he should know: Verity dismissed him ten times, a total only equalled by Clarrie Grimmett. A useful batsman with a first- class century and three Test fifties to his name, he was even pressed into service as an England opener at Adelaide in 1937. Born in Leeds and biding his time in the Lancashire League until Rhodes retired, Verity was 25 when he came into the first-class game in 1930. In a short career he took 1,956 wickets. His average, 14.90, was easily better than that achieved by any other 20th-century bowler taking as many wickets. Together with another Yorkshire great, Bill Bowes, he bowled his county to seven Championships. When war came only Clarrie Grimmett, Sydney Barnes and Maurice Tate had exceeded his 144 Test wickets. Among many great feats, one in particular stands out: his 15 for 104 at Lord’s in 1934 when he became the second bowler after Rhodes to take 15 Australian wickets in a Test. Fittingly, the great Wilfred was present to see his successor’s feat. It would be a long time before England beat Australia at Lord’s again. Yorkshire v Warwickshire, 1931 County Championship Headingley, Leeds on 16, 18 May 1931 (3-day match) Toss won by Warwickshire Yorkshire won by an innings and 25 runs Umpires: W Bestwick, JH King Warwickshire 201 and 72 (H Verity 10-36); Yorkshire 298 (JH Mayer 6-76) Warwickshire second innings *RES Wyatt c Holmes b Verity 23 AJW Croom c Greenwood b Verity 7 LTA Bates c Mitchell b Verity 19 N Kilner c Mitchell b Verity 0 JH Parsons c Leyland b Verity 9 WA Hill c Wood b Verity 8 +JA Smart c Mitchell b Verity 0 DG Foster st Wood b Verity 0 CF Tate lbw b Verity 0 GAE Paine c and b Verity 0 JH Mayer not out 6