All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

143 Extras 0 Total (all out, 45.4 overs) 72 Fall of wickets 1-16, 2-33, 3-33, 4-51, 5-59, 6-59, 7-59, 8-59, 9-59, 10-72 Yorkshire bowling: WE Bowes 5-1-7-0, E Robinson 4-1-9-0, H Verity 18.4- 6-36-10, GG Macaulay 18-11-20-0 Yorkshire: P Holmes, H Sutcliffe, M Leyland, E Oldroyd, A Mitchell, FE Greenwood (capt), E Robinson, A Wood (wk), GG Macaulay, H Verity, WE Bowes Verity took all-ten twice. The first occasion, 18 May 1931, was his 26th birthday. Having played first-class cricket for just less than a year he was the only one of the Yorkshire eleven still uncapped. Under their new captain Frank Greenwood Yorkshire would go on to win the Championship in 1931 whilst Warwickshire, a county for whom Verity had once had a brief unsuccessful trial, would finish comfortably in mid-table. Yorkshire included eight current or future England players. Warwickshire only had two, Bob Wyatt and George Paine, but they did have a few other famous names: Norman Kilner and Cecil Tate were the younger brothers of Yorkshire’s Roy and the great Maurice respectively. Although the Championship season was two weeks old Yorkshire were playing their first home match. It began unremarkably, Yorkshire’s first innings 298 heading Warwickshire’s 201 (Verity three for 61 in 32.3 overs). Warwickshire’s second innings began at a quarter to four on the second day in unpleasant ‘two sweaters’ weather. However, the 4,000 spectators present were no doubt glad that they braved the cold and stayed until six o’clock to see a remarkable and unexpectedly sudden end to the match. The roller had enlivened the pitch and Greenwood, having quickly got Verity into the attack, helped start the eventual rout with a smart running catch at mid on to dismiss opener Alfred Croom with the score 16. With six centuries and over 1,500 runs, 1931 would be the long-serving Croom’s best season, but it would be another six years before, aged 41, he made his only century against Yorkshire. Warwickshire’s captain Bob Wyatt played aggressively with some success, but with the score 33 was caught in the covers, to be followed in the same over by Kilner who was caught at backward point by Arthur Mitchell. Eventually dismissed by him 14 times, Wyatt would become one of Verity’s favourite victims: only five batsmen would fall to him more often. Bates and Parsons hung on until tea, but two more wickets fell quickly after the interval and at the beginning of Verity’s 16th over Warwickshire were struggling at 59 for five. Six balls later they were 59 for nine with Jack Smart, caught at backward point, and Derek Foster falling to the first two balls of the over, and Cecil Tate and George Paine, (a smart left-handed caught and bowled) to the fifth and sixth. Having previously played for Derbyshire Tate was making his Warwickshire debut. Although he had made a good start by dismissing Sutcliffe when Yorkshire batted, Warwickshire already had a very good left-arm spinner in Paine, and Tate would play just seven not very fruitful matches for the county. Hedley Verity