All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

144 The first ball of Verity’s 17th over was uneventful and a first hat-trick had just evaded him twice. The omission would be remedied the following season. Verity had to wait another three overs before the historic tenth wicket fell: Aubrey Hill, who had come in at number six and watched the earlier carnage from the other end, caught behind. At 21 Hill was the youngest player in the match. Born in Carmarthen, he had started as an amateur but now played as a professional. Apart from Paine who played one match in 1947 (taking five Lancashire wickets in an innings) Hill was the only member of the Warwickshire side who played for the county after the Second World War. Only Wyatt and Bates had reached double figures. Verity had received great support from his fielders: apart from one stumping and a leg-before all the wickets had fallen to catches, three at backward point by Arthur ‘Ticker’ Mitchell, a determined batsman and one of the most brilliant close fielders of the day. And on a pitch doing a bit, wicketkeeper Arthur Wood hadn’t conceded any byes. Amazingly, in conditions that must have suited him, another Yorkshire great, medium-pace off-spinner George Macaulay, bowled 18 unrewarded overs at the other end. However, Verity himself had done his bit to try and get him a wicket, a diving attempt at short leg resulting in an injury that required his right arm to be bandaged for the rest of the innings. A fiery opponent, as befitted a former fast bowler, Macaulay’s first-class record, 1,837 wickets at 17.65, was almost as remarkable as Verity’s. Like Verity he would lose his life on active service during the War. Verity had failed by one run to equal Alonzo Drake’s analysis as the best ever figures for Yorkshire, another omission that would be remedied the following season, but they are still the best ever by anybody against Warwickshire. Having stood during Freeman’s all-ten at Southend the previous season, Billy Bestwick had now been involved in three all-tens. Strangely Warwickshire and Yorkshire met again less than a fortnight later at Edgbaston. In a rain-affected draw Verity bowled 12 wicketless overs after Sutcliffe (129) and Holmes (250) had opened the match with a partnership of 309. Verity was brought down to earth later in the month with figures of 12 overs none for 70 at Bradford against Kent, as he came up against the great Frank Woolley in superb form. Consolation soon followed however with a county cap in June and a first Test cap against New Zealand at the end of July. In his first full season he would finish with 188 wickets, a total exceeded only by Tich Freeman and Charlie Parker who both took over 200. Hedley Verity