All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

149 He was appointed county captain in 1928. Although his tenure was not without some success, he was not a great leader. His relations with the Northamptonshire committee, and even some of the team, were not good and, after his side had finished bottom of the table in 1930 and 1931, he agreed to resign. He was not afraid of confrontation, although others have attested to his underlying kindness. Jupp’s all-ten came against a side including Frank Woolley and Les Ames, two of the only 25 batsmen who made 100 hundreds in their careers. He then top scored in both innings against an attack that included Tich Freeman, a bowler who took more first-class wickets than anybody except Wilfred Rhodes. And still he finished on the losing side. Relieved of the cares of leadership Jupp had an outstanding season in 1932: taking 130 wickets and scoring 1,700 runs, at the age of 41 he was easily the oldest of the five players who did the double. His skills were displayed to no better effect than against Kent in the rural beauty of Tunbridge Wells, a ground far removed from the more basic urban charms of the County Ground at Northampton. In a match in which every wicket bar two fell to spin, Kent went in first and were dismissed for 360 just before the close. It was an uneven innings. Northants were missing the incisive left-arm pace of their eventual all-time leading wicket-taker, E.W. (Nobby) Clark, who was not playing regularly because of league commitments. Lunch was taken at 120 for two, and with Frank Woolley and Les Ames (both of whom reached 1,000 runs for the season during their innings) together and looking comfortable, a large score seemed possible. However, Jupp dismissed the great left-hander leg- before and, helped by a second brilliant catch at short square leg by Fred Bakewell, his post-lunch spell of four for 18 reduced the home side to 164 for six. In the previous match, against Middlesex, Ames and Alec Pearce had rescued the Kent second innings, taking the score from 163 for seven to 283 for eight. Remarkably, coming together at 3 o’clock, they did the same trick again, this time putting on 194 before Ames was well caught in the deep having batted just over four hours. It was the only catch Mark Cox made in a three-match career. Pearce went next ball, bowled Jupp. His off driving had been excellent. England wicketkeeper Ames would eventually make 102 centuries. Pearce’s career would be more modest: one century and three fifties in 55 matches, but he did become club president in 1978. After that, Jupp rapidly completed his all-ten. Given his record-breaking association with all-tens it was perhaps appropriate that Tich Freeman was Jupp’s final victim. He had got away with one wild swing but didn’t escape twice and was stumped next ball by long-serving keeper Ben Bellamy. Jupp had taken the last four wickets in one over for two runs. Kent vice-captain Bryan Valentine, standing in for captain Percy Chapman, and a very useful batsman to come in at number nine, could only watch as the innings subsided. Flighting the ball skilfully and making it turn quickly, Jupp had toiled patiently for his success, bowling 39 overs off a short run-up that didn’t take too much out of him. His figures are still a Northants record, beating Vallance Jupp