All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

155 Tommy Mitchell Derbyshire v Leicestershire, 1935 County Championship Aylestone Road, Leicester on 15, 17, 18 June 1935 (3-day match) Toss won by Leicestershire Match drawn Umpires: WR Parry, EJ Smith Derbyshire 140 (HA Smith 5-51, G Geary 5-46) and 227 (WH Marlow 5-69); Leicestershire 123 (TB Mitchell 10-64) and 111-3 Leicestershire first innings AW Shipman c Worthington b Mitchell 10 GL Berry b Mitchell 11 NF Armstrong c Worthington b Mitchell 13 FT Prentice lbw b Mitchell 10 GS Watson b Mitchell 0 CAR Coleman b Mitchell 8 *WE Astill b Mitchell 18 G Geary b Mitchell 16 HA Smith c Worthington b Mitchell 8 WH Marlow st Elliott b Mitchell 14 +P Corrall not out 6 Extras (b 5, lb 4) 9 Total (all out, 43.1 overs) 123 Fall of wickets 1-21, 2-30, 3-39, 4-39, 5-56, 6-57, 7-85, 8-92, 9-110, 10-123 Derbyshire bowling: WH Copson 16-3-30-0, TS Worthington 2-0-6-0, TB Mitchell 19.1-4-64-10, LF Townsend 6-2-14-0 Derbyshire: AE Alderman, H Storer, TS Worthington, LF Townsend, E Carrington, GF Hodgkinson (capt), AF Townsend, AV Pope, H Elliott (wk), TB Mitchell, WH Copson Coal mining didn’t just provide Derbyshire with fast bowlers, it also provided the county’s best ever spinner. Tommy Mitchell was born in Creswell in 1902 where he worked for the local colliery and played for its cricket team. Spotted bowling his sharply turning leg spin when Derbyshire played the colliery during the 1926 General Strike, he was late coming to the county game, and didn’t make his debut until 1928. It might not have happened: Mitchell initially turned down the county’s offer of £3 a week, arguing that he could earn more in the pits. It took £4 to get him. His round dark-rimmed spectacles gave him a slightly comical appearance belying his hard coalmining background. With sleeves buttoned at the wrist he had a lively twirling action and got through his overs quickly, googlies and conventional off breaks adding to the batsman’s problems. He was also a fine cover fielder. Not much of a batsman (412 innings yielding only one fifty), he did however contribute to one major batting record when he lent Walter Hammond his brand new bat to make the then- record Test score, 336 not out against New Zealand at Eden Park in April