All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

156 1933. Popular and humorous he was nevertheless unafraid to speak his mind, a trait which more than once got him into trouble. And he could be temperamental, which probably prevented a successful career from being even more successful. Mitchell made his England debut in the fourth Test of Douglas Jardine’s tour of Australia in 1932/33. As Derbyshire historian John Shawcroft has pointed out it was ironic that Derbyshire, a club with seam bowling traditions, should provide a leg-spinner for a series dominated by English pace. He did well, taking three cheap wickets, including bowling the ‘unbowlable’ Australian captain Bill Woodfull in the first innings and getting him caught at slip in the second. Unfortunately the rest of his Test career was less successful and he took only another five more wickets in four more matches. Mitchell’s all-ten came at another ground no longer on the county circuit. Leicestershire had been playing at Grace Road since 1878, but it was thought to be too far from the city centre and a move to Aylestone Road was made in 1901. Eventually hosting 399 first-class matches it was a ground not without attractions, although emissions from nearby chimneys and the building of an electricity works nearby could make it difficult for players and spectators to stay clean throughout the day! Used by the services during the Second World War, it was unfit for first-class cricket when peace returned and Leicestershire went back to Grace Road (although playing two matches at the old ground in 1957, and one in 1962). A stone’s throw from Leicester City’s King Power Stadium, Aylestone Road is still used for local sport, including cricket. Derbyshire were one of the strongest county sides in the 1930s: second in the Championship in 1935 they famously went one better for the only time the following season. In contrast, over the same period, with one exception, Leicestershire always finished well below halfway. However, that exception was 1935 when, led by Ewart Astill, one of its great names and its first professional captain, they climbed to sixth. Unfortunately Astill’s tenure lasted only that one season. He was a stopgap appointed until the New Zealand amateur Stewie Dempster (who to be fair was a very good batsman) could take over, whereupon Leicestershire reverted to the depths of the Championship. In the absence of Arthur Richardson, Derbyshire’s ten professionals against Leicestershire were captained by Gilbert Hodgkinson, a 22-year-old amateur playing his third first-class match. Severely injured during the Second World War, his death was reported in Wisden . Happily this was a mistake and he returned to captain the county in 1946. Put in to bat in bowler-friendly conditions Derbyshire made only 140, Haydon Smith and George Geary taking five wickets apiece. Geary of course knew what it was like to take an all-ten and at the age of 42 was having one of his best-ever seasons. Leicestershire began their innings just after 5 o’clock on a pitch that had been further livened by rain. By the close they were in trouble at 68 for six, all six wickets falling to Mitchell. One of his victims was George Watson whose catch for Kent at Maidstone Tommy Mitchell