All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

196 Jim Laker Extras (b 4, lb 8, nb 3) 15 Total (all out, 107 overs) 259 Fall of wickets 1-62, 2-93, 3-124, 4-151, 5-173, 6-173, 7-175, 8-199, 9-217, 10-259 Surrey bowling: PJ Loader 15-4-30-0, WS Surridge 8-2-8-0, JC Laker 46-18- 88-10, GAR Lock 33-12-100-0, DF Cox 5-0-18-0 Surrey: DGW Fletcher, TH Clark, B Constable, PBH May, KF Barrington, R Swetman (wk), DF Cox, JC Laker, WS Surridge (capt), GAR Lock, PJ Loader At the end of the 1956 season many people would probably have given Laker the accolade of the best off-spinner ever. Remarkably however, at the beginning of the year, having played in only two of England’s previous 16 Tests, he was still not even certain of his place in the national side. In a career that had started eight years before he had only played 24 times for England, taking a creditable, but not outstanding, 86 wickets. Surrey were in the middle of a record-breaking seven successive seasons as County Champions, while the Australians were led by Victorian off- spinner Ian Johnson. Touring sides then really toured, and the visitors would eventually travel to all corners of Britain, playing 35 (mainly first- class) matches. By the time they came to The Oval in mid-May they had already played four first-class matches but were still looking for a win. In fact their first win against a county would not come until the beginning of July, although to be fair, in a dismally wet summer, many of their matches were badly affected by rain. The match began on a grey, cold morning according to Peter West’s book about the tour, although according to Alan Hill’s biography of Laker it was ‘a sweltering day’. The Australians saw off a Surrey opening attack lacking the injured Alec Bedser and then resisted Laker shakily for 40 minutes until, after 95 minutes and with the score 62, he switched to bowling round the wicket and immediately dismissed opener Jim Burke leg-before playing no shot. It was the highest partnership of the innings. Burke’s partner Colin McDonald, who had made 195 in his previous innings against Nottinghamshire, went on to top score with 89 before, at 151 for three, driving at Laker he was caught at the third attempt by juggling wicketkeeper Roy Swetman (standing in for Arthur McIntyre). After the openers went only Keith Miller resisted for long, but even this great cavalier was subdued for long spells as Laker took three wickets in the first two overs after tea, Ray Lindwall and Johnson both failing to score, to leave the Australians 175 for seven. The crowd had now built up to 10,000 as word got around that history might be made, and every wicket was heartily cheered. Alan Davidson and Pat Crawford countered with some lusty hitting, swinging Laker three times over the leg-side boundary, but at 217 for nine and with the incoming number eleven a 35-year-old slow left- armer Jack Wilson, whose eventual top-score in a 78-match career would be 19 not out, Laker’s all-ten seemed inevitable. At the same score Miller gave a chance to Dennis Cox at cover off Tony Lock, which was fortunately, and probably with good intent, put down. It was a costly kindness because Miller then shepherded his partner whilst 42 runs were added before, to