All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

202 Ken Smales Nottinghamshire v Gloucestershire, 1956 County Championship Erinoid Ground, Stroud on 9, 11, 12 June 1956 (3-day match) Toss won by Nottinghamshire Gloucestershire won by nine wickets Umpires: LH Gray, K McCanlis Nottinghamshire 122 and 137 (FP McHugh 6-41); Gloucestershire 214 (K Smales 10-66) and 46-1 Gloucestershire first innings *GM Emmett b Smales 33 W Knightley-Smith c Rowe b Smales 34 RB Nicholls c and b Smales 15 JF Crapp c Winfield b Smales 0 +P Rochford b Smales 2 CA Milton not out 70 JB Mortimore c Poole b Smales 45 DR Smith lbw b Smales 0 BD Wells lbw b Smales 4 C Cook c and b Smales 0 FP McHugh b Smales 0 Extras (b 5, lb 5, nb 1) 11 Total all out, 103.3 overs) 214 Fall of wickets 1-45, 2-76, 3-76, 4-78, 5-95, 6-198, 7-200, 8-204, 9-206, 10-214 Nottinghamshire bowling: AK Walker 25-8-50-0, A Jepson 8-3-20-0, B Dooland 29-13-67-0, K Smales 41.3-20-66-10 Nottinghamshire: RT Simpson (capt), RJ Giles, HM Winfield, CJ Poole, FW Stocks, EJ Martin, B Dooland, AK Walker, K Smales, A Jepson, EJ Rowe (wk) Off-spinner Ken Smales was the ‘other bowler’ to take all-ten in 1956. His career didn’t hit the heights achieved by the illustrious Surrey spin twins, but he is the only bowler to have performed the feat for Nottinghamshire, and he would achieve considerable renown in another sporting field. Like Laker, Smales was a Yorkshireman who found fame outside his county of birth. Born in 1927 he was spotted by Yorkshire after playing for his home club Horsforth and then Keighley. But competition for places was great, and after 13 matches and 22 wickets for Yorkshire he moved to Nottinghamshire in 1951, not an obviously good career move given the then-famed unresponsiveness of Trent Bridge pitches. Nottinghamshire had struggled since the War: 15th in 1950, bottom of the Championship in 1951, reinforcements were obviously needed, especially bowlers. At the time there was an unofficial rule that allowed only players born in the county, or with long associations with it, to play for Nottinghamshire. In view of their parlous position the Committee decided to abandon the rule, and Smales was the first cricketer to be engaged following this change of