All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

207 Tony Lock needed to be more penetrative to reach the next level and in 1952 a new Tony Lock returned to The Oval. Now spinning the ball sharply at a pace approaching medium, if his stock ball didn’t do the trick he could unleash a lethal faster ball. The transformation came about because Lock spent his winters coaching at Alf Gover’s South London indoor cricket school. It had a low roof and so he had to lower his arm and push the ball through. This enabled him to impart more spin, albeit with a changed action that now caused considerable concern, especially when he bowled his quicker one. The effect was immediate. A first Test cap soon followed and by early June 1956, aged 26 years 11 months, he took his 1,000th wicket. Only fellow Surrey bowlers George Lohmann and Tom Richardson, and Yorkshire’s Wilfred Rhodes, had achieved this feat at a younger age. Later in the month he took ten wickets in the match against Kent at The Oval. By a quirk of the fixtures, which I’m not sure the Kent batsmen appreciated, the return was at Blackheath a week later. Kent had been one of the weakest counties for a number of seasons: in 1956 only Leicestershire would finish below them. They were captained by 42-year-old England leg-spinner Doug Wright who was nearing the end of a long and successful career. The Rectory Field, Blackheath in south- east London had been hosting first-class cricket since 1887, usually one match a season, and usually Kent against neighbours Surrey. The ground lost its county cricket status after 1971 because the facilities for players, spectators, and their cars were not considered up to modern requirements. In its early years a number of England rugby internationals were played there and the ground is still the home of Blackheath Rugby Club. In excellent conditions on the first day Surrey made 404 for four in 103 overs, mainly thanks to opener Tom Clark who, off driving crisply, made a career-best 191, and England captain Peter May who was 128 not out at the close. Clark made 190 in his next innings, against Gloucestershire, but never made a double century. Colin Cowdrey, a promising leg-spinner in his youth, conceded just three runs in his only over of the season. After weekend rain Stuart Surridge declared first thing on Monday morning. Kent’s task was fairly hopeless and by the end of the day they had lost 16 wickets. They began well enough, reaching 55 before Lock bowled Arthur Phebey for 22. Cowdrey, the other opener, who eventually top scored with a fighting 49, was going in first because England needed him to do so, although it was a position he disliked, and the selectors would eventually decide that his talents were usually better employed in the middle order. Three years later Cowdrey, by now county captain, would make 250 against Essex at Blackheath, his highest-ever score in England. With Lock taking six wickets Kent struggled to three figures in their first innings and were batting again soon after lunch. Although Kent had batted poorly, Lock had had to work hard for his wickets, using his extra pace to extract life from a pitch that was taking spin only slowly. Kent batted no better the second time around, only Bob Wilson and Arthur Fagg reaching twenty. England wicketkeeper Godfrey Evans batted at number four and made 19 before he hit a return catch to Lock, who would eventually take a remarkable 202 catches off his own bowling, a total