All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

41 W.G.Grace Marylebone Cricket Club v Oxford University, 1886 The University Parks, Oxford on 21, 22 June 1886 (2-day match) Toss won by Oxford University Marylebone Cricket Club won by an innings and 28 runs Oxford University 142 and 90 (WG Grace 10-49); MCC 260 (WG Grace 104) Oxford University second innings EHF Bradby b Grace 0 P Coles c Attewell b Grace 1 AK Watson b Grace 0 *HV Page st Kemp b Grace 26 JH Brain c Hine-Haycock b Grace 15 W Rashleigh b Grace 19 C Wreford-Brown c Attewell b Grace 13 EH Buckland b Grace 4 +AR Cobb c de Paravicini b Grace 0 HW Forster not out 0 JH Ware lbw b Grace 10 Extras (lb 2) 2 Total (all out, 72.2 overs 90 Fall of wickets 1-0, 2-0, 3-11, 4-41, 5-51, 6-74, 7-80, 8-80, 9-80, 10-90 MCC bowling: WG Grace 36.2-17-49-10, W Wright 25-12-28-0, W Attewell 11-7-11-0 MCC: WG Grace (capt), EJC Studd, C Booth, TR Hine-Haycock, PJ de Paravicini, MC Kemp (wk), W Wright, W Attewell, Lord GW Scott, EA Nepean, VA Titchmarsh On figures alone W.G.Grace is one of the greatest cricketers ever, but when his contribution to the development of the game is added in, a good case can be made that he is, despite two obvious stellar overseas contenders, the greatest ever. He played first-class cricket from 1865 until 1908, scored 54,211 runs, took 2,809 wickets and held 876 catches (and made five stumpings!). To select just two of many impressive achievements: he made a century and took ten wickets in a match 14 times (only George Giffen and Frank Woolley did it even six times), and in eight days in 1876 in three successive innings he scored 344, 177 and 318 (in which three matches he also bowled 181 four-ball overs). In addition, according to J.R Webber, Grace also garnered some 45,000 runs and 4,600 wickets in minor cricket. All that is perhaps missing is a major Test career. Having said that, given that he didn’t get the chance to play for England until he was thirty- two, 1,098 runs at an average of 32 and with two ‘big’ centuries is pretty impressive. Remember also that he qualified, eventually, and practised as a doctor, and in his younger, slimmer days was a considerable athlete. By the mid-1880s Grace’s girth had increased considerably. Having initially bowled quickish round arm he had slowed down to become an artful bowler of rolled leg breaks (or did the batsman just think they