All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

47 Albert Moss Canterbury v Wellington, 1889/90 Hagley Oval, Christchurch on 27, 28 December 1889 (3-day match) Toss won by Canterbury Canterbury won by 39 runs Canterbury 138 (CH Dryden 7-58) and 111 (CH Dryden 5-35); Wellington 71 (AE Moss 10-28) and 139 (AFG Harman 5-35) Wellington first innings A Blacklock b Moss 9 *WJ Salmon c Marshall b Moss 1 RV Blacklock c Garrard b Moss 0 M Moorhouse c Marshall b Moss 2 CH Dryden c Marshall b Moss 4 EW Brooke c EJ Cotterill b Moss 8 WP McGirr c Barnes b Moss 20 AI Littlejohn not out 13 S Nicholls c and b Moss 0 +PHW Ogier b Moss 5 HW Lawson b Moss 4 Extras (b 4, lb 1) 5 Total (all out, 42.3 overs) 71 Fall of wickets 1-3, 2-3, 3-9, 4-18, 5-25, 6-28, 7-57, 8-57, 9-65, 10-71 Canterbury bowling: AE Moss 21.3-10-28-10, CW Garrard 14-6-22-0, ABM Labatt 7-3-16-0 Canterbury : G Marshall (wk), HS de Maus, ABM Labatt, AFG Harman, CW Garrard, WJ Cotterill, TW Reese, GL Rayner, EJ Cotterill (capt), WEP Barmes, AE Moss Of all the bowlers who have taken an all-ten none had a shorter career than Albert Moss, or arguably a more remarkable life. He is still the only bowler to have taken all-ten on first-class debut, or to have performed the feat in New Zealand. Born in Hugglescote, Leicestershire in 1863, his father a maker of high- quality shoes, Moss became a pupil-teacher, suggesting that he was well educated, and also that his father could afford for him to stay on at school to be trained (pupil-teachers were paid a small wage). He married Mary Hall from Loughborough and the couple sailed to New Zealand to escape the tuberculosis which was ravaging his family. He began teaching, joined Lancaster Park Cricket Club in Christchurch, and gained a place in the Canterbury team. Canterbury had played the inaugural first-class match in New Zealand against Otago in January 1864. Five feet 8 inches tall and well-built, Moss bowled at a sharp pace with a low, slinging action. His Canterbury debut has of course gone into history. The match lasted for only two of its three scheduled days. It was one of ten first-class matches played in New Zealand that season, five of which were