All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

71 Albert Trott Middlesex v Somerset, 1900 County Championship County Ground, Taunton 6, 7, 8, August 1900 (3-day match) Toss won by Somerset Middlesex won by one wicket Umpires: J Moss, WAJ West Somerset 89 (AE Trott 10-42) and 327; Middlesex 139 (B Cranfield 7-74) and 280-9 Somerset first innings LCH Palairet b Trott 12 CA Bernard b Trott 23 E Robson b Trott 0 CE Dunlop b Trott 1 *SMJ Woods lbw b Trott 4 AE Lewis c and b Trott 8 J Daniell lbw b Trott 0 VT Hill b Trott 35 +AE Newton c Warner b Trott 0 EJ Tyler b Trott 2 B Cranfield not out 2 Extras (b 2) 2 Total (all out, 29.2 overs) 89 Fall of wickets 1-12, 2-12, 3-25, 4-29, 5-41, 6-43, 7-70, 8-?, 9-?, 10-89 Middlesex bowling : JT Hearne 15-4-45-0, AE Trott 14.2-5-42-10 Middlesex: PF Warner, J Douglas, RN Douglas, CM Wells, BJT Bosanquet, G MacGregor (capt, wk), RW Nicholls, JT Rawlin, AE Trott, W Williams, JT Hearne Albert Trott was another of cricket’s tragic heroes. Born in Melbourne in 1873, after an impressive Test debut against A.E.Stoddart’s 1894/95 England team he should have been a certainty for the 1896 tour to England led by brother Harry. Inexplicably he wasn’t chosen, and so decided that if Australia didn’t want him he would continue his career in England. Whilst qualifying for Middlesex he served on the MCC groundstaff (including fielding as a substitute for Australia in the 1896 Lord’s Test). Once qualified he soon made his mark and for a few years was one of the best allrounders in the world: as a mainly medium pace off-spinner with a lowish action who could move the ball both ways, and cleverly vary his pace from fast to slow; as a hard-hitting, crowd-pleasing, but often injudicious, batsman, famously remembered for hitting a ball from Australian Monty Noble over the pavilion at Lord’s in 1899; and as a brilliant fielder anywhere. He also played two Tests in South Africa for his adopted country. By all accounts he had a lot of fun off the field. Unfortunately however, and resorting to clichés, the popular Trott was a ‘flawed genius’ and ‘his own worst enemy’. Trott’s all-ten at Taunton was achieved in an exciting game to which he