All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

91 ground dropped off the circuit in 1996, holidaymakers had enjoyed 191 first-class matches there. However, the only all-ten in all that time was taken in the first match of that very first festival. The atmosphere wasn’t very festive. The War to End All Wars had just begun and Sir John French’s British Expeditionary Force was already suffering casualties in Belgium. County cricket struggled on until the end of the month when it was decided in the face of mounting criticism that it must end, leaving a few matches unplayed. Despite the shadow cast by the War the match was well attended. Somerset had been a poor side for some time, usually finishing around the bottom of the Championship and at Weston they were missing a number of key amateurs, notably J.C.White, their most successful ever bowler. Yorkshire on the other hand continued to be formidable opponents, finishing fourth in the Championship (won by Surrey). Their bowling depended almost exclusively on Booth, Drake and Wilfred Rhodes. They arrived at Weston from Bristol where they had heavily defeated Gloucestershire, Booth and Drake having bowled unchanged in both innings. Somerset must have feared the worst: the previous year at Bath Drake’s match figures were a remarkable seven for 7 (four for 4 in the first innings, three for 3 in the second). Yorkshire fielded an all-professional side. Their captain Sir Archibald White having joined his regiment, they were led by Hirst. Somerset, captained by Massey Poyntz, still relied considerably on amateurs. A combination of rain and a newly laid and poorly prepared pitch that cut up badly would make batting increasingly difficult in a match ending well inside two days. Yorkshire batted first in good weather. They wasted no time and after an hour had scored 90 for five, mainly thanks to a typically dashing 52 by David Denton. Drake going in at seven then batted steadily for an hour and a half, his 51 seeing his side through to what proved to be a match-winning 162. The Somerset batting was opened by amateur Bertram Bisgood and professional Len Braund. Bisgood had made a century against Worcestershire on his debut seven years before but had not done a lot since. Braund, one of the major figures of cricket’s Golden Age, didn’t bowl his leg spin much now, although he had taken three wickets, including Drake’s, in Yorkshire’s first innings. He could still bat though, the previous year making 257 not out against Worcestershire. Unfortunately neither stayed long. They were in good company as Booth and Drake, sharing the wickets, needed only 15 overs to skittle Somerset. Twenty-seven-year-old Booth (Major was his first name, not a military rank) bowled medium-fast right-arm. He had a short, brilliant career: in just over four full English seasons (plus a tour to South Africa in which he was capped twice) taking 603 wickets. A useful bat he accomplished the 1,000 run-100 wicket double in 1913. Weston was his penultimate first- class match. Two years later he lost his life on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Yorkshire made 112 in their second knock, Drake making 12 before he became one of 44-year-old fellow Yorkshireman Ernie Robson’s five victims. A great Somerset servant, allrounder Robson bowled fast-medium and is one of only four bowlers to have taken over 1,000 wickets for the Alonzo Drake