Allen was at the crease in the Whitsuntide fixture of 1936 when the youthful Denis Compton joined him at No 11 with Middlesex seeking a first innings lead in response to Sussex’s 185. “Gubby was determined to get them,” said Compton. “Maurice Tate was bowling and Gubby came up to me and told me to play forward to him. ‘Play forward,’ he said, ‘and stick there’. For some reason I played back twice and was nearly out." Eventually Compton (14) was given out lbw by Bill Bestwick, the former Derbyshire fast bowler who, like several of his kind and generation, had enjoyed a pint throughout his career. Allen remonstrated with Bestwick. “Bill, you’re a so-and-so cheat. Young Compton wasn’t out and well you know it.” Bestwick replied: “I know he wasn’t sir. But you had your first innings lead and I was dying to spend a penny so I gave him out.” Rain on Tuesday when the match was delicately poised put paid to the fun after 15,000 people had seen some magnificent bowling from Tate on Whit Monday. Middlesex had now entered on a period of success in which they finished third in 1935 and runners-up in the four seasons before the 1939-45 war and again in 1946. Allen, the leg spinning all-rounder Walter Robins, the big-hitting fast bowler Jim Smith and Sims were the most successful bowlers and Compton, Bill Edrich and Jack Robertson emerged to maintain the tradition of Hendren, Hearne and Lee. Their batting was once again as powerful and attractive as any in the country. At Hove in 1937 they piled up 632 for eight declared, Hendren, at the age of 48 and in his final season, 187, Hulme 125 and Compton 61. The old and the new in Hendren and Compton added 158 for the fourth wicket. Sussex collapsed twice before Owen-Smith’s well-flighted leg breaks and Middlesex had the match won by Monday evening, the margin being an innings and 351 runs. The following Whitsuntide saw 30,000 pass through the turnstiles as a benefit match for Fred Price produced 1,157 runs and a Middlesex victory. Price, who later became a notable umpire after his days as Middlesex’s wicket-keeper were over, played a central role at Hove in 1938. After a first innings’ deficit of 118 Middlesex hit back through some fine pace bowling from Laurie Gray. This left them needing 300 in the fourth innings and although Edrich made 95 it took some aggressive hitting from Smith and an unbeaten 52 from Price to secure a three wicket victory. This avenged a rare success by Sussex at Lord’s in 1937, when they won by 210 runs. They had only two victories at headquarters between the wars, in 1924 and 1937, and won seven of the 40 holiday contests against 22 by Middlesex. This was mainly due to a 15-2 margin in Middlesex’s favour between 1920 and 1929, matters being more even during the 1930s. Sussex ended the period with a strong batting side – John and James Langridge, Jim and Harry Parks, George Cox and Hugh Bartlett each exceeded 1,000 runs in the 1939 Championship – but were short on bowling, where Jack Nye, James Langridge, Jim Cornford and Jim Parks had to shoulder the burden. Nevertheless the two decades had provided some eventful cricket and it was a pity that the final holiday match of the 1930s should end in anti-climax. Only three and a quarter hours play was possible on the first two days in August 1939 at Hove, Jack Holmes winning the toss and sending Middlesex in. Edrich (161) and George Mann (88) put on 221 in less than three hours after three wickets had fallen for 32. The innings closed at 328 and when Sussex had lost seven men for 143, Ian Peebles, Middlesex’s captain, faced a dilemma. The title was decided by the total of points divided by matches played. A lead on the first innings brought four points but matches were ignored in the calculations if there was no decision. Therefore a win on the first innings in a match which was obviously going to be Lord’s and the Seaside 67