grateful skipper.” In a drawn match, Jardine was caught Larwood bowled Voce for 67 and Fender made 106, hitting a five and 16 fours. Voce gave Surrey a taste of fast leg theory at The Oval in 1933. He took two early wickets and struck the 50-year-old Hobbs several times on the hip and thigh, the large holiday crowd hooting its disapproval. As Voce tired, he was punished by Hobbs and Fender, who both made hundreds, although in his final over of the day he delivered what Fender said was the fastest ball he faced in his career. It rose sharply off a length at him. Fender never saw it – “the only time in my life, I think, that I was ever frightened at cricket,” – but instinctively held his bat in front of his face. The ball struck the bat handle and flew over the wicket-keeper’s head for four. Carr, Fender, Jardine and Bodyline passed into history and if Larwood lost some of his high pace in subsequent seasons he continued to give Surrey’s batsmen little peace, four consecutive innings in 1936-37 bringing him 21 wickets at 8.57. Voce, too, had his success and there was a poignant moment in the 1937 Whitsun game. It was to be Larwood’s last appearance in the series, his emerging successor Harold Butler destroying Surrey’s second innings with eight for 15 including a hat trick. Butler’s pace also routed Surrey at Trent Bridge a year later but the southerners had the last laugh. A century from Fishlock helped Surrey set a target of 275 but although Keeton made 95, Nottinghamshire could manage only 263, Gover taking five for 69. After the high drama of the early 1930s the decade ended quietly. The immediate memories as war closed in were of batsmen indulging themselves on perfect Oval pitches – Surrey 447, Nottinghamshire 443 in 1938 – rather than struggling against extreme and hostile pace. Harris (179) was the only centurion in this match and Wisden reflected ruefully: “Compared with those great struggles of bygone days between these two clubs, the cricket in this match was very disappointing.” Wisden had a point, for a curiosity of these fixtures – despite much positive cricket - is that between the wars 27 matches were left unfinished, more than the Roses encounters. Nottinghamshire had nine wins and Surrey six. Some honour was restored at Trent Bridge in 1939 when Nottinghamshire made 264 for three to win by seven wickets, Hardstaff (114 not out) and Gunn (92 not out), sons of famous fathers, sharing an unbroken partnership of 216. Hardstaff gave an elegant display of forcing strokes in this innings. At the age of 28, this most stylish of batsman had established himself in the England side but the war interrupted a Test career which might have been on the threshold of greatness. With Keeton, he made attractive runs at The Oval on a rain-interrupted August Bank Holiday Saturday but there was no play on Monday and none after 3.30pm on Tuesday – a miserable end to the inter-war series. Hatching Bodyline 79