Famous Cricketers No 45 - Hedley Verity

341. M.C.C. v Combined Transvaal XI, Johannesburg, January 27, 28, 30 (Match drawn) c R.E.Grieveson b K.G.Viljoen 39 434 19 4 63 1 A.Melville c W.R.Hammond 304 4 0 19 0 220-2 342. M.C.C. v Rhodesia, Bulawayo, February 4, (6), 7 (Match drawn) c J.H.Charsley b A.J.Bell 9 307-5d 11 4 15 1 H.K.S.Evans c L.Hutton 242 343. ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA, Johannesburg, February 18, 20, (21), 22 (Match drawn) c E.A.B.Rowan b B.Mitchell 8 215 37.5 10 127 3 A.D.Nourse hit wkt 349-8d 1 A.C.B.Langton c L.Hutton K.G.Viljoen lbw did not bat - 203-4 344. ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA, Durban, March 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, (11), 13, 14 (Match drawn) b E.L.Dalton 3 316 55.6 14 97 2 A.C.B.Langton c E.Paynter 530 1 E.S.Newson c and b did not bat - 654-5 40 9 87 2 E.A.B.Rowan c W.J.Edrich 481 B.Mitchell hit wkt SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Test matches 5 4 0 66 29 16.50 - - 3 Other matches 7 8 2 179 39 29.83 - - 4 Tour 12 12 2 245 39 24.50 - - 7 Career 344 386 91 5340 101 18.10 1 12 238 Bowling O M R W BB Ave 5i 10m Test matches 283.2 89 552 19 5/70 29.05 1 - Other matches 144.6 43 385 28 7/22 13.75 2 1 Tour (8-ball) 428 132 937 47 7/22 19.93 3 1 Career (6-ball) 11218.5 4017 } 26637 1765 10/10 15.09 150 51 (8-ball) 983.4 291 1939 In what proved to be Verity’s last season in first-class cricket he finished, as he had started in 1930, at the top of the bowling averages with 191 wickets at 13.13. His status as the finest bowler in the country was confirmed and he would surely have taken well over 200 wickets if the Scarborough Festival had not been cancelled with three matches still to be played. The final game of the season was at Hove when, with war clouds looming, he gave one of his finest performances in the Sussex second innings. All other matches had already been abandoned or completed by September 1st but Brian Sellers had agreed to play on as the game was for Jim Parks’ benefit. In a splendid game, despite the eerie atmosphere, Sussex were bowled out for 33 in the second innings with Verity taking 7-9 on a rain-affected pitch. Yorkshire won the game by nine wickets despite the absence of Herbert Sutcliffe who had been called up as a reservist officer. Yorkshire won the County Championship for the fifth time in seven seasons under the captaincy of Brian Sellers with four bowlers, including Len Hutton, in the top ten of the national averages (20 wickets or more). Verity’s final Test was at Lord’s against the visiting West Indies when in his fortieth match he took his total of Test wickets to 144 which at this time was the third highest for England after S.F.Barnes and M.W.Tate. In Yorkshire’s match against M.C.C. at Lord’s he recorded his finest feat for the county outside the Championship when he took 9-62 in the second innings. In a remarkable ten-year career he had taken 1956 wickets at the incredibly low cost of 14.90. A truly great bowler! Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 345. Yorkshire v Oxford University, The Parks, May 3, 4 (Yorkshire won by ten wickets) c R.Sale b D.E.Young 11 322 10 5 17 1 R.Sale lbw 102 53