Famous Cricekters No 53 - George Geary

of his pre-war self. The longer playing hours due to the experiment with two day Championship matches in 1919 were a strain. He was obviously not fit for full time cricket, and signed a professional contract with Nelson in the Lancashire League for 1920. Finishing in fourth place in the League bowling averages with 95 wickets at 7.21 each, he was retained for a second season in 1921. Fred Hassall, an ex-Leicester player, joined him as the club coach. Not so successful this season, he still took 72 wickets, and the strength had now returned. Geary managed to fit in five mid-week matches for Leicestershire in 1921, and performed reasonably. He returned to play full time for the County in 1922, and this season commenced the long term partnership with Ewart Astill which saw them virtually carrying the Leicestershire bowling through this and most of the following decade. Eighty-one cheap wickets in 1922 made the authorities sit up and take notice. 122 wickets in 1923 - his best to date - brought selection for the Test Trial in that year, unfortunately without success. Wisden suggested that he was a good bowler, but would “... be still more effective if he could get his hand up a little higher...”. Perhaps the wartime injury was still troublesome. Three matches were missed in June 1924 due to an injury to his neck, but despite this mishap, Geary bowled consistently well throughout the season, and achieved another hundred-wicket haul. He won his first Test cap, being chosen for the rain ruined Fourth Test against South Africa at Old Trafford. England had already won the rubber, and play was restricted to less than three hours on the first day. He bowled eleven overs in the South African innings of 116 for 4 , without taking a wicket. His selection was due to an injury suffered by Arthur Gilligan in the recent Gents v Players match; Gilligan was fit for the Fifth Test, and Geary was omitted. He must have been close to selection for the Australian tour in the following winter. Instead, he was invited to go to South Africa with S.B.Joel’s unofficial team, captained by Lord Tennyson. His team mate Ewart Astill accompanied him. The matting pitches that he encountered in South Africa were much to Geary’s liking, and he had a very successful tour, having a particularly good record in the representative matches - they were, of course, not Test Matches. Despite still feeling the effects of an arm strain which had occurred in South Africa, Geary had another excellent season in 1925. Unfortunately there was no touring team, and therefore no Test Matches, that summer. His batting improved to the extent that his first, and highest, three figure score was registered; he could now be considered an all-rounder. Geary also made his first appearance for the Players against the Gentlemen, albeit in the end of season Festival at Scarborough. He bowled consistently again during 1926, and had a purple patch in mid season, when he took 28 wickets in a week against Hampshire and Lancashire, fairly forcing his way into the Test team. The England selectors made some interesting choices in 1926. Until the controversial dropping of Arthur Carr, the batting was remarkably stable - Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Hendren, and Woolley, at least, were fixtures, and all batted well - but the bowlers, particularly the opening attack, varied from match to match. Tate and Fred Root, who had perplexed the Australians in the North of England match, were picked for the washed-out First Test and were joined by Larwood at Lord’s. Geary, as has been mentioned, forced his way in for the third match, he and Macaulay replacing Root and Larwood. Neither he nor Macaulay were at all successful in stemming the flow of runs from Macartney, Woodfull, and Richardson, but they joined in a match saving stand of 108 for the ninth wicket. Geary was then injured in the match against the Gentlemen at Lord’s, and missed the Fourth Test, but he was picked for the final Test at The Oval. In the furore accompanying the dropping of Carr, this did not attract much notice, but it was observed that Root was a trifle unlucky, having taken four good wickets at Old Trafford. Pelham Warner, the chairman of selectors, explained afterwards that they felt that the Australians had perhaps worked Root out by that stage, and that Geary was the better batsman and fielder. The match being timeless, and the team containing five players aged 37 or more - much more in respect of Rhodes and Strudwick - the fielding was certainly a consideration. In the event Geary didn’t do much with bat or ball, but he did make three splendid catches; the selectors 8