Famous Cricketers No 82 - H.E. 'Tom' Dollery

185. Warwickshire v Scotland, Edgbaston, July 30, 31 (Warwickshire won by four wickets) † c A.Johnston b W.K.Laidlaw 42 210 158 1 1 not out 10 62-6 112 1 2 186. Warwickshire v Derbyshire, Derby, August 2, 4, 5 (Match drawn) † lbw b C.Gladwin 2 152 325 1 c C.S.Elliott b A.E.G.Rhodes 0 285 187. Warwickshire v South Africans, Edgbaston, August 6, 7, 8 (South Africans won by an innings and 114 runs) † c B.Mitchell b V.I.Smith 38 330 520-7d 1 b L.Tuckett 0 76 188. Warwickshire v Hampshire, Southampton, August 9, 11, 12 (Match drawn) † lbw b O.W.Herman 77 204 416 2 b J.Bailey 12 254-6 189. Warwickshire v Surrey, Courtaulds Ground, Coventry, August 13, 14, 15 (Surrey won by six wickets) † c L.B.Fishlock b A.V.Bedser 13 443 344 2 b A.V.Bedser 1 111 211-4 190. Warwickshire v Sussex, Edgbaston, August 16, 18, 19 (Sussex won by 151 runs) † b J.K.Nye 39 118 230 c J.A.Dew b J.K.Nye 15 247 286 2 191. Warwickshire v Yorkshire, Headingley, August 20, 21, 22 (Yorkshire won by 6 runs) † c D.V.Brennan b J.H.Wardle 94 229 314 2 c A.B.Sellers b E.P.Robinson 9 254 175-6d 2 192. Warwickshire v Leicestershire, Grace Road, Leicester, August 23, 25, 26 (Leicestershire won by 120 runs) † lbw b J.E.Walsh 0 237 276 1 lbw b J.E.Walsh 0 112 193 2 193. North v South, Harrogate, August 27, 28, 29 (North won by 86 runs) c W.Voce b R.Howorth 0 320 232 1 c C.W.C.Grove b W.H.R.Andrews 80 248 250 1 194. Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire, Trent Bridge, August 30, September 1, 2 (Nottinghamshire won by eight wickets) † run out 15 302 362-6d 2 b H.J.Butler 14 251 192-2 SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St Test match 1 2 0 26 17 13.00 - - - - County Championship 24 43 0 1116 116 25.95 1 8 34 10 Other Warwicks matches 2 4 1 90 42 30.00 - - 3 3 Other match 1 2 0 80 80 80.00 - 1 2 - Season 28 51 1 1312 116 26.24 1 9 39 13 Career 194 326 31 10128 177 34.33 20 48 112 13 1948 Peter Cranmer had relinquished the captaincy at the end of the previous season and the Warwickshire Committee was finding a suitable amateur to replace him hard to find. The tradition of playing an amateur skipper was still “de rigueur” with most counties and the Edgbaston hierarchy was no exception; the choice eventually fell upon R.H.Maudsley, an Oxford Blue of the previous two seasons and a useful batsman who could bowl a bit. The problem was, he couldn’t get away from his business commitments until half way through the season, so the Committee called in Tom Dollery one cold winter’s day in December 1947 and asked if he would mind standing in as captain for the first weeks of the season until Maudsley was available. Their action at the time was born out of desperation; the tradition of the amateur captain was so ingrained that it was almost sacrosanct with the majority of counties, and it was all tied up with class, 29