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

220. Warwickshire v Middlesex, Courtaulds Ground, Coventry, August 18, 19, 20 (Warwickshire won by ten wickets) c P.I.Bedford b R.W.V.Robins 56 346 169 did not bat - 19-0 192 1 221. Warwickshire v Worcestershire, Dudley, August 21, 23, 24 (Match drawn) lbw b P.F.Jackson 28 236 108 not out 45 140-4d 245-9 222. Warwickshire v Leicestershire, Grace Road, Leicester, August 25, 26, 27 (Warwickshire won by an innings and 43 runs) st P.Corrall b G.Lester 18 443-9d 207 193 223. Warwickshire v Middlesex, Lord’s, August 28, 30, 31 (Middlesex won by nine wickets) c and b J.M.Sims 1 110 379 lbw b J.A.Young 6 288 21-1 224. North v South, Hastings, September 4, 6 (South won by five wickets) lbw b W.J.Edrich 0 182 199 2 b C.Cook 1 115 101-5 SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St Test matches 2 3 0 38 37 12.66 - - - - Players v Gentlemen 1 1 0 18 18 18.00 - - - - County Championship 24 40 7 1649 167 49.96 2 13 17 - Other Warwicks matches 2 3 0 43 24 14.33 - - - - Other match 1 2 0 1 1 00.50 - - 2 - Season 30 49 7 1749 167 41.64 2 13 19 - Career 224 375 38 11877 177 35.24 22 61 131 13 1949 The Committee more or less had its mind made up for it over the captaincy issue when Maudsley informed them that he wouldn’t be available on a regular basis for the coming season. Tom Dollery was therefore appointed as the first professional captain in Warwickshire’s history, even if they did ask him to turn “shamateur” before doing so. It was even more of a gamble than it first appeared as it was also his benefit season; the last thing the Committee wanted was for their star batsman to lose form due to the responsibilities of captaincy combined with all the worries of his benefit. But he dispelled all doubts by leading the team to its best position for years, (they finished 4th after being 2nd well into August), and he had by far the best season of his career with the bat, heading the Warwickshire averages and finishing 14th on the first-class list. What’s more his benefit earned him £6,362, a new Warwickshire record. The England selectors probably did him a favour by eliminating him from their plans for the Tests against New Zealand, leaving him to concentrate on county duties, and he was captain in every game he appeared in during this season. He had a lean May, only passing fifty once; that came in the first game against Gloucestershire when his second innings of 69 not out saw his side home with five minutes to spare after the fall of early wickets. It was typical of the type of innings he was to play in the seasons ahead, coming to his side’s rescue in a crisis. Almost inevitably his form returned against Derbyshire at Edgbaston in early June; after the visitors were shot out for 86, Warwickshire were doing even worse at four wickets down for only seven runs. He then proceeded to put all the batting in the shade by scoring exactly 100 in three hours in an all out total of 172, a captain’s innings if ever there was one. Even so he was grateful to Jimmy Ord for an unbeaten 75 in the second innings to see his side home by just one wicket. His next century came in the draw with Leicestershire, another county for whose bowling he had a liking. This time he steadied his side after a shaky start by sharing a fifth wicket stand of 178 with 33