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

1953 Coronation year saw Tom Dollery in tremendous batting form for a man approaching forty years of age. He not only headed the Warwickshire batting by the proverbial mile, but finished in eleventh place in the first-class list. He also passed the personal landmark of 20,000 first-class runs, only the third Warwickshire batsman, up to then, to achieve this after William Quaife and R.E.S.Wyatt. His team didn’t fare as well however; rain interfered with almost every home match and although gaining first innings points in the majority of games, they couldn’t finish opponents off and eventually finished in 9th place. He was quickly into form with fifties against Kent, Lancashire (two) and Nottinghamshire. The brace against Lancashire narrowly failed to produce a Warwickshire win as the last Red Rose pair held out for a draw, Dollery’s second innings 61containing a six and 10 fours as he chased quick runs before the declaration. There then followed one of the most remarkable, and for Warwickshire one of the most embarrassing games in their history. Coming up against the Champions, Surrey at The Oval on a wet pitch they were beaten by an innings in a single day, the first such instance in a first-class match at The Oval since 1857! The start was delayed until noon as well, but Alec Bedser was unplayable and he took 8-18 as Warwickshire were shot out for 45; Surrey found the going just as tough but some late order slogging took them to 146. Warwickshire did no better in their second innings as they were shot out for only 52 this time, Jim Laker joining in the fun with a hat-trick and Bedser finishing with figures of 12-35! Tom Cartwright, then a young seventeen-year old, opened the batting that day for Warwickshire, and he told me that his second innings nine was one of the best and most memorable innings of his career! The skipper contributed eight and nought, and seven of his team failed to score in the second innings, as Surrey wrapped it all up at twenty to seven in the evening! His first century came at Courtaulds, Coventry on a flat pitch against a moderate Somerset attack, as he and Fred Gardner helped themselves to a “ton” apiece as they put on 275 in 200 minutes, Dollery hitting a six and 20 fours. He followed this with a rapid 92 against Lancashire, unluckily missing a century when going for quick runs before declaring in the second innings. His 131 against Hampshire saved his side after being put in and but for the weather would probably have been a match-winning innings, no one else in the match but Spooner getting past fifty. His third century of the season was made during a tremendous seventh wicket partnership with his long time colleague, Jimmy Ord, who had been recalled to the first team at the age of forty-one. Coming together at 95-6 the two veterans thrashed the Kent attack to the tune of 250 runs made in five minutes less than three hours, Dollery hitting seventeen fours. Careful at first, he spent two hours over his first fifty, but his last 119 was made in the same number of minutes and he was eventually run out for 169. Dollery sacrificed another “ton” when he declared on 84 not out against Glamorgan at Ebbw Vale, setting them a more than fair target of 245 to win in 235 minutes, which the Welshmen reached for the loss of six wickets. His declarations always gave the opposition a chance and not many back-fired; he certainly didn’t believe in killing games off by setting unrealistic targets. Three declarations later in the season produced varying degrees of success, but they all highlighted Dollery’s positive attitude to his cricket. His timing was right against Hampshire at Portsmouth as Warwickshire won with two minutes to spare, but against the old enemy, Worcestershire at Edgbaston his bowlers couldn’t finish the job as the last wicket pair held out for the last thirty-five minutes. On the other hand he set Yorkshire what appeared a stiff target of 257 at 88 an hour at Bradford, but his caution was proved correct in this instance as Willie Watson led Yorkshire home with ten minutes to spare. In the Hampshire match at Portsmouth he hung on to seven catches in the slips, a sure sign that his reactions and eyesight were not quite past it yet. This feat remained a Warwickshire match record until equalled in 1975, but it hasn’t been beaten to this day. If he denied himself a century against Glamorgan, he was definitely “robbed” of one against his “pet” county Derbyshire at Derby. After putting on 180 with Fred Gardner, he acknowledged the crowd’s 49