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

applause as his century was posted on the scoreboard, but his pleasure didn’t last long as he was run out without addition. To make matters worse the scorers discovered an error, and he was docked one run as he made his way back to the pavilion, the scoreboard clanging back to 99! I never did find out who got the worst of his temper, “Chico” Austin, the scorer or his batting partner, but Ray Hitchcock told me it was one of the few times the skipper was known to lose his “cool”. This error eventually left him with only 49 hundreds for Warwickshire instead of a nice round 50. Another positive Dollery declaration, in fact two in this instance were the features of Warwickshire’s match against the touring Australians, one of the most dramatic games ever staged at Edgbaston. Warwickshire came nearer to lowering the tourists’ colours than any other county on the tour as they totally outplayed them throughout in front of huge crowds. Fred Gardner and Norman Horner started the match by posting 143 for the first wicket in quick time, the hundred coming up in only eighty-five minutes! Fred went on to 110, the first century for Warwickshire against the Australians. Ray Lindwall bowled the skipper cheaply again, but after he declared Eric Hollies and Bert Wolton, with his occasional off-breaks, bowled them out for a lead of 89, another “best” against the tourists. When Dollery declared the second innings closed at 76-3, (no none had declared twice against the Australians since Bob Wyatt leading England in 1934), leaving the Australians 166 to win in only 170 minutes, his entire team to a man thought he had handed the game to them on a plate. Keith Dollery can still recall the despair in the home dressing room to this day. But the skipper was an uncanny reader of a pitch, and he had seen the ball starting to turn more and more, particularly at one end and he knew it was made for Hollies. “Lindsay, it’s all yours” he said to Hassett as he called his batsmen in, “You bastard”, was Hassett’s typical Australian response, as he knew full well what they were in for. Hassett set himself the task of saving the match by taking as much of Hollies’ bowling as possible, and even Keith Miller took twenty-seven minutes over ten runs. With Dollery ringing the bowling changes at the other end, and a few wickets falling the atmosphere became unbearable and to make matters worse the crowd started to slow-handclap and barrack the Australians unmercifully. Hassett was concerned for his safety at one stage, and Hollies didn’t ease his anxiety by pulling his leg about the crowd coming on to the pitch. In fact the crowd became so hostile that extra police were called in and Hassett was escorted from the pitch after batting 165 minutes for 21 not out of masterly defensive batting to save his side. With the Australians finishing on 53-5, Dollery had once again demonstrated his innate ability to read a pitch, and his judgement of the declaration had been fully justified. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct St Total Total 347. Warwickshire v Kent, Edgbaston, May 2, 4, 5 (Kent won by 91 runs) * lbw b D.V.P.Wright 0 186 328 b R.R.Dovey 52 178 127 1 348. Warwickshire v Lancashire, Old Trafford, May 9, 11, 12 (Match drawn) * c J.T.Ikin b G.A.Edrich 87 403 338 2 b R.Tattersall 61 178-5d 158-8 349. Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire, Trent Bridge, May 13, 14, (15) (Match drawn) * not out 55 296-3 265 350. Warwickshire v Surrey, Kennington Oval, May 16 (Surrey won by an innings and 49 runs) * c G.A.R.Lock b A.V.Bedser 8 45 146 1 c W.S.Surridge b J.C.Laker 0 52 351. Warwickshire v Derbyshire, Edgbaston, May 23, 25, 26 (Warwickshire won by 200 runs) * st G.O.Dawkes b D.B.Carr 40 339-9d 197 c D.C.Morgan b A.Hamer 29 134-6d 76 352. Warwickshire v Cambridge University, Fenner’s, May (27), 28, 29 (Warwickshire won by an innings and 28 runs) * c M.L.Carr b D.C.Dickinson 0 219-8d 43-8d 1 148 353. Warwickshire v Somerset, Courtaulds Ground, Coventry, May 30, June 1, 2 (Match drawn) * c T.A.Hall b H.F.T.Buse 173 448-5d 323-9d 79-3 1 50