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

373. Warwickshire v Sussex, Edgbaston, August 12, 13, 14 (Match drawn) * b A.E.James 13 327-9d 169 1 239-9 374. Warwickshire v Hampshire, Portsmouth, August 15, 17, 18 (Warwickshire won by 129 runs) * c J.R.Gray b V.H.D.Cannings 18 204 163 4 c L.Harrison b R.A.Carty 32 239-8d 151 3 375. Warwickshire v Worcestershire, Edgbaston, August 19, 20, 21 (Match drawn) * b R.T.D.Perks 5 181 148 c L.N.Devereux b G.H.Chesterton 39 312-9d 140-9 376. Warwickshire v Yorkshire, Edgbaston, August 22, 24, 25 (Match drawn) * c F.A.Lowson b R.Illingworth 10 277 274 did not bat - 140-5 SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St County Championship 27 44 4 1871 173 46.77 3 14 29 - Other Warwicks matches 3 2 0 18 18 9.00 - - 3 - Season 30 46 4 1889 173 44.97 3 14 32 - Career 376 621 57 21365 212 37.88 43 113 253 14 1954 1954 was one of the wettest seasons on record, especially in the Midlands and from mid-July on Warwickshire lost over 100 hours play in home matches alone. Before then Warwickshire had notched up nine wins in the Championship, and headed the table several times in the early part of the season, only to fall away to sixth place at the finish as match after match was drawn owing to the weather. Dollery’s batting form more or less followed the trend of the weather and Warwickshire’s fortunes; in his first twenty-three innings he averaged 53 including three centuries and three fifties, then in his last twenty-one innings he averaged 19 with just one fifty, and that in his very last knock of the season. His early season form still put him second to Bert Wolton in the county averages though. Some of his low scores late in the season were down to him taking risks in order to make up for time lost to the rain. Dollery gained ample revenge for the humiliation of the previous season when in the very first Championship game, his bold tactics led to Warwickshire becoming the first team to defeat Surrey since July 1953. He gambled by sending them in on a decent pitch and restricting them with cleverly set fields, then top scored with 74 not out to ensure a first innings lead. His first century, against Essex, was made in only two hours twenty minutes, and he led the charge in the second innings when his team were set 212 to win in two hours; he was run out for 43 going for quick runs but they made it with four minutes to spare. He tormented Leicestershire yet again with his third hundred against them in three seasons, coming in at 71-4 he completely changed the course of the game with a brilliant 142 with twenty fours, to set up an easy win. His third and last “ton” against Middlesex, followed two failures and a loss to one of his “bogey” teams, Glamorgan. The Middlesex game was a high scoring draw and he helped himself to 124 not out with seventeen fours, although he was missed when 53, but Syd. Brown and Bill Edrich added a little matter of 324 for the second wicket when Middlesex batted to ensure a draw. From then on he couldn’t get past 37 until he hit up 62 in the very last innings of the season to help salvage a draw at Bristol. In the middle of this poor run he encountered the Pakistanis on their first tour of England, but his batting matched the weather, which washed out the entire third day, and that more or less summed up this dismal season. During October Tom informed the Committee that he did not wish to renew his engagement. He was now forty years of age, his eyes were not as good as they were and he wanted to go out on a high rather than in a slow decline. The Committee begged him to play on for one more season but he countered 52