Lives in Cricket No 15 - Michael Falcon

game, against Philadelphia C.C., when the Incogniti came up against Bart King in a twelve-a-side contest. It was a case of an up-and-coming paceman in Falcon confronting an old master in King who was one of the very first bowlers to master the art of swing bowling. Writing in the 1920s, ‘Plum’ Warner rated King as ‘at least the equal of the greatest of them all’. Australian Test player Herbert Hordern, a team-mate of King in Philadelphia and an opponent of Sydney Barnes in an Ashes series, rated Barnes slightly the better bowler, but it is clear that King was a very great player who would have played many Tests had he been born in England or Australia. In common with Falcon, he was approached by at least one English county with a view to qualifying to play in the County Championship. The Incogniti batted first and King ran through the later batting to take seven for 46 as the tourists were shot out for 139. Fighting back, the Incogniti bowled Philadelphia out for 128, Falcon taking four for 58. The tourists again failed to shine in the second innings, making 129; King’s five wickets cost 49 runs. Set 141 to win, Philadelphia were routed by Falcon, who took eight for 14, and made only 61. In his published account of the tour, Falcon says, in this match, that he ‘made the ball jump’ and ‘turn in from the off’, adding that his figures ‘tell their own story’. The report of the tour makes it plain that it was a highly sociable affair. There are references to ‘bachelors who were a hit with members of the fairer sex’; Freeman having ‘a bit of a head’ one morning; sightseeing at Niagara; dinners and dances, including learning the then new-fangled ‘tango’; going to a big baseball game; and various golf, tennis and bridge parties. Geoffrey Colman and Falcon, Norfolk ‘co-optees’ on the tour, won many of the sporting competitions the players had between themselves. When asked of his impression of America by his son many years later, Falcon remembered the hosts as being overly fond of their cocktails, which they consumed at any excuse. (Falcon was himself a moderate drinker.) He enjoyed his trip, but whether he would have gone if he had known that he would never lead his beloved Norfolk to the Minor Counties Championship is a moot point. At this period Norfolk were a very strong team and Falcon must have felt sure that more titles would come his way in the passage of time. Although they came close on several occasions between the Wars, they always fell short for one reason or another. Taking Over the Reins at Norfolk: 1911-1914 34