Lives in Cricket No 15 - Michael Falcon

before this, the declaration of war on Germany (on 4 August) had affected the season, causing the abandonment of the home fixture with Staffordshire, who pleaded that the dislocation of the rail network caused by mobilisation made it more than inconvenient for them to travel to Lakenham. Michael Falcon had yet another consistent season with the bat, amassing over 300 runs in seven matches, with a top score of 93 against Hertfordshire. This innings took but 98 minutes and was, like most of his aggressive innings, characterised by drives of splendid power on both sides of the wicket. At other times circumstances dictated caution and he was also praised for his defence. He was the spearhead of the bowling attack, taking 39 wickets at under 15 apiece. Two six-wicket hauls against Cambridgeshire were the highlight as he made the ball swerve a good deal and come through at a nasty height on a pitch which gave him some assistance. Earlier in the year, at Bedford, spectators were treated to a forerunner of a ‘Carmody’ field when Falcon deployed no fewer than five slips. In retrospect, Falcon would have viewed his performance for the Free Foresters against Cambridge University with mixed emotions. He took 13 wickets in the match, comfortably his best performance in first-class cricket, but paradoxically played a highly significant part in his side’s defeat. Having been rested, he was brought back into the attack, with his figures standing at an impressive seven for 54, when the University needed 16 runs to win and had its last pair at the crease. He found himself bowling to Geoffrey Davies – himself the taker of eleven wickets in the match – who promptly hit him for four fours in five balls to win the match. The Free Foresters, 1912-1936 Although Michael Falcon’s choice to play for Norfolk meant his appearances in first-class cricket were sporadic, there was one first-class club to which he offered considerable loyalty – this was the Free Foresters. More specifically, he participated in and eventually helped to organise the annual match between the Free Foresters and Cambridge University. The Free Foresters were one of the most senior of the wandering clubs founded in the Victorian era, arising in 1856 when an eleven raised by the three brothers Armistead travelled to Sutton Coldfield to play against the team of Taking Over the Reins at Norfolk: 1911-1914 36