Lives in Cricket No 15 - Michael Falcon

fine form all season. Likewise, with the ball, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire were made to suffer early on but the highlight of the season was a haul of eight for 41 against Bedfordshire at Lakenham. With no support coming from his team-mates, his spell was in vain as Bedfordshire won comfortably. Whilst conceding that Falcon might have been a little faster ten years previously, the local press provides evidence that he was still a very quick bowler at the Minor Counties level, especially when armed with the new ball. Often bowling to four or five slips, he had trouble finding a wicket-keeper who could take him comfortably and in the end Jack Nichols had to don the gloves. Had Falcon been possessed of the fast bowler’s hostility of purpose towards the batsmen, he could have been positively dangerous but he preferred to pitch it up and dismiss the batsmen with his swerve. As a result injuries were scarce: they did, however, happen now and again and against Kent II a shorter length ball rose ‘and hit the tall Claud Douglas on the side of the head and the batsman went down. The sound of the impact could be heard all over the field.’ The tourists in 1923 were the West Indians. Early in their tour they met a not particularly strong MCC team but, replying to a total of only 228, they struggled to 121 for eight before rain brought the match to a close. Michael Falcon was their chief tormentor with the ball, taking three for 38. In his annual game for the Free Foresters against Cambridge University Falcon met with extremely mixed fortunes. Responding to a total of 420, the University were bowled out for 306, Falcon taking six for 76 in 31 accurate overs. The Free Foresters eventually declared leaving a target of 375 – which the University comfortably made for the loss of only three wickets in a mere 75 overs. The Norfolk captain’s 19 overs went wicketless and leaked 113 runs. 39 This was a low point which almost matched his two for 145 against the University in 1920. Despite this clobbering, Falcon was invited to represent the Gentlemen at The Oval; although his four wickets were not cheap he held his own in dismissing Jack Hobbs (twice), William Whysall and Wally Hammond and received a favourable review in the Manchester Guardian . The season was rounded off socially with a dance held in connection with the Norfolk C.C.C. at the Arlington Rooms in Norwich. There were about 150 guests who danced into the early 68 At His Peak: 1919-1929 39 In one over Tom Lowry hit him for one six and three fours.