Lives in Cricket No 15 - Michael Falcon

seven for 42. Only Jack Ryder with an unbeaten 43 looked at all comfortable as Falcon’s victims included Bill Woodfull and Bill Ponsford, batsmen who would become famous as all-time greats. The Cricketer correspondent commented that ‘he bowled admirably. He has shortened his run up to the wicket, and he accommodated his pace to the slow pitch. He is, we should say, a more subtle bowler than formerly, for he imparts to his deliveries rather more variety of pace. Falcon is 38, but he is ten years younger in physical fitness, and his record against Australian teams is notable ... determination and splendid physique squeezed every bit of pace that there was to be had out of a lifeless wicket.’ The Australians were eventually dismissed for 179 and there was only time for the Minor Counties XI to make 115 for four in reply. Norfolk had a disastrous time in the Minor Counties Championship, being defeated five times in ten matches and failing to win even a single fixture. It was not the fault of Michael Falcon, who headed both the batting and bowling averages. Falcon’s 672 runs were scored consistently through the season with one century and seven half-centuries – his most fifties in a season. Scores of 56 and 107 not out against Kent II at Chatham were the highlight, his driving being as prominent as usual. With the ball, Falcon’s total of 37 wickets at 19.35 was steady rather than spectacular, but all the other bowlers were failures. However signs of his age, quite advanced for a fast bowler, were now becoming visible at the Minor Counties level as well as at Maidenhead. Although it was reported that, against Kent II, ‘he bowled very fast, kept an excellent length, and made the ball do something in the air’, when Hertfordshire visited Lakenham the paper noted that his ‘run up to the wicket is now much shorter and his pace not so fast as formerly.’ However, swing away from the bat was still in evidence and he obtained four five-wicket returns. A rare setback at this level occurred in the home fixture against Hertfordshire when Charles Titchmarsh made a splendid 218. Falcon went wicketless for 82 runs, although he did have Titchmarsh dropped by Jack Nichols in the slips 44 when the batsmen had scored only 23. He was hooked to distraction by the ‘little master’ as reported by Eric Edrich: At His Peak: 1919-1929 77 44 Wisden was particularly critical of the Norfolk’s fielding this season, reporting it as ‘the outstanding cause of the county’s lack of success’.