Lives in Cricket No 18 - FR Foster

but not only the pros. Foster himself reflected, ‘… the captain Joe Phillips and I were instrumental in throwing the game away. When had we gone to bed early, the match had been won.’ Initially the heroic drinking seemed to have had no effect. Eight wickets fell for 80 well before lunch. When John Chapman joined injured pace man Arnold Warren, 111 runs were still needed to make Warwicks bat again, the wicket was wearing, yet by lunch the deficit was only 33. Derbyshire secretary W.T.Taylor informed county historian Frank Peach years later that, during the interval, Frank Field was already showing signs of anxiety. ‘Well Frank, you look like catching your early train,’ said Taylor to Field, whose reply was ‘I don’t know, Mr Taylor, these chaps are pretty good bats,’ and this day they certainly were. As the score mounted matters became stressful and theatrical. With Warren on 50, Foster, bowling fast leg-theory hit him sharply on the back of the knee at which Warren went down the wicket and threatened to hit Foster ‘on the bloody head’ if he didn’t stop. But, though in pain, Warren continued scoring. At the other end Chapman, a slight man with an apologetic air, dominated proceedings and once hit Quaife onto adjoining allotments. The pair finally added 283, in just over three hours, still a world ninth-wicket record. Warren scored 123, Chapman went on to 165 before being bowled by Foster, and Derbyshire’s all-out 430 meant Warwicks could only play out time. Foster, perhaps still hung over, bowled 26.4 overs for 119 runs and three wickets, and Field and Santall also did their stint. Phillips bowled only nine overs for 37, Quaife and Charlesworth bowled little. Poor, unimaginative, or hungover captaincy. The county season continued on its undistinguished way, with the captaincy stakes now being joined by Lt Cowan. Hampshire’s J.G.Greig put the bowlers to the sword – this future Catholic priest showed little mercy – but Foster played his part in the draw with 56 in 55 minutes. There followed a short break from the county scene. Foster showed he had been noted in high places and he was selected for the Gentlemen for their games at The Oval and Lord’s, the highlights of a non-Test match season. The youngest participant in both games did little with the bat, but two innings analyses of four for 34 suggested genuine quality and Hamish Stuart in Cricket magazine proffered the view that ‘F.R .Foster … showed that he has the qualities which make for greatness.’ He could have been grateful to miss the Hampshire return, which saw an innings defeat. Goodwin, as near to being a non-playing captain as made no difference, bagged a ‘pair’ and bowled seven unproductive overs. The Young cricketer making his way 29 Foster figured on cigarette cards soon after the start of his career.