Lives in Cricket No 18 - FR Foster

Worcestershire at New Road, a local derby, but despite lacking all but one of their own Fosters, 33 the home side set the visitors 300 and won by 116 runs. Foster himself struggled with the ball and must have been annoyed at twice getting stumped off Simpson-Hayward’s ‘lobs’. 34 But Foster was just girding his loins; Yorkshire were next – a team of all the talents. Master bowlers Hirst and Rhodes were a little ‘over the hill’ but Major Booth and Alonzo Drake had added new depth to the attacking strength. Yorkshire were naturally led by an amateur, Everard Radcliffe, a Devonian not thought worth a Cambridge trial. Warwicks batted but were five down for 61 when the captain joined Lilley. They set about the bowlers, especially Wilfred Rhodes, with such abandon they added 96 in 55 minutes and, after Lilley departed, Foster remained aggressively defiant in another fine stand, 97 with Santall, and when finally bowled by Drake had reached 105 – his maiden century – in 135 minutes, with a six and twelve fours. He had shown maturity in his best innings to date and saved his side from potential disaster. A total of 317 was not unsatisfactory. Foster could not have wished for a better start when Yorkshire batted: the first ball of the innings whipped out Ben Wilson’s middle stump. But then Rhodes and David Denton added 124 before Field dismissed the former for a typically gritty 47. Foster then had Denton taken at slip by Lilley but Hirst joined Drake and they added 152 for the fourth wicket before the most inspired spell thus far of Foster’s career. Hirst had remarked to Tiger Smith that he couldn’t understand how Foster got so many lbw decisions. Tiger told Foster, at which he brought himself back, at 299 for three. His first ball hit Hirst on his now ample posterior, and the second straightened from middle and leg to remove the off stump. He bowled Hirst, Drake and Turner in four balls and actually took the last seven wickets, six of them bowled, in 33 balls for 31 runs. Figures of 29.3 overs, four maidens, 118 runs, nine wickets, were to remain a career best but he must have been unimpressed at the poor support afforded by his professional colleagues which enabled Yorkshire to post a first-innings lead of 30. As disappointing must have been the second-innings batting. Only Kinneir of the seasoned professionals showed much backbone, though Foster would have been annoyed allowing himself to be stumped for the third time in four innings. Set 216, Yorkshire were guided home by Alonzo Drake, after Foster had briefly raised hopes with three more wickets. Foster had become only the second Warwicks player to hit a century and take ten wickets in a match. Quaife had done it against Worcestershire in 1901, and at least finished on the winning side. No-one has done it since. For his first- Tell Kent from me she hath lost 35 33 The privileged sons of a local vicar, and not above bending the rules to suit their own particular brand of sportsmanship. Rumour has it that ‘our’ Foster was annoyed at the frequent assumption that he was related; his apparent feelings of contempt blew up in 1914 – as will be seen. 34 In the 1909/10 South African series George Simpson-Hayward was the last player chosen for Tests for his lob bowling. The tour captain was his relation, H.D.G.Leveson Gower – subsequently knighted ‘for services to cricket’.