Lives in Cricket No 18 - FR Foster

innings bowling Foster was presented with the ball and afterwards it was reported that he demonstrated to George Hirst how he obtained lbws, but a second successive defeat and the apparent lack of fight from some senior players must have concerned him. Early June and the championship table had a familiar look, Warwicks having subsided to mid-table mediocrity. Surely the young captain would not be satisfied with this. There was now a short Championship break however, when the All-India touring team visited. They had not been given Test status and their performance explained why. The team was weakened by the absence of its best player, K.M.Mistry; contemporary reports state he was ‘kept away by Coronation duties with the Maharaja of Patiala’. Strange priorities indeed. 35 Warwicks swept the tourists aside; Foster took seven wickets but the most impressive bowling came from another left-arm pace man Basil Crawford. Making his debut, Crawford took six for 36 in his first bowl, but never again approached such form. Back to the Championship and a close game with Derbyshire at Blackwell. There were few early highlights on a poor wicket, but in the second innings, Foster decided conditions were against George Stephens’ strong top-handed methods and deputed Tiger Smith to open with Kinneir. They added 67 and Smith eventually scored 81 in 150 minutes, ‘worth 250 in good conditions’ according to his skipper. Left to get 176 Derbyshire would have felt confident but on 41 for no wicket Sam Cadman was adjudged lbw by umpire ‘Shoey’ Harrison. When Foster pointed out that Cadman had edged the ball first Harrison brusquely told him to mind his own business. Cadman was forced to depart, his expression no doubt even more lugubrious than usual. Derbyshire edged forward however and with 40 needed, and four wickets left they may have fancied their chances. Foster had another ace to play however. In his own words: ‘I said to Frank Field, who had been bowling awful rubbish, “Come off, Crawford bowls.” Field replied, “Are you mad, skipper?” “Quite,” I murmured. With the fifth ball of his second over Crawford bowled ‘Nudger’ Needham, with a long hop.’ ‘It was a rotten ball but a very important wicket,’ recalled Foster. ‘Crawford was a tall, lanky individual who tried to bowl fast. The ball he got Needham with pitched short and went straight for the head. Needham ducked, the ball hit his gloves and dropped onto the wickets.’ There was a bizarre ending. At 153 for eight, Humphries ran himself out and then the well-set skipper John Chapman saw last man Warren start for a run but, when sent back, the big paceman was too slow on the turn and failed to make his ground. The contemporary press blamed the two professionals (of course) for being bad judges of running but, whoever was at fault, Derbyshire had lost a match they might have expected to win. The run-outs sealed their fate, but Foster’s master strokes of opening with Tiger and giving Crawford the ball created the opportunity. Tell Kent from me she hath lost 36 35 For another, off-beat reason the absence of M.D.Bulsara from the Edgbaston match was a disappointment. The best-looking member of the party was reputedly a relation of rock musician Freddy Mercury.