Lives in Cricket No 18 - FR Foster

announced that in order to try and protect himself against leg-theory he had cut a pad in half and strapped it around his right thigh inside his trousers. The popular venue at Wantage Road, Northampton came next but on a poor wicket only Quaife had the defensive technique to thrive. Foster took four for 33 but rain curtailed the match. An unsatisfactory end to a run of eight consecutive championship victories – still a Warwicks record. Foster and Smith now went to Lord’s for the first South African Test. The weather was uncertain but the wicket fairly dry. South Africa batted and in 157 balls, all bowled by Foster and Barnes, were all out for 58. Foster five for 16, Barnes five for 25 and E.H.D.Sewell, he who had sneered at Warwicks in 1911, damned Foster with faint praise, saying that two of his wickets were taken with balls that could almost be described as ‘half volleys’. Sewell also criticised Smith’s ‘rustic’ wicket-keeping. Despite a late collapse England gained a lead of 279. South Africa did somewhat better second knock; Llewellyn playing well for 75 and Aubrey Faulkner defending obstinately for 15 in 75 minutes, but finally succumbed for 217. Llewellyn’s dismissal was interesting. He nicked a leg catch to Smith off Foster and it was reported that Smith moved across to leg as Foster started his run up; whether a plot hatched by bowler or keeper or both was uncertain but the now boring Sewell expressed disapproval. Llewellyn should actually have gone earlier; he skied Barnes to Fry at short leg and, according to Tiger Smith in his autobiography, ‘it was a dolly catch but he went round in a circle waiting for the ball and when it came down he was yards away having run himself dizzy. He was so embarrassed he pulled the peak of his cap to the back of his head and disappeared into the long field, a strange place for a captain to go.’ Shortly afterwards he again put Llewellyn down; fortunately for Fry England still won. Back to the Championship and the seemingly none too onerous task of dealing with Leicestershire, winless and second last in the table. Defeat for Warwicks was out of the question, yet they lost in two days. The bubble had burst. Leicestershire batted first and reached 196, Foster taking five for 71, albeit all tailenders, and Warwicks replied miserably with 85 in 42.5 overs. Leicestershire left off 142 ahead but following an all-night poker session Foster was devastating and with Field skittled Leicestershire for 90. Foster had one spell of 12 overs, taking four for 11, and finished with seven for 21 in 19.2 overs. With 202 needed for victory and plenty of time remaining, Parsons and Baker took them to within 22 of the required target with five wickets in hand; then calamity. The last pair came together with ten needed but, when still four runs short, local footballer JimWindridge panicked and was thrown out by Albert Knight. A first championship defeat in just under a year, to a team that had lost six of its seven previous games. As for Foster – twelve for 92, yet on the losing side – what had gone wrong? A couple of unconvincing draws, then it was back to Test cricket for Foster and Tiger. Australia at Lord’s on slow wicket in damp conditions. Though preferring fast wickets Foster was reasonably economical, taking two for Vicissitudes down to war 68