Lives in Cricket No 18 - FR Foster

for 53 in 26 overs gave Warwicks a realistic victory target of 199 but, Foster falling first ball, they were a disappointing 100 runs short. And so to Warwicks’ final match, on 27, 28 and 29 August, and Frank Foster’s last-ever for them. The venue Edgbaston, champions-elect Surrey the opposition. He could not possibly know what was to happen, yet perhaps he may have sensed that here, too, was his own parting of the ways. He would surely have thought it ominous that Collin Langley had to leave on the second day to report to his regiment, the Honourable Artillery Company. ‘At least they play cricket there’, Foster claimed to have said to Langley. ‘No Frank, this is more serious than cricket.’ War wounds meant Langley was never able to play top cricket again – though his services to Warwicks were noble, albeit perhaps unappreciated in 2011. Winning the toss, Foster decided to open. He hit the first ball for four and was out for a superb 81 out of 120 before lunch. The quality of Foster’s innings may be measured by the fact that Quaife achieved a typical 60 in 150 minutes, but third-highest scorer was Tiger Smith with 9, the total a mere 177. Surrey now demonstrated the hardships batsmen faced as they limped to 126 all out. Few had an answer to Foster’s pace and swerve as he dismissed the stylish but limpet-like D.J.Knight, Fender, Abel and ‘Razor’ Smith in 16.2 overs for only 24 runs. Jeeves, another last-match man (albeit unbeknown to him) was even more incisive with figures of five for 52. Warwicks’ second innings was low key. By now, the first wounded British troops were being landed at Folkestone and some players seemed merely to go through the motions. Foster again opened and achieved one of his most sedate innings ever – for seven runs. No innings of merit was played in a total of 159, though Jeeves did score 18 in 12 balls. He never again held a bat in anger. 54 Requiring 211, Surrey finished the second day 41 for three, Ducat and Hayes together and would perhaps have been regarded as favourites. Frank Foster would not have backed them. Surrey made a steady start on the third morning; no hurry, they could stroll to victory. At 84 Ernest Hayes was run out for 23. Six runs later Ducat gave Jeeves his last first-class wicket. Foster now got to work. He bowled Fender for 14, (111 for six ) then Howell dismissed ‘B’litch’ (118 for seven). The rest was all Foster. He bowled ‘Razor’ Smith for a duck (119 for eight), then William Abel and Strudwick had a stubborn stand of 11 before Foster, in his twenty-eighth over, dug into what was left of his reserves and bowled Abel and Rushby with successive balls. Warwicks had inflicted only the second defeat of the season on the champions but at the distance of nearly 100 years this seems rather by the way. Foster took wickets, both bowled, with what were his last two balls in first-class cricket. His innings figures were five for 48 from 27.4 overs. More to the point he had rounded things off with a spell of 18.4 overs for 38 runs and five wickets. A quickfire 81, nine wickets for 72, and Vicissitudes down to war 89 54 A private with the ‘Birmingham Pals’, Jeeves died at Montauban, France in July 1916. His body was never found. His name was of course P.G.Wodehouse’s inspiration for Bertie Wooster’s ‘gentleman’s gentleman.’