Lives in Cricket No 20 - Maurice Tompkin

Following his dismissal, Leicestershire were rapidly bowled out for 134 and Glamorgan achieved a useful first-innings lead of 48. When he batted a second time and joined Les Berry, Leicestershire were 80 for three; this became 102 for four when Berry was lbw to Smart. George Geary, who was next in, was enjoying something of a golden season as a batsman. Together they put on 129 for the fifth wicket. Using the back foot and moving his feet cleverly, Maurice scored 91 in two hours and 20 minutes. He hit one six, driven over long on, and 10 fours. As in the first innings it was inexperience that was his undoing, and he ignored Geary’s call and was run out. He reached midway between the stumps, but was not quite quick enough to act on Geary’s warning ‘Get back’ and saw his wicket broken. It is perhaps worth pointing out that Maurice was 19 years old, and Geary 45. An example of what looks like a run to a teenager being discounted by the older man? Even the less partisan Daily Mail , whose correspondent had not enjoyed the slow batting of Armstrong and Berry, said he had not made a bad stroke and felt that he deserved a century. Another reporter commented on his ‘splendid footwork’ and perhaps rather patronisingly added that ‘his front of the wicket play was surprisingly good’. Until very recently no Leicestershire batsman had scored a hundred for the county on his first-class debut; Maurice Tompkin’s 91 remained the highest score for some 72 years. I imagine that few on the ground would believe that it would be another nine years before he scored his first championship hundred. Should Geary have been chivalrous and sacrificed his wicket to allow Maurice the chance to score a hundred? C.E.Loseby, the organiser of the County’s 100 club and someone who had supported the club through thick and thin during the 1930s, was at the ground on the second day and wrote the following: I was fortunate enough to be able to put in a couple of hours at the lovely cricket ground at Ashby-de-la-Zouch when Leicestershire were batting on Thursday afternoon last. The scene was typically Leicestershire. The sun was shining and the background provided by the old and beautiful trees was really superb. The rough forms and benches and tents here and there helped to complete the scene just as it was forty or fifty years ago. George Geary looking for all the world like an all England cricketer – as he is – was at one end. He was batting gloriously, but thank goodness taking no unreasonable chances. At the other was a young fellow I had not seen before. Just as I sat down he hit the ball hard and high out of the ground and hit the roof of the tent in which I was sitting. The bowling was good enough to keep the Australians thinking but this young fellow was as carefree as if he had been batting for his club on a Saturday afternoon. It was, I believe, his first county match. I, for one, shall be surprised if he does not play for England one day. He must however remember one Leicestershire debut, 1938 and 1939 23