Lives in Cricket No 36 - WE Astill

134 The Last ‘Double’ and the Gentle Decline his meagre financial return. Two years previously, in an article of Advice to the Lad who would be a Pro , he had written of the disparity of benefits between Yorkshiremen and ‘the fellow who, when asked if he would like another benefit, was constrained to reply, “No thanks, I can’t afford it”’. 248 There is a final curiosity from the season. At Birmingham on 11 August for the last time Astill opened both the batting and bowling for his county, but this time it was probably a unique feat in the annals of first- class cricket since it was accomplished in two consecutive balls. Because the Saturday and the Monday had been washed out completely by rain, Dawson and Wyatt agreed to make the match essentially one of a single innings each, but, forfeiture of first innings being not yet allowed, Astill received one ball from Wyatt and, on Dawson’s immediate declaration, bowled one ball to Santall, whereupon Wyatt in turn declared and the second innings commenced. As at the pulling of stumps the match was left drawn, the two counties shared eight points for a tie on their first innings, Leicestershire receiving their share without losing a wicket and taking only three themselves. February and March found Astill in the West Indies for a fourth winter as, this time, a member of Lord Tennyson’s team to Jamaica. He played in two of the three first-class games against All-Jamaica and scored a few runs, but as a bowler he was overwhelmed by George Headley (who was out only twice in scoring 723 runs in the series), as were, of course, his colleagues: his single wicket cost him 231 runs. Back home for the summer of 1932 and batting usually at No.7, he fell 13 runs short of 1,000, a target that he was never to reach again, and his batting average in Championship matches plummeted to only 22.26, although he was still fourth for his county. For the first time since 1920 this was lower than his bowling average, but that had improved over the previous year and his 75 wickets were second only to Geary’s 101 as the two veterans played a large part in raising their county’s position in the table to twelfth. This was something of a surprise since army duties limited the new captain, the Old Etonian C.W.C.Packe, to just half the fixtures, no fewer than five other amateurs taking the rôle in the remaining matches. Perhaps the 5% reduction in the professionals’ wages due to their county’s financial exigency inspired them all to pull together more. Astill’s most important wickets came at Northampton where his nine for 96, together with Geary’s eleven for 97 on an admittedly helpful wicket on which they could ‘make the ball talk’ ensured that the visitors did not need to bat again despite having scored only 291 to begin the encounter. Leicestershire had already won by an innings at Aylestone Road, but here their victory came only in the extra half-hour when Astill relieved their anxieties by dismissing the tail. His ability to do this was invaluable also against Nottinghamshire, whose last three batsmen were his sole victims in the second innings, but who were dismissed for so few runs that the home side was able to eke out a victory by one wicket. His only other 248 Sports Mercury , 20 July 1929, p 4.