Lives in Cricket No 36 - WE Astill

137 The Last ‘Double’ and the Gentle Decline Perhaps he was aware of this, for first he proceeded to play sensible cricket in helping his county to the lead, which was just two runs when he was joined by last man W.H.Marlow, but then he cut loose and, aided by missed chances, increased his score to 156 with 22 boundaries before his partner was caught for 49. Their partnership of 157 in 95 minutes was, at the time, the sixth equal highest for the last wicket in county cricket, and the highest since 1926: it remained the Leicestershire record until 1977. Yet the match was lost to Goddard and Parker in an exciting finish with ten minutes to spare. Perhaps of greater quality than his century was an innings at Kidderminster ‘on a pitch that was lively and the ball often jumped about in a manner which compelled batsmen to make their strokes very carefully’ ( The Times ); yet with ‘discreet hitting’ from drives, cuts and pulls Astill put together 89 in 100 minutes. These runs, allied to his four wickets, ensured the lead, but again the match was narrowly lost. The only other score of note was 48, ‘by far the brightest display of the innings’, which enabled Leicestershire to keep within touch of Northamptonshire in the home August Bank Holiday match and ultimately gain a victory. As a bowler he lost penetration rather than stamina, stints of 42, 58 and 45 overs in consecutive innings in June and another of 58 in August making the latter quality abundantly clear. Statistically his best performances were achieved against Sussex. First in the famous victory on a favourite pitch, that of the Bath Grounds at Ashby-de-la-Zouch, he made ‘the ball do some tricks’ in trapping three batsmen in each innings for match figures of six for only 31; and three weeks later at The Saffrons, on a pitch somewhat helpful to bowlers, his nine for 100 off 64 economical overs which often had the batsmen ‘tied up’ were insufficient to stave off defeat. (At one point in the second innings he took four good wickets for a single run in four ‘almost unplayable’ overs) On two other occasions he dismissed five batsmen in an innings, in the opening innings of the season when Harris, Carr, G.V.Gunn and Hardstaff were among his victims for 60 runs, and in a marathon bowl against Worcestershire whose Nawab of Pataudi succumbed to his leg-trap. There were fears that for financial reasons 1934 would prove Leicestershire’s last in first-class cricket. To raise the alarm the club’s secretary (Commander Webb) flew a tattered LCCC flag over the Edward Wood Hall when the County Cricket Bazaar opened there. On being questioned whether it had any particular significance, he replied, ‘No. It is just to show people howmuch we need one.’ Even a union with Lincolnshire was mooted, a proposal turned down by the Minor Counties side, but by the beginning of the following season one supporter had supplied a new flag and others, buoyed by signs of improvement in results on the field, had come to the rescue. Under the captaincy, for much of the season, of the Cambridge Blue A.G.Hazlerigg, Leicestershire advanced in 1934 to twelfth in the table with six victories, although only two were achieved under Hazlerigg’s guidance. 253 Astill, now 46, returned to something like his old formwith the 253 Beisiegel was captain in three, C.W.C.Packe in the other.