Lives in Cricket No 36 - WE Astill

49 Next Year, Sometime, Never Over a century later it is hard to account for this calamitous drop in form. The uninterrupted decline in his bowling season by season probably indicates not only a growing familiarity with his methods by opposing batsman but also, possibly, a disinclination to work as hard as a bowler should. Had success come too easily? Or did he simply lack confidence in himself and refuse to accept the plaudits of others as completely accurate and honest? There is a probable contributory cause. Uncle Tom played in the first two matches of the 1911 season without taking a wicket owing to declining health. He was then dropped and anxiety grew over the summer as pulmonary tuberculosis strengthened its fell hold on his once virile body. He never played again and, though sent in the winter of 1912/13 at the county’s expense for recuperation in the healthy alpine air of Switzerland, he died shortly before the opening of the following season, 103 less than four years after the storm in cricketing circles caused by his omission from England’s team against Australia at Lord’s. 104 Seemingly shocked by his recent dismal performances and perhaps shamed by the sight of his dying uncle attending home matches, Astill took full advantage, especially in June, 105 of the wet wickets that in 1912 so deleteriously affected the international triangular tournament of ‘this dampest, dreariest, most miserable of summers’. Although his batting descended to cunicular incompetence, 106 his seven five-wicket innings hauls helped him in the Championship alone to 73 wickets at the respectable average of 23.63. ‘Reynard’ was moved to remark on the first day of the season, ‘I hope Astill will bowl with more venom than he did in his first essay. Luckily there is all the season for everyone to improve, and we do not expect marvels in the opening match.’ His hopes were swiftly realized, for in the very next match, against Nottinghamshire, the same correspondent was writing: ‘he always looked the most difficult of the trundlers’, his ‘excellent length bowling … required constant watching’. ‘[He] bowl[ed] Iremonger with a beautiful ball of perfect length, breaking sharply from the off. It was this way that Astill used to beat men when he was first hailed as the rising light of cricket. Is he recovering his form at length?’ It seemed so, for on rain-affected wickets he rediscovered his ability to turn the ball sharply and make it ‘kick’. Twice Astill took ten wickets in a match; twice, in consecutive innings, he bowled through an innings with King, the two bowlers between them accounting for over two- thirds of the wickets taken by their county in the season. Moreover, his eighteen wickets in two of Leicestershire’s only three wins enabled them to finish thirteenth in the table: without him they would probably have 103 One day before the 36th anniversary of his birth. Though eleven years older than his nephew, he made his début only three years prior. 104 He never did play in a Test match. For details on this infamous selectorial blunder see Littlewood, J.H.King, Leicestershire’s Longaevous Left-hander , pp 69-72. Strangely his omission did not prevent the first appearance of a Leicestershire player in a Test on English soil, for King was chosen (Pougher and Knight had appeared previously in South Africa and Australia respectively). 105 38, or just over half, of his wickets were taken in this month. 106 42 first-class innings brought him 213 runs at an average of 7.78 with a highest score of 24 in the first game of the season. Nonetheless in a rare batting achievement this year his defiant 17 at No.10 before he was stumped forced Nottinghamshire to bat a second time at Leicester.