Lives in Cricket No 36 - WE Astill

52 Two small not-out innings at Birminghamhad encouraged Shields to elevate him to No.7 in the order, where he justified his captain’s faith by venturing into heights hitherto unknown with 47 runs and moved ‘Reynard’ to refer to his ‘capital cricket’ and add ‘Certainly he is an improving quality’. Then, however, impatient to score his first fifty, he ran out to drive and was caught on the boundary. Two games later, though promoted to No.6 in the order, he caught the eye with his bowling in an overwhelming loss by 292 runs at Old Trafford. In the Lancastrians’ second innings he ‘wore the mantle of distinction’, on a good pitch bowling the first four batsmen in the order, Hornby, Makepeace, J.T.Tyldesley and Sharp, a notable quartet to have delighted any bowler to defeat at a personal cost of just 12 runs. ‘Tyldesley was bowled by something like a shooter, which caused the famous England batsman to ponder ruefully the damage.’ Astill finished the innings with six wickets for 41, Lancashire with 334 runs. Then, in the only first-class match ever played on the Park Road ground at Loughborough, against an all-professional Nottinghamshire side, a rare occurrence, he again showed that he could deceive top-class batsman in dismissing John Gunn (twice), Hardstaff and Payton. In late June, in his 229th innings, he at last scored his maiden fifty. Caught on a rain-affected pitch at Aylestone Road after Lancashire had amassed 437, Leicestershire conceded a lead of 258 but, following on, struggled manfully throughout the order. Astill came on the scene at the fall of the sixth wicket and with ‘admirably judged’ drives and ‘cuts behind the wicket’ took his score to 54 before being caught off Dean. His fellow Ratby Next Year, Sometime, Never Best of friends. Ewart Astill is pictured here with George Geary, his cricketing colleague for more than 25 years.