A history of fast bowling

[Starfighter]

At the time England possessed no such firepower. One of the bowlers taken on the 1920/21 tour was Harry Howell. Not helped by plentiful dropped catches he was very much a failure. Otherwise a difficult figure to find anything about, although best First class figures of 10/51 are a notable achievement.

Another player whose main test achievement was failing in 1920/21 was Yorkshire fast-medium bowler Abe Waddington, who had a notably sharp kink in his run just prior to delivering his left-armers around the wicket.

And yet another peripheral English bowler was the Middlesex fast or fast medium Jack Durston. Despite picking up wickets, albeit expensively, at Lord's in 1921 he was never selected play another test. Seen here bowling in a test trial match in 1926, there is a second clip at 5:55.

 

[Starfighter]

Amateur fast bowler, captain, and fascist, Arthur Gilligan lead England on their ill-fated our of Australia in 1924/25 even as his own star as a player was already fading. Considered genuinely fast on his day, for some reason he was never the same after taking a blow on the chest in the 1924 Lords Gentlemen vs Players, although he continued to play for many years. Afterwards he went into administration and made his own trail there, including being one of the selection panel who left D'Oliviera out in 1968.

(also at 0:30)

 

[Starfighter]

For a moment let's take a trip to the obscure yet familiar. Who is the bowler with the short vigorous run and slingy action in this film?
It's Alec Skelding, more well known for his long and colourful career as an umpire and perhaps best remembered for Sid Barnes's attempt to hand off to him an intruding dog at The Oval in 1948, a gesture accompanied with the remark that he was only lacking a white stick.

 

[Red]

So is Starfighter Watson, or no?

 

[Starfighter]

Slowing things down a bit, we come to four fast-medium bowlers who all played around the same time but who had different careers and were very different people. We'll have three together first.

Fred Root, who played three tests in 1926, is most well known for his book and for being one of the main exponents of leg theory during his playing days. After all, if you swing the ball away from batsmen to get them caught by close fielders on the off side, why not have the fielders on the leg side, and target leg stump, if you swing it into them? Same deal. With his short bounding run and economical action he continued this line of attack for over after over, to the dislike of batsmen who would have padded away offside attack.

(also in slow motion at 2:07)

George Macaulay played eight tests widely interspersed over a career beset by attitude problems, bad luck, wildly variable form and all manner of things that reflected his short life, which fell apart soon after retirement. Initially a brisk fast-medium bowler, as shown here, he later slowed down and mainly bowled off spin. On a pitch considered by many to suit him at Headingley in 1926 he was harshly treated by Charlie Macartney and was not recalled until 1933, and this time as a spinner.

George Geary enjoyed a little more success again, with fourteen matches over ten years, and he might have played more but for injuries. With a short shuffling run and a languid action he nibbled the ball about with a good leg cutter and could be at it for hours. He was at home on matting wickets in South Africa, where his breaking down after taking twelve wickets in two matches did much to help SA fight back and draw the series against one the typical weaker teams that England tended to send out for non-Australian tours at the time. He was also effective on heartbreaking pitches in 1928/29, heading the England averages in a high scoring series notable for grinding batsmanship.

1934

 

[Migara]

Or maybe, as with others nearly a century later, he altered his action as required for the filming.

Wait til you see noted military medium pacers Mike Procter and Colin Croft's actions...

Apologies flying all around. If the action is ****, the pace on the ball is ****, or quickly will become **** with injuries.

 

[Starfighter]

I see people lost interest in this quickly.

 

[AndrewB]

I was wondering if you were going to include Maurice Tate.

 

[bagapath]

terrific initiative... cheering you on, mate

 

[nightprowler10]

I see people lost interest in this quickly.

I imagine more people are like me, reading/watching and appreciating, but not posting.

 

[nightprowler10]

So is Starfighter Watson, or no?

No need for this.

 

[trundler]

Yeah, I'm also following this keenly

 

[stephen]

I see people lost interest in this quickly.

Still interested.

 

[Midwinter]

This has been an interesting topic and it is great to be able to watch all these historic names in action.
Please continue.

 

[honestbharani]

I am reading this as promised mate. I am not posting coz honestly, my knowledge is very poor on this topic, so it is more of a reading and learning thing for me here than being part of the conversation.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

I see people lost interest in this quickly.

I genuinely thought you didn't want responses interrupting your flow of posts

 

[Starfighter]

I genuinely thought you didn't want responses interrupting your flow of posts

Kinda, but I'd really like people to discuss things too.

 

[Burgey]

I see people lost interest in this quickly.

Nah not at all mate. Been enjoying them greatly. Watching between doing things during the work day on the desk top. Quality stuff. Keep ‘em coming please

Also, slightly off topic, but Macartney is a genuinely under rated ATG player

 

[Starfighter]

The fourth of these bowlers was the best bowler of the nineteen-twenties, a time dominated by stodgy batsmen who used their pads, dry, slow test pitches except after rain and, in Australia, matches dominated by safety first batting with a funeral strike rate disguised by a high over rate.
It is of course Maurice Tate. Starting his domestic career as a spinner his action never lost its heritage, with a curving run of only six steps, low front arm, ungainly timing and pivot. Able to bowl sharp outswing and bring the ball back of the pitch (although I must say in the more front-on slow mos I've seen he seems to be bowling inswing), at his best he could gain a splice-hitting, jarring bounce and keep it up seemingly endlessly. His lone hand effort (well, if one discounts Kilner's 17 wickets in three tests) in 1924/25 yielded 38 wickets in 315 eight-ball overs (equivalent to 421.2 six ball), in Australia only succeed by Hogg's 41 in 78/79's six test series. His 2528 balls in that series is exceeded only by spin bowlers (Warne once and Valentine twice), and he followed it up with 2226 in 28/29.
A latecomer, bursting onto the scene against a hapless South African side at age 29 in 1924, the long spells dulled his edge and he was no longer as sharp even four years later. Nonetheless he was indisputably England's leading test bowler until squeezed out by Jardine's focus on genuine pace. After being rushed to join the tour party in 1932, he played only one test in New Zealand and left unhappy. Despite continuing to take wickets domestically he would only be recalled for one match, a modest effort against South Africa in 1935.

Against Australia in 1924

Against Australia in 1926

Against WI in 1928

Against Essex in 1934 or 35

 

[NotMcKenzie]

I always thought Tate's action looked a bit odd with the shoulders quickly overtaking the hips, but never made the connection between that and his having started out as an off-spinner. With that has come the realisation that Jim Laker's original bowling action—as can be seen here (1948)—is rather similar although he brings his bowling arm a bit higher before delivery and bends his front leg. Laker later altered his action (1958) to bring his front arm higher and from in front of his chest.