The Death of Captain Fowler

100 Years Ago: 10-16 June 1925

Captain Robert St Leger Fowler, hero of ‘Fowler’s Match’ for Eton in 1910, has died of leukaemia in Ireland at just 34. A genuine all-rounder—bowler, fielder, leader—he excelled in Army cricket but had limited first-class opportunities. Last season, he played a few matches for Hampshire and was set to captain the M.C.C. tour to the West Indies, cancelled due to player unavailability. Despite his legendary school feats, he remained a modest, humble man of charm.

Day 1

Cambridge: Cambridge University v Nottinghamshire

Good University Batting

Cambridge thrived in the heat, while Nottinghamshire’s bowlers wilted. Tom Francis retired hurt early but returned to earn his blue alongside Richard Lowe. K.S. Duleepsinhji started well before falling in the slips for 17. The standout was University captain Cecil Bennett, who, after years of setbacks, delivered a fine innings marked by superb driving—many called it his best for Cambridge. Tom Enthoven was reliably solid. Nottinghamshire’s attack struggled, with Len Richmond taking heavy punishment. The University remained without Jack Meyer (influenza). Nottinghamshire had 20 minutes at the crease to close the day.

Leyton: Essex v Derbyshire

Basil Hill-Wood Runs Rampant on Good Derbyshire Day

Basil Hill-Wood, returning to Derbyshire after two years, tore through Essex’s top order on a hard, fast pitch, leaving them reeling before lunch. John Freeman’s 32 was the only resistance as Essex crumbled to 99 for nine. Then Joe Hipkin launched a furious counterattack, smashing 42 in under 45 minutes, lifting Essex to 166. Hill-Wood, despite suffering in the late onslaught, finished with six for 74.

Derbyshire replied confidently, with Les Townsend and Guy Jackson putting on 66 for the third wicket. Essex, missing George Louden, struggled, and Johnny Douglas lacked his usual bite. Townsend played a measured innings, punishing loose deliveries, before falling to the last ball of the day for 57, leaving Derbyshire 29 behind with six wickets in hand.

Swansea: Glamorgan v Lancashire

Bad Pitch, Batting Collapses

Controversy surrounded the Swansea pitch, kept covered for 24 hours despite dry weather, leaving it sweaty and offering sharp turn and lift. Lancashire’s top four fell cheaply for 28 before John Barnes and Len Hopwood steadied things with a 30-run stand. Jack Mercer was the chief menace, swinging the ball both ways and extracting movement off the pitch. Barnes dug in, finishing unbeaten, while late hitting from Ted McDonald and Cecil Parkin pushed the total past 100. Parkin’s rapid 28 in a last-wicket stand of 33 was the highest partnership of the innings. Mercer ended with six wickets.

Glamorgan fared even worse, collapsing to 22 for four under McDonald’s blistering pace. Tom Abel provided brief resistance, but at 47 for seven, batting looked feeble against quality bowling. As McDonald slowed, Dick Tyldesley found his rhythm. Mercer then counterattacked, smashing an unbeaten 40. Again, the last-wicket pair—Mercer and Dennis Sullivan (7)—produced the highest stand, adding 31 to scrape past 100. Lancashire led by 31.

By the second innings, Lancashire had adapted. Harry Makepeace and Charlie Hallows put on 47, while Mercer, drained from his all-round efforts, lacked bite. After Makepeace fell, Hopwood saw out the day, leaving Lancashire in a commanding position. Throughout, batsmen played as if the pitch was worse than it was.

Blackheath: Kent v Leicestershire

King Holds Leicestershire Together

Leicestershire lost Albert Lord early for 11 before Sydney Coulson and Les Berry ground out a laborious 71-run stand. Without the injured Ewart Astill, 54-year-old John King stepped up brilliantly, stroking a classy 91 in 2¼ hours—falling just short of a deserved century with a rash shot off Wally Hardinge. After his departure, Alex Skelding’s breezy 27 not out, aided by Horace Snary, lifted the total with a last-wicket stand of 43.

Jack Hubble was outstanding behind the stumps, claiming two catches, three stumpings, and conceding just one bye in the heat. Kent’s openers saw out the final 35 minutes unscathed.

Lord’s: Middlesex v Worcestershire

Double-Century at Lord’s

Worcestershire’s limited attack did well in one respect—only two Middlesex batsmen reached 30. Unfortunately, those two ran riot. Middlesex lost three early wickets for 57, then slumped to 103 for five, with Dick Pearson claiming four. Fred Root struggled in the wind, unable to get late swing. Then Frank Mann and Patsy Hendren transformed the innings. Starting cautiously, Hendren took time to settle before cutting loose. Their stand of 160 in two hours flipped the match.

Nigel Haig chipped in with a brisk 28 in a partnership of 67, but after that, it was Hendren’s show. At his dazzling best—drawing comparisons to Gilbert Jessop—he tore into the bowling. By stumps, he had batted for four hours and 50 minutes, scoring 234, including a six and 29 fours. He survived one tough chance on 83 before Pearson finally bowled him near the close. Middlesex ended the day in command, with Hendren having made more than half their runs.

Worcestershire fielded their former captain, 51-year-old Harry Foster, now under his younger brother’s leadership. He performed well, taking a sharp slip catch to remove Edward Kidd.

Horsham Week: Sussex v Hampshire

Bowley Supports Sussex Highest Score

Sussex’s 255 against Hampshire—their highest total of the season—underscored their batting struggles. Ted Bowley held the innings together early as his first four partners fell cheaply. George Cox provided much-needed support with 71 before falling at 113 for five. Maurice Tate’s brisk 39 and four lower-order batsmen chipping in with thirties helped push Sussex to a season-best score. The standout partnership was a 66-run stand for the ninth wicket between Colonel Arthur Watson and Tich Cornford. Hampshire’s bowlers were disciplined, giving little away.

In 50 minutes before stumps, Hampshire’s batting faltered, losing three wickets—including night-watchman Walter Livsey. But Philip Mead loomed next…

Bradford: Yorkshire v Gloucestershire

Robinson Breaks Through

Emmott Robinson’s devastating opening burst wrecked Gloucestershire’s top order—Alf Dipper and Wally Hammond fell for 6, Harry Smith first ball, and the first four wickets tumbled for 37. The middle order offered brief resistance, but no batsman reached 30. Gloucestershire managed 137, despite Yorkshire’s woeful catching—five chances went down, three by Abe Waddington. George Macaulay bowled superbly but had little reward, his one for 65 masking how often he beat the bat. Had Yorkshire held their catches, Gloucestershire might have scored barely half as much.

Yorkshire were missing Herbert Sutcliffe and Arthur Dolphin, replaced by Arthur Mailey and Reginald Allen. Percy Holmes and Mitchell responded strongly, putting on 99 for the first wicket. Mitchell showed composure against good bowling, contributing 37. By stumps, Yorkshire were just 22 behind with nine wickets in hand, Holmes well set and needing 22 more tomorrow to become the first batsman to reach 1000 runs for the season.

Day 2

Cambridge: Cambridge University v Nottinghamshire

Payton Heads Big Notts Score

Nottinghamshire hit back after a long day in the field, batting through the second day to lead Cambridge by 140 runs. Early batsmen played steadily, but the innings ignited when Arthur Carr arrived at No. 6, smashing 49 in an hour. His partnership of 97 with Wilf Payton lifted the scoring, Payton accelerating while Carr was with him before settling again.

At 285 for eight, the bowlers wilted in the heat, allowing Len Richmond to cash in with a rare fifty, adding 117 with Payton—the day’s biggest stand. Frank Matthews then blasted his highest first-class score, 34, with powerful hitting, and the last wicket added another 43 to Cambridge’s frustration. Payton remained unbeaten after 4¼ hours at the crease, though he might have pressed harder against tiring bowlers.

Cambridge found one bright spot in wicketkeeper Ben Sherwell, who didn’t take a single victim but was flawless behind the stumps, conceding no byes.

Leyton: Essex v Derbyshire

Great Innings by Morton

Derbyshire built a commanding lead through steady accumulation, efficient rather than flashy against disciplined Essex bowling. At 168 for six, Essex still had hope, but Sam Cadman and Arthur Morton dashed it with a 109-run stand in two hours. Cadman was cautious throughout, while Morton, after a careful start, accelerated but never fully dominated. Cadman fell immediately after lunch, but Basil Hill-Wood contributed positively before Morton’s fine innings ended at a career-best 131 in three hours. The last-wicket pair pushed the total past 400, securing a 261-run lead. Essex’s bowlers kept at it, though Joe Hipkin was the only real threat. Stan Nichols bowled tidily but without impact. Remarkably, this marked Morton’s fourth successive century at Leyton—after a pair there in 1921.

Essex faced further setbacks as John Freeman’s sunstroke forced Jack O’Connor to keep wicket, not too effectively, while Laurie Eastman was pressed into opening alongside Jimmy Cutmore. Cutmore showed good form, and by stumps, Essex had wiped out more than half the deficit with only three wickets lost.

Swansea: Glamorgan v Lancashire

Hallows and McDonald Lead Lancashire to Victory

Lancashire, already 83 ahead with nine wickets in hand, pressed home their advantage. Charlie Hallows, in fine form, struck his fifth century in nine matches, compiling 108 in 2¾ hours with powerful driving. Ernest Tyldesley struggled for 37, while Frank Watson played superbly, reaching fifty in an hour. With a 310-run lead, Jack Sharp declared, pushing for a two-day finish.

Glamorgan faced an uphill battle, worsened by a crumbling pitch and the presence of Australian great Ted McDonald. He switched to medium pace, cutting the ball off the pitch masterfully, and ripped through the top five for 34 runs. Watson took the next three wickets, and Dick Tyldesley claimed the last two. Considering the conditions, Glamorgan’s 172 was a creditable effort. Dai Davies resisted for 1¼ hours with an unbeaten 43, looking an improved batsman, while Trevor Arnott’s bold hitting—including five fours off McDonald—forced him off. The last wicket fell midway through extra time, with Cecil Parkin unusually wicketless.

Blackheath: Kent v Leicestershire

Great Opening Partnership

Leicestershire’s depleted attack, missing George Geary and Ewart Astill, was powerless against Kent’s batsmen. Wally Hardinge and Bill Ashdown put on a flawless 238 for the first wicket, both reaching centuries—Hardinge’s 50th and Ashdown’s maiden first-class ton. Their stand lasted just over three hours.

With the bowling crippled, Kent’s middle order had an easy ride. Frank Woolley struck a brisk 97, including 15 fours, and George Collins and Sidney Hearn added 112 for the sixth wicket. Kent declared after Collins fell. Leicestershire, in reply, reached 44 by stumps, losing Sydney Coulson in the final over.

Lord’s: Middlesex v Worcestershire

Good Fight by Worcestershire

Worcestershire, often prone to collapse, fought hard to avoid the follow-on. At 67 for four—Nigel Haig claiming three and Harry Foster run out—they looked in trouble. But Herbert Hopkins, determined to atone for Foster’s dismissal, anchored the innings with a composed 88. The turning point came in a ninth-wicket stand of 111 between William Shakespeare and George Abell. Shakespeare, misplaced at No. 9, and Abell, a former Oxford keeper with little batting pedigree, defied expectations to cut Middlesex’s lead to 85.

Middlesex, forced to bat again for 80 minutes, started poorly, losing both openers cheaply before Patsy Hendren fell to a careless stroke in the final over. Jack Hearne stood firm and will resume tomorrow.

Horsham Week: Sussex v Hampshire

Seven Wickets for Brown

Hampshire’s struggles deepened on a crumbling pitch. Philip Mead steadied them briefly at 63 before an almighty collapse—four wickets for a single run to Maurice Tate and Bert Wensley, leaving them 64 for seven. Mead finally found support in Tom Jameson, dragging the total past 100, but they still trailed by a hefty 131.

Sussex’s Lionel Tennyson made a shrewd move, handing the new ball to George Brown, unused in the first innings. In half an hour, he tore through the top order, including Ted Bowley for 7, before James Langridge and Wensley offered resistance. Langridge’s gritty 38 in 2 hours 20 minutes earned him a county cap. Tate had another lively spell, but Brown kept striking, finishing with seven wickets as Sussex set Hampshire 311 to win. Two wickets down by stumps, their task already looked near impossible.

Bradford: Yorkshire v Gloucestershire

Leyland Atones for Weak Batting

Percy Holmes fell eight runs short of his milestone, lbw to Wally Hammond, but Maurice Leyland took command, crafting a fine unbeaten 131. He and Wilfred Rhodes added 67 for the fourth wicket, though steady partnerships eluded him thereafter. Reginald Allen’s 22 in a stand of 43 was the best of the rest. Yorkshire ground Gloucestershire down for 6½ hours, extending their lead to 228. Despite the strain, Gloucestershire’s bowling and fielding remained sharp, with young George Wedel proving most effective.

In reply, Gloucestershire shuffled their batting order, but Harry Smith and Charlie Parker opened with 30 before wickets tumbled under Yorkshire’s grip. Only Michael Green has topped 20, and with just four wickets remaining and 120 still needed, their prospects look grim.

Day 3

Cambridge: Cambridge University v Nottinghamshire

Cambridge Collapse to Spin

Cambridge’s early promise on Wednesday faded into despair by Thursday as they faced a daunting 140-run deficit. Their innings was heading for disaster until Leonard Crawley stepped in at 36 for four. Partnering Tom Enthoven, he counterattacked with a rapid 55 in a stand of 80 in just over half an hour. But Len Richmond, after taking punishment from Crawley, struck back decisively—removing both set batsmen and Richard Lowe in four balls.

Ben Sherwell added a few runs, but the match was done before lunch. Sam Staples’ off-breaks and Richmond’s leg-breaks shared all the wickets. K.S. Duleepsinhji’s quiet match yielded scores of 17 and 9.

Leyton: Essex v Derbyshire

Derbyshire Complete Fine Victory

Essex’s second innings centered on Jimmy Cutmore’s quest for a maiden first-class century. Whether due to nerves or sheer determination, he crawled to 95 in 4¼ hours before falling in the slips. John Freeman, back from sunstroke, played a brisker 55, while Johnny Douglas defended stoutly but ran out of partners. Stan Nichols provided strong support for the last wicket, adding 66 in an hour to frustrate Derbyshire. Jim Horsley, bowling with pace and precision, claimed the final four wickets.

Derbyshire needed just 67, with no time pressure, and Garnet Lee and Wilfred Hill-Wood set the tone with a 50-run stand. Their confidence—rare for them—carried them to a well-earned victory.

Blackheath: Kent v Leicestershire

Freeman Sinks Leicestershire

Kent needed just two hours to wrap up Leicestershire’s second innings and seal victory. Les Berry and John King showed promise in a third-wicket stand before Tich Freeman intervened, dismissing both and Gus Fowke in quick succession. Extracting sharp spin from the hard pitch, Freeman tore through the batting, at one point claiming five for 14. Tommy Sidwell, Horace Snary, and Alex Skelding counterattacked briefly, delaying the inevitable, but Kent’s win was never in doubt.

Lord’s: Middlesex v Worcestershire

Worcestershire Surrender

Worcestershire, after a hard-fought effort yesterday, crumbled today, handing Middlesex an easy victory. Middlesex resumed with a 171-run lead but took time to settle. Jack Hearne grafted for 52 in over two hours, while Nigel Haig, typically aggressive, crawled to 20 in 1¼ hours. His dismissal brought relief, allowing Frank Mann to inject momentum—his brisk 57 in just over an hour setting up a measured lunchtime declaration, leaving Worcestershire 326 to chase or 3½ hours to survive.

A draw was within reach, but Worcestershire folded in under two hours. Gubby Allen made the early breakthroughs, extracting lift to claim the first four wickets. When he rested, young Ernest North took over with a sharp medium-pace spell, bowling a probing length with movement off the pitch. Only one batsman crossed 20—the 51-year-old Harry Foster, who rolled back the years with a stylish 37 in an hour. But he couldn’t prevent a heavy defeat for his county.

Horsham Week: Sussex v Hampshire

Tate Accounts for Hampshire

Hampshire’s pursuit of 311 on a crumbling pitch against Maurice Tate was doomed from the start. Philip Mead stood firm, but his partners fell regularly until Tate, exhausted after 90 minutes in sweltering heat, took a break. Walter Livsey seized the moment, providing Mead with much-needed support in a ninth-wicket stand of 80. But once Tate returned, he swiftly dismissed Livsey, and the innings folded. Mead remained unbeaten with 76 in 2 hours 20 minutes. Tate finished with a superb 7 for 44—10 for 87 in the match. Tich Cornford was outstanding behind the stumps, snaring three catches and two stumpings.

Bradford: Yorkshire v Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire Avoid Innings Defeat

Gloucestershire, needing 120 to avoid an innings defeat, seemed doomed with just four wickets left. But their captain, Colonel Douglas Robinson, battled for a vital fifty, aided by Percy Mills in a rapid eighth-wicket stand of 65 in 35 minutes. Despite Robinson surviving an early drop—Abe Waddington guilty again—the last pair scraped together 22, just enough to wipe out the deficit. A brief rain delay softened the ball, hindering Yorkshire’s bowlers, but dropped chances meant they shouldn’t have had to bat again.

Yorkshire required only two runs to win, though a bigger chase might have let Percy Holmes reach 1000 runs for the season—not that such milestones mattered much to him. The result came in a single bizarre delivery, as Charlie Parker inexplicably bowled a deliberate wide that sped to the boundary, ending the match before lunch.

Day 1

Southampton: Hampshire v Warwickshire

Parsons and Smith Boost Warwickshire

On a fine batting pitch Warwickshire did no better than might have been expected when batting first. Jack Parsons, though taking a long time to get off the mark, played an excellent innings, and Warwickshire looked good when he was in with Willie Quaife, the latter batting more fluently than usual for 28 in a third-wicket partnership of 73. Freddie Calthorpe hit 30 in half an hour, but the situation was not so good when three wickets fell quickly to make the score 176 for six. Tiger Smith, hitherto rather out of form with the bat, now came good when it was needed and put on 65 for the seventh wicket with Arthur Croom so that Warwickshire finished with at least a respectable total.

Lionel Tennyson made a strange experiment with his batting order, sending in Jack Newman and Walter Livsey to open on this occasion, but the latter was out for 1. Newman and Ronnie Aird then played out the day, Hampshire reaching 54 in an hour.

Tonbridge Week: Kent v Derbyshire

Freeman and Seymour Torment Derbyshire

The last time these two counties played each other was in 1910. There was some concern about the Tonbridge pitch, which had been very fiery last year, but there was no problem this time, bowlers finding it difficult to get the ball above stump height. Derbyshire quite failed to appreciate that, though, as they collapsed to 99 all out. There was a remarkable start to the match, as Charlie Wright bowled the first over to Joseph Bowden, who hit his first two balls to the boundary only to be bowled by a brilliant leg-cutter fourth ball. Most of the damage was caused by Tich Freeman, though, as he got considerable turn and gobbled up all the batsmen who fatally decided to play back instead of forward to him. The best partnership was one of 40 for the ninth wicket between Sam Cadman, who batted very soundly for 26 not out in 1¼ hours, and Harry Elliott. Kent fielded brilliantly, with John Knott and Wright being the most outstanding.

The Kent batsmen were in their element, however, and almost took the lead without loss, as Wally Hardinge and Bill Ashdown put on 92 for the first wicket. Frank Woolley scored an aggressive 61, although his timing wasn’t at its best today, and was brilliantly caught out one-handed by Jim Hutchinson at cover. But the real star of the innings was James Seymour. He has been out of form so far this season and today’s was the first innings he had reached 50. He played his strokes brilliantly and took just over two hours to score 126; he was not overshadowed in his 130-run partnership with Woolley. The Tonbridge ground was a brilliant sight for this match, with numerous tents around the boundary in true Kent tradition.

Leicester: Leicestershire v Gloucestershire

Astill Celebrates Comeback

Gloucestershire began their innings quite well, with Michael Green and Alf Dipper putting on 38 together for the opening partnership, and the second wicket did not fall until 59. Then began a batting slide, relieved only by 36 in an hour from Wally Hammond. Most of the damage was done by Ewart Astill, returning from injury to bowl the extreme accuracy and skill, taking five wickets for 21 runs in 22 overs. The last five wickets went down for 7 runs. George Geary is in the Leicestershire team, but is still not fit enough to bowl.

Leicestershire in contrast began poorly, but recovered. They lost two wickets for 19, but Alan Shipman, back from injury and promoted to open, defended solidly to score 8 out of 42 while John King began to take charge of the bowling. Afterwards King and Astill put on 68 for the fourth wicket, King just falling short of his fifty, while Astill was approaching his by the close, when Leicestershire were one run behind Gloucestershire with six wickets in hand.

Lord’s: Middlesex v Lancashire

Watson and Durston Star

Lancashire went in to bat on a pitch that proved not altogether trustworthy at one end. Harry Makepeace and Charlie Hallows found themselves up against a superb opening spell from Jack Durston, bowling to the awkward end of the pitch and often making the ball rear up. Makepeace played him with a perfect defence. Hallows was more eager to score runs, though, but on 16 he tried to turn a straight ball to leg and was lbw. Ernest Tyldesley was out first ball to a vicious delivery which broke back from the off stump and lifted quickly off the pitch, the batsman edging a catch to third slip. Frank Watson played freely and well, though, and after Durston had finally prised out Makepeace he shared a fine partnership of 128 for the fourth wicket with John Barnes, much of it while Durston had perhaps an unnecessarily long rest. They moved the score along quickly and capably, and the stand was only broken when Watson was out to the last ball before tea after reaching his century and batting for almost three hours. At 221 for four Lancashire looked well set, but tea was followed by a disastrous collapse to Durston and Nigel Haig, the last seven wickets going down for only 16 runs, mostly to excellent catches at the wicket and in the slips. Lancashire were all out for 237 after looking so good.

Middlesex went in and did not start too well, as Harry Lee was out without scoring and Greville Stevens, although looking good, going for 29. Both wickets fell to rather poor balls from Cecil Parkin, but Ted McDonald bowled very well without luck — but not as well as Durston had done. Jack Hearne suffered a painful blow on the hand from McDonald and struggled for a while, but survived. Patsy Hendren was not in his best form, and was dropped in the slips before he scored, but he too lasted until the close. This is the first time that McDonald has played in the London area since the Australian tour of 1921, and all the ‘experts’ of Lord’s were eager to pass judgment on him — is he still as good as he was? The general view was that he is still a fine bowler, but his action may not be as high as it used to be, and he had perhaps lost some of the bounce in his run-up. Today Durston made a greater impression as a pace bowler.

Oxford: Oxford University v Free Foresters

Bettington Bamboozles His Old University

There was nothing wrong with the pitch at Oxford today, just a little wrong with the batting. Claude Taylor held the early Oxford batting together with a very good 44, while Geoffrey Legge played a more adventurous but also more fortunate innings. The other batsmen struggled against the googly bowling of the old Oxford captain, Reg Bettington, apart from John Stephenson, who seems happier at No 7 than opening the batting as he hit up 39 in three-quarters of an hour. It took the last pair to carry the total over 200 before Bettington finished off the innings, having taken six wickets for 75.

The Foresters also batted below par, after Edward Hewetson had bowled Gerald Crutchley with the first ball of the innings. Donald Knight played a good confident innings, but none of the other batsmen stayed for long, until the day finished with a promising partnership between John Naumann and Geoffrey Foster, making a rare first-class appearance, who came together at 87 for six wickets. This is Oxford University’s last match at home before they go on tour.

The Oval: Surrey v Essex

First Thousand Runs

There was a big crowd of almost 15,000 today. Surrey suffered a bad start against a superb opening spell by George Louden, but it could have been much worse. Early on he had Jack Hobbs in considerable trouble, a close lbw appeal was turned down, and then he had Hobbs dropped at the wicket from a difficult chance. Andy Sandham was less fortunate, being caught at the wicket, and then a ball that shot through low bowled out Alfred Jeacocke first ball, leaving Surrey at 21 for two. Tom Shepherd survived a close lbw appeal first ball to save the hat-trick, but after that he settled in with Hobbs and Surrey never looked back, although Louden continued to bowl well throughout the day. Hobbs now settled in and played a quiet steady innings, picking up singles quite easily but taking no risks and making few memorable strokes. It was one of his more laborious innings. He put on 84 with Shepherd and then 130 with Douglas Jardine. During the latter partnership the atmosphere became very tense as he approached another century, and the crowd erupted when he reached it, his sixth of the season and 119th of his career. A few minutes later he became the first batsman to reach 1000 runs for the season, and shortly after that he was caught at mid-off. He had batted just over 3½ hours.

Jardine soon followed, and then came an aggressive partnership between Alan Peach and Percy Fender, who dealt harshly with some good Essex bowling, putting on 136 for the sixth wicket in an hour. Three successive batsmen in the order therefore scored seventies. The later batsmen continued to chase quick runs, and when the innings closed for 445 there was no time for Essex to bat. Their bowlers had toiled manfully, with Louden putting in a magnificent effort to bowl 36 fast overs on a hot day, fully deserving his five wickets.

Horsham Week: Sussex v Somerset

Tate and Robertson-Glasgow Strike

The pitch at Horsham again gave plenty of help to the bowlers. Somerset lost two inexperienced batsmen in the first two overs for 5 runs to the bowling of Maurice Tate and Bert Wensley, but then Jack White, standing in as captain for the injured John Daniell, joined the opener Archie Young and they added 92 for the third wicket, which proved to be much the highest partnership of the day. Then Tate broke through again and three more wickets fell quickly to 103 for five. Young scored a fine 86 in 2½ hours, and some useful scores from the later batsmen took the total to 199.

Then Raymond Robertson-Glasgow, on a rare county appearance before August, turned in a shattering bowling performance as he cut through the brittle Sussex batting. He bowled out the Sussex anchor, Ted Bowley, without a run on the board, and took four of the first five wickets that fell for 56 runs on the board. Tich Cornford, who opened with Bowley, fought gallantly to score 30. James Langridge batted stubbornly with Wensley to help repair the damage, and Wensley was still going well with George Cox when play ended for the day.

Worcester: Worcestershire v Glamorgan

Close Fight in Basement Battle

There was an excellent batting pitch at Worcester, but a shortage of excellent batsmen to make good use of it. Maurice Jewell was bowled by a full toss from Trevor Arnott with the first ball of the match, but while Charles Tarbox defended Gilbert Ashton played the outstanding innings of the day, scoring a superb 52 in an hour. With Maurice Foster also batting well, Worcestershire reached 127 before the fourth wicket fell, but after this time only Fred Root made much at all and the final total was 166. Frank Ryan and Johnnie Clay bowled very well to finish off the innings.

Glamorgan struggled from the beginning, and looked likely to fall well behind when they had seven wickets down for 71. Then Joe Mercer joined Dai Davies, who had been dropped before he scored, and the two of them turned the innings around with a fine partnership. At the close they had taken the score to 134 without being separated, and if they can continue their partnership well tomorrow Glamorgan have a good chance of taking the lead.

Sheffield: Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire

Barratt Slows Yorkshire

On a good pitch batsmen struggled so much that no man reached a score of 30 today. Excellent bowling and the high pressure of the occasion probably accounted for this rather that poor batting. Most of the batsmen played dogged innings and were unable to dominate the bowling. George Gunn and Dodger Whysall put on 30 for the Nottinghamshire first wicket, but only Arthur Carr, the day’s top scorer with 29, tried to dominate the bowling, hitting 5 fours in his innings of 29. Whysall took 1¾ hours to score 18. As usual George Macaulay and Roy Kilner in tandem bowled superbly on a pitch that gave them little help, but most of the batsmen were too defensively minded.

When Yorkshire batted, Percy Holmes needed another 14 runs for his thousand for the season, and he began well with ten runs off the opening over from Fred Barratt. But in the next over he was brilliantly caught at slip by Carr off Sam Staples for that 10. Herbert Sutcliffe and Edgar Oldroyd batted steadily to put on 46 for the second wicket, and the score at tea was 50 for one wicket, with Yorkshire looking good for a big lead. However after the interval Barratt bowled with tremendous pace and stamina with a strong breeze behind him from the football end, breaking through the middle order to take four wickets, so were down for 80. Kilner and Emmott Robinson fought hard with the bat, but when eight wickets were down from 117 it looked as if Nottinghamshire would lead on the first innings. But just before the close Abe Waddington joined Macaulay and played some bold aggressive strokes to finish with 20 not out and give Yorkshire a narrow lead.

Yorkshire have Sutcliffe back for this match after injury, but Arthur Dolphin is still out and Reg Allen is keeping wicket. John Gunn has been restored to the Nottinghamshire team, but Frank Matthews is suffering from a strain and is replaced by the young fast-medium Harold Larwood, who dismissed Emmott Robinson, played on, for 20 today. Major Arthur Lupton seems to have lost his skill in coin-tossing, as he lost his third successive toss today.

Day 2

Southampton: Hampshire v Warwickshire

Mead and Jameson Put Hampshire on Top

Warwickshire may not have taken full advantage of a perfect batting pitch, but Hampshire made no mistake about it. Len Bates and Ronnie Aird continued their overnight partnership until they had added 72, and then Philip Mead took over. The middle order did not do much, but Mead held the batting together and looked set for another century when he was caught for 96, at 271 for six, still ten runs behind the Warwickshire score. But the killer punch for Warwickshire was delivered by the dashing eighth-wicket partnership of 99 between Captain Tom Jameson and Alex Hosie in only 55 minutes. Jameson, surviving a chance when 7, scored his first century for Hampshire in only two hours, and Hampshire took a lead of 181. Their 463 was their highest total of the season. Harry Howell finished with four wickets, as big-hearted as ever, bowling well but badly overbowled, sending down 40 overs in the heat during the innings. Reg Santall bowled usefully and might well have been given more work to do; he was the man to remove Mead.

Warwickshire had almost an hour to bat before the close, and that was enough time for Alec Kennedy to dismiss both their openers, while Arthur Croom was also run out. Can Willie Quaife fight an unlikely draw for his team tomorrow?

Tonbridge Week: Kent v Derbyshire

Jackson Leads Derbyshire Fightback

After Derbyshire’s feeble first-innings batting performance, Kent no doubt expected they would have an easy two-day victory, especially as they added over 100 runs to their overnight score before lunch and gained a first-innings lead of 349. Their main figure was George Collins, who played a steady game before slowly opening out. The only lasting partner he had, though, was Jack Hubble, as they put on 83 for the seventh wicket. The tail contributed little, but they did stay long enough for Collins to reach his century with the last man at the crease. He batted about three hours altogether for his 105 not out and gave no chances.

Derbyshire, instead of collapsing again, made a spirited fightback. Garnet Lee and Joseph Bowden played positively and put on 76 for the first wicket, and then Guy Jackson played a fine innings with help from the rest of the top order. Sam Cadman and Jim Hutchinson both stayed for useful partnerships, and then Arthur Morton saw out the day with him. They had learned well to counter the bowling of Tich Freeman by playing forward to him. Jackson finished the day on 87 out of 262 for five — but Derbyshire still need another 87 runs to avoid an innings defeat.

Leicester: Leicestershire v Gloucestershire

Hammond Fights Back

Leicestershire faltered early on this morning, losing three quick wickets, but Gus Fowke played a fine innings, sharing two spirited partnerships, 52 for the eighth wicket with the aggressive Tommy Sidwell and 68 for the last with Frank Bale. Leicestershire finished with a good lead of 134.

Lieutenant-Colonel Douglas Robinson went in to open the Gloucestershire second innings with Alf Dipper, and hit out in fine style, scoring 41 in 35 minutes out of 54, mainly off Alec Skelding. Dipper was third out for 9 with the score at 62. Then Wally Hammond came in to play a powerful attacking innings of 96, partnered first by Bernie Bloodworth for 75 runs and Harry Smith for another 81. At 218 for four Gloucestershire must have had the home county worried, but at this point Hammond was caught off Alex Skelding with the second new ball for 96, and the innings went downhill from there, ending at 252.

Leicestershire have been left to score 119 to win, and they quickly lost Sydney Coulson without scoring. With Leicestershire’s fragile batting, there could be a close finish tomorrow.

Lord’s: Middlesex v Lancashire

Lancashire Crash

This proved to be a disastrous day for Lancashire, as they face defeat as certain as anything can be in cricket, unless unexpected rain causes a virtually total abandonment of play tomorrow. A great partnership of 170 for the third Middlesex wicket between Jack Hearne and Patsy Hendren this morning turned the game in Middlesex’s favour. Hearne did not look in his best form, but refused to get out, scoring with forgettable strokes and just falling short of his century, but Hendren played what The Times correspondent called the very best innings that he has played at Lord’s for years, batting as he had done in 1920 before his encounters with Australian bowling set back his batting. On an untrustworthy pitch — at the pavilion end, anyway — he even hooked Ted McDonald’s short balls, although the latter was not bowling as fast as he had done yesterday. He was less secure against the bowling of Dick Tyldesley, though, but on the whole the Lancashire bowling is not very well suited to hard dry pitches. Cecil Parkin was almost innocuous and Hendren found him easy to hit. He moved from 56 to 100 entirely in fours.

Although McDonald dismissed him in the end for 142, brilliantly caught at extra cover by Parkin, Hendren can be said overall to have won their battle today and he was up to all McDonald’s wiles and skills. Hearne batted for almost three hours, and Hendren for 3½. None of the later batsmen did too well on this pitch, although the stand-in wicket-keeper Gerald Livock played a useful if rather lucky innings of 27, and Middlesex eventually led by 99 runs on the first innings. McDonald bore the brunt of the attack and was overbowled, his final spell lasting almost 1½ hours without a break. The Lancashire fielding today was quite listless, except for George Duckworth behind the stumps. This is the first time this season that Lancashire have fallen behind on the first innings.

It was almost enough to earn Middlesex an innings victory. Lancashire in their second innings suffered the shock of losing Harry Makepeace without a run on the board, lbw to a ball from Nigel Haig that shot through fast off the pitch and completely beat him, while Ernest Tyldesley and Charlie Hallows were both out trying to hook short balls, an unwise stroke on this pitch unless your name was Hendren. Four wickets were down for 44. The bowling was very good and there was much poor batting with poor shot selection. The superb Middlesex slip catching showed up the Lancashire slips badly. Frank Watson found the only solution for ordinary mortals of plugging away and risking nothing, batting for 2¼ hours to make the top score of 34. With nine wickets down Lancashire were still two runs short of making Middlesex bat again, and at the request of the Lancashire captain Jack Sharp play was extended to allow for a result if possible. But the last man Parkin hit a single and then a four to force Middlesex to bat again, so play ended at this stage and the players will return for the last rites tomorrow morning.

Oxford: Oxford University v Free Foresters

Eighth Wicket Boosts Oxford

Geoffrey Foster continued to bat very well when the Free Foresters continued their first innings this morning, but after John Naumann went the tail collapsed on him, in the face of good pace bowling from Edward Hewetson and Errol Holmes. This gave Oxford University a lead of 56 on the first innings.

Again the University did not bat well at the start of their second innings, although again Claude Taylor played a sound innings in the forties. He was out at 92 for five, and seven were out for 138, with the bowling of Reg Bettington again causing most of the batsmen insurmountable problems. Rescue came from the eighth-wicket pair of Ivor Gilliat and Hewetson, who fought back with a partnership of 82 runs, 51 of which came from the aggressive Hewetson in 50 minutes. Gilliat also reached his fifty and was last out when the Free Foresters were set 315 to win, by some distance the highest total of the match. However, they were given an excellent start by Donald Knight and Geoffrey Cuthbertson, who put 84 on the board without loss by the close.

The Oval: Surrey v Essex

Surrey Dominant

Essex went in to bat this morning to find the pitch unexpectedly giving plenty of lift and being very awkward, especially in the first half-hour. John Freeman was hit painfully on the shoulder before he was caught in the slips from another rising ball for 10, and then a ball from Bill Sadler struck Jimmy Cutmore a blow over the heart, forcing him to retire hurt. Sadler at one stage was bowling with five slips and a deep third man. Jack Russell tried to attack the bowling, but was bowled playing a bad stroke across the line, and just after lunch six wickets were down for 101. Cutmore then returned and, with help from the later batsmen, played a fine innings, but Essex still finished 213 behind.

With his bowlers tiring, Percy Fender did not enforce the follow-on, and the benefit of this was a brilliant innings by Jack Hobbs, in contrast to his rather laborious century yesterday. Playing for his team, which needed quick runs, he played his strokes freely and brilliantly, with even George Louden and Johnny Douglas suffering severely from his flashing blade. In just over an hour he hit up 87 runs and looked almost certain to score a second century when he checked a stroke and was caught. Surrey had exactly doubled their first-innings lead of 213 in 95 minutes when play ended.

Horsham Week: Sussex v Somerset

A Day of Fluctuations

The balance between these two sides shifted several times during the day, but at the close Somerset look the more likely team to win — unless there is another unexpected change of fortunes. When the day began Somerset looked likely to lead on the first innings, but the last few Sussex batsmen are about as good as the top few (which isn’t saying much) except for Ted Bowley, and George Cox and Maurice Tate played useful innings before the last pair of Colonel Arthur Watson and Harry Roberts took them to a first-innings lead. Raymond Robertson-Glasgow seemed to have lost his magic this morning and Jack White took most of the wickets.

Somerset soon regained the initiative, with Archie Young and Cecil Case making a good opening partnership of 69, and 126 were scored before the fourth wicket fell. There were useful scores later on, with several new young players making useful runs, and against Tate, too. In the end Somerset made 230 and set Sussex 217 to win. Had play ended then, we could have said the match was evenly balanced, but when Sussex batted for the last 35 minutes they lost three wickets for 28 runs, including the key wicket of Bowley, out for 8, leaving a very difficult task tomorrow for their fragile batting line-up.

Worcester: Worcestershire v Glamorgan

Foster Stars in Worcestershire Win

At the start of play, thanks to the fine rescue partnership of 63 for the eighth wicket between Dai Davies and Jack Mercer, it seemed possible that Glamorgan might be able to lead Worcestershire on the first innings, but Fred Root put paid to that idea by removing Mercer and Frank Ryan in the first over of the day before no run was scored. Davies and Dennis Sullivan took the score past 150 and Davies reached his fifty, but the first-innings deficit was 14. The bowling of Root had made the difference between the two sides.

Worcestershire kept their noses just in front when they batted again, although their start was indifferent, with three men out for 43. Maurice Foster, as so often, turned the situation around, though, with a fine innings of 63 in 1¼ hours, helped by Dick Pearson in a fifth-wicket partnership of 76. Despite good bowling from Trevor Arnott, Worcestershire were able to set their visitors 212 to win.

Glamorgan never looked like making it. Four wickets were down for 42 and six for 68. Tom Abel defied the bowlers, but it was a purely defensive innings and he never looked likely or capable of dominating the bowling in scoring 35 not out in 1¾ hours. The tail-enders fought hard and Jack Mercer had another good slog, but it was only a matter of time before Worcestershire were able to bowl out their fellow strugglers and claim a rare victory.

Sheffield: Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire

Macaulay Prepares Way for Yorkshire Victory

With the first-innings issue settled on the first day, it was clear that, barring unexpected rain, an outright result was likely in this match, and that one of the contestants would lose their unbeaten record. Nottinghamshire it was who suffered. They did finish off the Yorkshire first innings quickly this morning, despite some more unexpectedly good strokes from Abe Waddington. His 31 not out was the highest individual score so far in the match. The home county gained a lead of 18 runs and Fred Barratt finished with seven wickets.

The pitch was now behaving rather oddly at times, so batting was not easy. Nottinghamshire lost the Gunn brothers for 31 before the aggressive Arthur Carr and the cautious Dodger Whysall made a stand, putting on 57 for the third wicket. Before Carr was out with the score at 88 Nottinghamshire looked to be pulled ahead, but both batsmen were out in quick succession to George Macaulay and the visitors never recovered. Willis Walker batted well, but Macaulay with grim intent worked his way through the middle order and wickets fell steadily. Nottinghamshire were all out before four o’clock and Yorkshire had to make 148 to win. Macaulay returned match figures of ten wickets for 127 runs and the fight was now on for Yorkshire’s batsmen.

They did not make a good start, with Sam Staples having Herbert Sutcliffe caught in the slips without scoring, and then a good run-out by Harold Larwood removed Edgar Oldroyd for 8; 10 for two wickets. Percy Holmes and Maurice Leyland then dug in, but as they stayed they gradually became more assured and runs came steadily. Their stand of 88 was the highest of the match, and was mainly responsible for Yorkshire’s winning it. Holmes finally passed his thousand runs for the season before he was out for 47, but Leyland continued to bat with Wilfred Rhodes until victory was almost assured, scoring the only fifty of the match. Rhodes, partnered by Emmott Robinson, made a late cut for four off Larwood that saw Yorkshire home at ten minutes past six with five wickets down. This was a good day for slip fielders, as Sutcliffe and Carr both took three catches in that position for their respective counties. With Lancashire on the verge of defeat to Middlesex, Yorkshire look likely to regain their position at the top of the championship table and become the only county to remain unbeaten.

Day 3

Southampton: Hampshire v Warwickshire

Kennedy Sinks Warwickshire

Warwickshire, needing to score 181 in their second knock to avoid an innings defeat, showed little fight today and were easily beaten. The pitch was still very good for batting and the bowling good but never lethal. Alec Kennedy and Jack Newman bowled unchanged for 1¾ hours as wickets fell steadily until Newman was rested. Stuart Boyes then took the last two wickets quickly, and Kennedy bowled throughout the innings for his five wickets. Willie Quaife defended solidly for a while and Freddie Calthorpe hit up a quick 20, but none of the other batsmen caused Hampshire much trouble.

Tonbridge Week: Kent v Derbyshire

Jackson Century but Innings Defeat

Derbyshire fought on this morning, but Charlie Wright took two quick wickets and the end was not too long in coming. Jim Horsley stayed long enough to see Guy Jackson through to his century and their eighth-wicket partnership of 41 was the only real obstruction to Kent’s victory. The last three wickets went down in quick succession, with Jackson having played superbly for his 127, which took him about three hours, a great captain’s innings, the main feature being his powerful driving. Tich Freeman took another five wickets and finished with eleven for 129 in the match.

Leicester: Leicestershire v Gloucestershire

Leicestershire Work Hard for Victory

Gloucestershire made Leicestershire work hard for victory today. Alan Shipman was soon bowled by Charlie Parker this morning to reduce Leicestershire to two wickets down for 5. Les Berry and John King had to fight hard for runs against fine bowling, but the catching was not as good. Both were gone with 59 on the board, before the next vital partnership took place between Ewart Astill, dropped at 5, and Gus Fowke. They gradually got on top of the bowling and victory was in sight by the time Astill was dismissed. Then George Geary joined Fowke and eventually made the winning hit.

Lord’s: Middlesex v Lancashire

Lancashire Go Down for the First Time in Farcical Finish

It took only six balls this morning for Middlesex to complete a fine victory over Lancashire, who suffered their first defeat this season and also lost their position at the top of the County Championship table. The perverse Cecil Parkin, whose boundary yesterday evening had forced everybody to return this morning to finish the match, managed to get out to a wild hit off the fourth ball of the day, bowled by Nigel Haig, without addition to the score. Middlesex needed five runs to win. The Lancashire team took the field, while the Middlesex team went off, apart from Greville Stevens and Jack Durston, who disdained the use of pads and borrowed the bats of Parkin (who fielded at slip with his pads still on) and George Duckworth. Stevens faced two gentle leg-side deliveries from John Barnes, hitting them both for four to end the match in these farcical circumstances.

In Lancashire’s second innings Haig finished with figures of four wickets for 15 runs in 21.4 overs, with 14 maidens; Durston, whose fast bowling overshadowed that of Ted McDonald, took ten wickets altogether for 88 runs. McDonald would have done better had his slip fielders been up to the job, but overall the worries about the Lancashire bowling seem to be confirmed — it is far better suited to the wet rather than hot, dry weather.

Oxford: Oxford University v Free Foresters

Knight is King of the Day

A brilliant cultured century from Donald Knight, helped by some powerful driving from Reg Bettington, took Free Foresters to a big victory over Oxford University. Geoffrey Cuthbertson was soon out this morning after an opening partnership of 93 with Knight, but then Bettington joined Knight and the two were unstoppable as far as Oxford were concerned. The second-wicket partnership of the two former Oxford University men brought in 160 runs in an hour and 40 minutes before Bettington was out, and then John Evans came in to see the Foresters home. Knight batted four hours altogether for his magnificent innings and gave no chances in the field.

The Oval: Surrey v Essex

Gillingham Fights but Surrey Win

As expected, Percy Fender declared at Surrey’s overnight score and set Essex 427 runs to win, and Surrey a full day in which to bowl them out. A Surrey victory was always the most likely result, especially as the Essex openers were out with only 11 runs scored. Jack O’Connor and Jack Russell made a steady partnership of 43, but the great feature of the day’s play was the brilliant innings of 92 from Rev Frank Gillingham, who in his first first-class match of the season and at the age of 49, rolled back the years to play a brilliant innings of 92. Usually an opener, he went in No 5 in this match. He batted almost two and a half hours, showing he still has all his driving power and energy, running well between the wickets. His best partnership was one of 68 with Johnny Douglas for the fifth wicket, and he fell to a very good catch by Andy Sandham in the deep. But almost inevitably Surrey won a comfortable victory in the end.

Horsham Week: Sussex v Somerset

Sussex Collapse to Robertson-Glasgow

Sussex did not put up much of a fight this morning and went down to defeat at the hands of Somerset. Raymond Robertson-Glasgow was back to his best, bowling with real pace and troubling all the Sussex batsmen. Jack Holmes made the best effort with a sound 40 in an hour and a half, and after he was gone George Cox tried to hold the later batting together, but could find no-one able to stay with him for long. Robertson-Glasgow took nine wickets in the match.

***

With their fine victory over Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire regain the lead in the County Championship table; they are now the only unbeaten county, while Glamorgan are the only county yet to win a match. These two meet at Huddersfield starting tomorrow, so the above facts will remain the same barring an almost unbelievable upset. The County Championship table shows the Big Six counties in the top positions, with a big lead over the rest. Essex, the best of the rest, play Lancashire at home, so it will be interesting to see how well they manage. There is one Big Six clash, when Kent play Middlesex at Tonbridge, both teams coming off two big victories this week.

WEATHER FORECAST: Good weather is expected to continue. What is going on?