Ten Great Bowlers

While the perfect cricketer is a character, modest in success and serene in failure, as a bowler he must have hostility, capable of turning a match with a single ball…

Take J. Barton King of Philadelphia, a wisecracking showman and pioneer of swing bowling, whose efforts in 1893 were instrumental in defeating a visiting Australian team.

Or Maurice Tate, who, during the opening innings of the 1924-5 Ashes’ First Test, continued bowling and took six wickets despite having driven his big toe-nail back into the toe?

From F. R. Spofforth’s score with W. G. Grace to C. V. Grimmett’s dogged determination, such acts can define Test Matches, and careers.

To this day George Lohmann remains the fastest entrant into the 100 wicket club, while the fates of W. H. Lockwood and Tom Richardson seemed bound together.

And not forgetting S. F. Barnes, the Bradman of bowlers, or W. J. O’Reilly, considered the best and most dangerous bowler in the world when he came to England in 1938.

But how did they operate? What made them great? How did they get great batsmen out?

In his Foreword A. V. Bedser says, “these great bowlers had their own method of bowling and developed their natural talents. In fact they were not cast in a mould or stereotyped.”

Like Hedley Verity, who painstakingly practised new stratagems before unleashing them at the crease, they all mastered the art of bowling, and their names will live forever.