Bill Bowes
Encyclopedia
Bill Bowes was one of the best bowlers of the interwar period
and, for a time, the most important force behind Yorkshire
's dominance of the County Championship
. For England, his extreme weakness as a batsman, and, more important, injuries, restricted the number of Tests
he played, yet his Test record in an era of flat pitches and prolific run-scoring remains exceptional. Indeed, his Test average during the 1930s was the lowest of any major England or Australia bowler.
Bowes never looked like a cricketer - his fielding was clumsy at best and his batting so poor that he scored fewer runs than he took wickets - yet as a bowler he had few equals, and almost no superior during his best years in the 1930s. Very tall and willowy, Bowes was, after his early years, only medium-pace through the air but could make the ball come very fast from Yorkshire pitches of his time. He was able to sustain his attack for lengthy periods and, with the new ball, could generate an extremely deceptive swerve. At times, he was criticised for pitching too short, but in later years, with loss of pace, Bowes found greater reward in attacking the stumps.
, West Yorkshire
, England
in 1908. He began his cricket career for MCC
in 1928, and gained most of his early experience with the Lord's
ground staff. He played a number of times for Yorkshire in 1929, but really established himself in 1930 when, despite not being a regular choice early on, he took 100 wickets for the first time. In the following two years, combined with Hedley Verity
's unplayability on sticky wickets and the batting of Herbert Sutcliffe
, Bowes' fast bowling allowed Yorkshire, after slow starts, to win match after match; in 1932 they won 15 of their last 16 games.
Bowes was selected for the infamous Bodyline
tour of 1932/33, just three days before the ship sailed. He played in only one Test, in which he bowled Bradman
first ball at the MCG
but took no other wicket.
The following two years Bowes' frequent use of the bouncer was widely criticised, but he continued to be the most potent bowler in the country on good pitches. In the 1934 Ashes series, Bowes was easily England's best bowler - except after rain - taking 6 for 142 at Old Trafford
and 9 for 219 at The Oval
on the best batting wicket in the country. The following year, Bowes was disappointing in the Tests but his bowling was the most decisive factor in another runaway Championship win.
1936 was plagued by a series of minor injuries - doubts over his fitness prevented him touring Australia though he had the lowest average in the County Championship
of any bowler - and in 1937 a major ankle injury in the first match restricted his cricket to half the season. However, fully fit in 1938 Bowes headed the first-class averages and his bowling gave England a mammoth win at The Oval after Len Hutton
made 364. In 1939, appalling weather restricted his opportunities in the Tests against the West Indies, but Bowes proved unplayable on a pitch wet on top at Old Trafford and was second to Verity in the averages.
During World War II
, Bowes spent three years in an Italian
prisoner-of-war camp
, where he lost four stone in weight. After the war, Bowes could only bowl medium pace for short spells, due to his age and the effects of his incarceration. His final Test appearance came in the first Test match played after the conflict, against India. Nonetheless, he was still near the top of the averages, and had a record benefit
against Middlesex
in his last season (1947).
Cricket correspondent, Colin Batemen, recorded, "Bowes' Test bowling average of 22 runs per wicket is outstanding for his era, his career average of 16 is quite astonishing".
After he retired, Bowes wrote numerous articles for Wisden
in which he showed how he experienced the game as a bowler, and his response to the problems (negative bowling) that cricket faced during the 1950s and 1960s. His responses focused on the everyday cricketer, and show a belief that club cricket, not county or Test cricket, should be seen as the core and building block of the game.
Bowes died in Otley
, West Yorkshire
in September 1987, at the age of 79.
Interwar period
Interwar period can refer to any period between two wars. The Interbellum is understood to be the period between the end of the Great War or First World War and the beginning of the Second World War in Europe....
and, for a time, the most important force behind Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
's dominance of the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
. For England, his extreme weakness as a batsman, and, more important, injuries, restricted the number of Tests
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
he played, yet his Test record in an era of flat pitches and prolific run-scoring remains exceptional. Indeed, his Test average during the 1930s was the lowest of any major England or Australia bowler.
Bowes never looked like a cricketer - his fielding was clumsy at best and his batting so poor that he scored fewer runs than he took wickets - yet as a bowler he had few equals, and almost no superior during his best years in the 1930s. Very tall and willowy, Bowes was, after his early years, only medium-pace through the air but could make the ball come very fast from Yorkshire pitches of his time. He was able to sustain his attack for lengthy periods and, with the new ball, could generate an extremely deceptive swerve. At times, he was criticised for pitching too short, but in later years, with loss of pace, Bowes found greater reward in attacking the stumps.
Life and career
William Eric Bowes was born in EllandElland
Elland is a market town in Calderdale, in the county of West Yorkshire, England, south of Halifax, by the River Calder and the Calder and Hebble Navigation. The area of Elland was called Elant in the Domesday Book...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1908. He began his cricket career for MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
in 1928, and gained most of his early experience with the Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
ground staff. He played a number of times for Yorkshire in 1929, but really established himself in 1930 when, despite not being a regular choice early on, he took 100 wickets for the first time. In the following two years, combined with Hedley Verity
Hedley Verity
Hedley Verity was a professional cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire and England between 1930 and 1939. A slow left arm orthodox bowler, he took 1,956 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of 14.90 and in 40 Tests he took 144 wickets at an average of 24.37...
's unplayability on sticky wickets and the batting of Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe was an English professional cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England as an opening batsman. Apart from one match in 1945, his first-class career spanned the period between the two World Wars...
, Bowes' fast bowling allowed Yorkshire, after slow starts, to win match after match; in 1932 they won 15 of their last 16 games.
Bowes was selected for the infamous Bodyline
Bodyline
Bodyline, also known as fast leg theory bowling, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia, specifically to combat the extraordinary batting skill of Australia's Don Bradman...
tour of 1932/33, just three days before the ship sailed. He played in only one Test, in which he bowled Bradman
Donald Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, AC , often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time...
first ball at the MCG
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
but took no other wicket.
The following two years Bowes' frequent use of the bouncer was widely criticised, but he continued to be the most potent bowler in the country on good pitches. In the 1934 Ashes series, Bowes was easily England's best bowler - except after rain - taking 6 for 142 at Old Trafford
Old Trafford (cricket)
Old Trafford is a cricket ground situated on Talbot Road in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester. It has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since its foundation in 1864, having been the ground of Manchester Cricket Club from 1857...
and 9 for 219 at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
on the best batting wicket in the country. The following year, Bowes was disappointing in the Tests but his bowling was the most decisive factor in another runaway Championship win.
1936 was plagued by a series of minor injuries - doubts over his fitness prevented him touring Australia though he had the lowest average in the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
of any bowler - and in 1937 a major ankle injury in the first match restricted his cricket to half the season. However, fully fit in 1938 Bowes headed the first-class averages and his bowling gave England a mammoth win at The Oval after Len Hutton
Len Hutton
Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...
made 364. In 1939, appalling weather restricted his opportunities in the Tests against the West Indies, but Bowes proved unplayable on a pitch wet on top at Old Trafford and was second to Verity in the averages.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Bowes spent three years in an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
prisoner-of-war camp
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
, where he lost four stone in weight. After the war, Bowes could only bowl medium pace for short spells, due to his age and the effects of his incarceration. His final Test appearance came in the first Test match played after the conflict, against India. Nonetheless, he was still near the top of the averages, and had a record benefit
Benefit (sports)
A benefit or testimonial is a match or season of activities granted by a sporting body to a loyal sportsman to boost their income before retirement. Often this is in the form of a match for which all the ticket proceeds are given to the player in question.There have been occasions when a...
against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
in his last season (1947).
Cricket correspondent, Colin Batemen, recorded, "Bowes' Test bowling average of 22 runs per wicket is outstanding for his era, his career average of 16 is quite astonishing".
After he retired, Bowes wrote numerous articles for Wisden
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
in which he showed how he experienced the game as a bowler, and his response to the problems (negative bowling) that cricket faced during the 1950s and 1960s. His responses focused on the everyday cricketer, and show a belief that club cricket, not county or Test cricket, should be seen as the core and building block of the game.
Bowes died in Otley
Otley
-Transport:The main roads through the town are the A660 to the south east, which connects Otley to Bramhope, Adel and Leeds city centre, and the A65 to the west, which goes to Ilkley and Skipton. The A6038 heads to Guiseley, Shipley and Bradford, connecting with the A65...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
in September 1987, at the age of 79.
External links
- Test Bowling Averages
- All First-Class Bowling Averages
- Picture of Bill Bowes bowling
- "Growing Pains Of Cricket" (1956 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack)
- "Don't Tamper With The Laws" (1957 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack).