A History of Cricket at King Edward's School, BIrmingham

37 Chapter Eight THE YEARS BETWEEN 1931-1946 After this long spell on the heights came the longest lean spell that the School has ever experienced. The best seasons during this period were 1942 and 1943, when sides captained by PR Langham and CF Figures won five matches; the average number of victories per season during this period was only two. Batting standards declined once more: DB Thornton’s century in 1933 was the only one recorded between 1929 and 1950, and only twice between 1930 and 1948 did KES make an innings total of over two hundred – compare this with the batting feats of the 1920s. History is a little difficult to uncover during this period, because for some reason the averages were not published in the Chronicle, but this difficulty is offset by the fact that from the early 1920s onwards the leading averages can be found in Wisden. The decline in batting standards, together with what seems to be a waning of interest, are both significant pointers to a general slump. C Rainbow succeeded to the captaincy in 1931. Half the matches were drawn, only two being won as against five losses. The batting was weak and the fielding was apparently not very good. There was really only one successful batting performance, against Denstone, when KES scored 203 and Denstone were dismissed for 166. This victory was chiefly due to DC Hills, the outstanding all-round player of the season, who made 71 and then took six wickets for 36. This victory in some measure atoned for the very bad loss against Denstone earlier in the season, when KES were all out for 36. (There was another low score against the Old Edwardians, when Pringle-Brown and Plowright dismissed the School for 58.) Hills recorded another fine all-round performance in the drawn match against Bedford Modern, scoring 62 and taking 5 for 40, and he made 64 not out against Dean Close School. Hills and RWA James each took five wickets to bring about the other win of the season, against Ashfield CC. Over the season as a whole Hills scored 292 runs and took 38 wickets, in each case more than any other player. Rainbow, the other opening bowler, gave him some support with 26 wickets, and James (said to be a rather erratic leg-break bowler) took 27 wickets. As to the batting, apart from Hills only Rainbow and AE Boyse made more than two hundred runs. An interesting note from this season is the appointment of AE Leeds to the teaching staff. He became master in charge of cricket in about 1933, after W Baines left. Ted Leeds was to give many years of valuable service to School cricket in various capacities until his death in 1966. DC Hills, the outstanding player of 1931, took over the captaincy in 1932, another rather disappointing season. There was an early victory against Ratcliffe, but the team then lost ten matches out of the remaining 12. DB Thornton’s 286 was the highest aggregate for the season (though Hills, MD Bassett and WJ Tay all made over two hundred) and Thornton’s 52 not out against unknown opposition was the highest individual score of the season, and one of only two fifties made – Bassett’s 51 against Denstone was the other. The