Bill Bowes facts for kids
Bowes in 1932
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name |
William Eric Bowes
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| Born | 25 July 1908 Elland, Yorkshire, England |
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| Died | 4 September 1987 (aged 79) Otley, West Yorkshire, England |
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| Nickname | Lofty | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right arm fast-medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Bowler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 264) | 25 June 1932 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 25 June 1946 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1929–1947 | Yorkshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 12 April 2009
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William Eric Bowes (born 25 July 1908 – died 4 September 1987) was an English cricket player. He played as a fast bowler and a right-handed batsman. He was active from 1929 to 1947.
Bill Bowes played in 372 first-class matches. These are top-level games below international matches. He took 1,639 wickets, which means he got 1,639 batsmen out. His best bowling in one game was nine wickets for 121 runs. He also scored 1,531 runs. He caught 138 balls, even though he said he wasn't a great fielder.
He played for Yorkshire and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). He was part of the MCC team for ten years. This meant MCC could pick him first, so he sometimes played against his own Yorkshire team. He played for England in 15 Test matches. Test matches are the highest level of international cricket. He was part of the famous 1932–33 Bodyline series. He took 68 Test wickets.
His career was stopped by the Second World War. During the war, Bowes was an officer in the British Army. He served in North Africa. He was captured in June 1942 and spent three years in prison camps. He lost a lot of weight and was weakened by this experience. After the war, he played for two more seasons. But he could only bowl at a slower speed. After he stopped playing, he became a coach for Yorkshire. He also wrote about cricket for The Yorkshire Post newspaper.
Contents
Early Life of Bill Bowes
Bill Bowes was born in Elland, England, on 25 July 1908. His father worked for the railway. This meant his family moved often. In 1914, they settled in Armley, Leeds.
In his book, Express Deliveries, Bowes said he never planned to be a professional cricketer. He just "slipped into the game". He played street cricket with friends. He also watched his local Armley club. He admired a fast bowler there named Tommy Drake. Bowes decided to copy Drake's bowling style. He used this style for his whole career. He played cricket for his schools, Armley Park Council School and West Leeds High School. At West Leeds, he got a special school cap after taking a hat trick. This means he got three wickets in three balls.
After school in 1924, Bowes worked at a property company in Leeds. He still played cricket on weekends for a local team. In 1927, he joined the Kirkstall Educational Cricket Club. In his first game for their second team, he took six wickets for only five runs. This included another hat trick! Spectators even collected money for him.
At Kirkstall, a club member named John Kaye became his mentor. Kaye helped Bowes a lot in his cricket journey. Bowes played well in 1927. Other clubs offered him money to play professionally. Some offers were more than his weekly pay at the property company. But Kaye wanted him to play for a county team, like Yorkshire.
Yorkshire didn't seem interested at first. So, another county, Warwickshire, offered him a trial in 1928. But then, the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) wanted to hire more professional players for their ground at Lord's Cricket Ground. Bowes applied and had a trial in January 1928. He impressed them and was offered a job at Lord's for £5 a week.
Soon after, Yorkshire's secretary, Frederick Toone, contacted him. John Kaye had asked Yorkshire to look at Bowes. Toone suggested Bowes take the MCC job. He said Lord's would be better for his development. He also pointed out that Bowes could play for Yorkshire when MCC didn't need him. Bowes agreed and turned down Warwickshire. He started working for MCC on 15 April 1928, earning £6 a week.
Cricket Career Highlights
Starting Out: 1928 to 1929
Bowes learned a lot while working at Lord's. He got coaching from Walter Brearley. He played his first top-level game for MCC in 1928. He was only 19. His first game was against Wales at Lord's. He took three wickets for 37 runs and two wickets for 32 runs. Later, he played against Cambridge University. In that game, he took four wickets for 20 runs, including a hat trick! Yorkshire noticed his talent.
In November, Bowes met Lord Hawke, the president of Yorkshire. They made a deal with MCC. Bowes would play for Yorkshire in 1929 when MCC didn't need him.
Bowes played his first game for Yorkshire in May 1929 against Oxford University. He took two wickets. His first game in the County Championship was against Essex. He joined a strong Yorkshire team with famous players like Wilfred Rhodes and Herbert Sutcliffe. Another player, Emmott Robinson, became his mentor. Yorkshire won that game easily.
Yorkshire was changing at this time. They had won the championship many times before. But their rivals, Lancashire, had won it for the past three years. In 1929, Yorkshire tied for second place. The team had experienced players and new, young players like Bowes. Bowes played in eight championship games for Yorkshire in 1929. He took 40 wickets and had a very good bowling average of 17.77. His best bowling was eight wickets for 77 runs against Leicestershire. Yorkshire wasn't fully sure about him yet. So, when MCC offered him a nine-year contract, he signed it. This meant MCC still had first choice of him.
Becoming a Star: 1930 to 1932
In 1930, Bowes became a regular player. He took 100 wickets in a season for the first time. He did this almost every year in the 1930s. In 1930, he took 101 wickets.
Bowes helped Yorkshire change their team. Wilfred Rhodes retired, and Hedley Verity took his place. Verity was a slow-medium left-arm bowler. Bowes was a fast bowler. Together, they were a winning team. Bowes learned how to bowl an "out-swing" ball. This ball curves away from the batsman. This made him a much better bowler.
Bowes was very tall, 6 feet 4 inches. This helped him make the ball bounce high and fast. With his speed, height, and ability to swing the ball, he was very hard for batsmen to play against.
In 1931, Yorkshire won the Championship again. Bowes took 136 wickets. In 1932, Yorkshire won their sixteenth Championship. Bowes had an amazing year, taking 190 wickets. This included his career best of nine wickets for 121 runs.
Touring Australia and New Zealand: 1932–33
Bowes was chosen for England's tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1932–33. He was picked just three days before the team sailed! He played in only one Test match in Australia. In that game, he bowled out the famous player Don Bradman on his first ball.
Bowes also played in a Test match against New Zealand. He took six wickets for 34 runs on the first day. England scored a lot of runs in reply. The game ended in a draw because of rain. On the tour, Bowes played in twelve first-class matches. He took 37 wickets.
More Success: 1933 to 1935
In the next two years, some people criticized Bowes for bowling too many "bouncers." A bouncer is a fast ball that bounces high towards the batsman's head. But he was still one of the best bowlers.
In 1933, Yorkshire won their third championship in a row. Bowes took 159 wickets. In the 1934 Ashes series against Australia, Bowes was one of England's best bowlers. In 1934, Yorkshire lost the title. Bowes took 147 wickets.
In 1935, Bowes helped Yorkshire win their eighteenth championship. He had his best season for wickets, taking 193 wickets.
Injuries and More Wins: 1936 to 1937
In early 1936, Yorkshire toured Jamaica. Bowes played in three games and took eleven wickets.
In the 1936 season, Bowes had many small injuries. This stopped him from touring Australia. Yorkshire lost the championship that year. Bowes still took 123 wickets.
In 1937, Bowes got a serious ankle injury in the first game of the season. He couldn't play for almost two months. Even without their main fast bowler, Yorkshire won their nineteenth championship! Bowes played in 21 matches and took 82 wickets.
Final Seasons Before War: 1938 to 1939
Bowes was fully fit in 1938. He was the top bowler in first-class cricket. His bowling helped England win a big game. In 1938, Yorkshire won their twentieth championship. Bowes took 121 wickets.
In 1939, bad weather limited his chances in Test matches against the West Indies. But Bowes was amazing on a wet pitch. He was one of England's best bowlers in the Tests. In 1939, Yorkshire won their third championship in a row. Bowes took 122 wickets.
Second World War Experience
During the Second World War, Bowes became an officer in the British Army. He served in North Africa. In June 1942, he was captured after a battle. He spent three years in Italian and German prison camps. He lost a lot of weight and was very weak when he was released.
After the War: 1946 to 1947
After the war, Bowes was older and weaker from being a prisoner. He could only bowl at a medium speed for short times.
In 1945, he played one first-class match and took three wickets.
Bowes played his last Test match in 1946 against India. Yorkshire won the championship again, their 22nd title. Bowes took 65 wickets that year.
In 1947, Yorkshire did not do as well. Bowes took 73 wickets. He received a special payment called a benefit of £8,000. This was a record amount at the time. Bowes stopped playing cricket at the end of the 1947 season.
How Bill Bowes Played
Bill Bowes was known for always trying to learn and improve. He became a very good new-ball bowler. He was tall and had a high bowling action. This helped him make the ball bounce very high and fast. He could also make the ball swing, meaning it curved in the air. This made him a very difficult bowler to face.
Some people said Bowes wasn't a good fielder. His batting was also not very strong. But as a bowler, he was one of the best in the 1930s. He could bowl for a long time. With the new ball, he could make it curve in both directions. Sometimes, he was criticized for bowling too short. But as he got older and slower, he found more success by aiming for the stumps.
Life After Cricket
When Bowes first moved to London in 1928, he stayed with the Beaumont family. He met his wife, Esme, who was their niece. They got married in 1933 and had two children, Tony and Vera. Bowes loved his family and walking his dog.
After he stopped playing, Bowes became a bowling coach for Yorkshire. He coached many young players, including the famous Fred Trueman. Bowes was also a good writer. He became a cricket writer for The Yorkshire Post newspaper.
He wrote many articles for Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, a famous cricket book. In his writings, he shared his experiences as a bowler. He also wrote about problems in cricket during the 1950s and 1960s. He believed that local club cricket was the most important part of the game.
Bill Bowes passed away from a heart attack on 4 September 1987. He was 79 years old.
Images for kids
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Photograph of the England cricket team which toured Australia in 1932–33, taken just before the third Test. Bowes (wearing spectacles) is fifth from left in the middle row. His close friend Hedley Verity is third left in the middle row and their Yorkshire colleagues Herbert Sutcliffe and Maurice Leyland are first left on the front row and middle of the back row respectively.
