Hedley Verity

Hedley Verity

Personal information
Full name	Hedley Verity
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Slow left arm orthodox
International information
National side	England
Test debut (cap 262)	29 July 1931 v New Zealand
Last Test	27 June 1939 v West Indies
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1930–1939	Yorkshire
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class Matches 40 378 Runs scored 669 5,603 Batting average 20.90 18.07 100s/50s 0/3 1/13 Top score 66 not out 101 Balls bowled 11,173 84,219 Wickets 144 1,956 Bowling average 24.37 14.90 5 wickets in innings 5 164 10 wickets in match 2 54 Best bowling 8/43 10/10 Catches/stumpings 30/– 269/–
Source: Cricinfo, 1 September 2009

Hedley Verity (18 May 1905 – 31 July 1943) 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. Named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1932, he is regarded as one of the most effective slow-left-arm bowlers to have played cricket. Never someone who spun the ball sharply, he achieved success through determination and accuracy.

Verity was born in Leeds and from an early age, wished to play professional cricket for Yorkshire. After establishing a good reputation in local cricket, he signed a contract as a professional cricketer playing in the Lancashire League. His first season was not a success, but after moving clubs he began to make a name for himself. Initially a medium paced bowler, he switched to bowling spin in an attempt to secure a place in the Yorkshire team. When Wilfred Rhodes, the incumbent Yorkshire left-arm spinner, announced his retirement, Verity was given a trial in the team and was successful enough to top the English bowling averages. He was chosen to be Rhodes's replacement and made an instant impression in County cricket. In his first full season, he took all ten wickets in an innings against Warwickshire County Cricket Club, a rare feat, and in his second, took all ten wickets while conceding just ten runs, a record in first-class cricket which still remains (as of 2011). He established himself as part of a strong bowling unit which assisted Yorkshire to the County Championship seven times in his ten seasons with the club. In that time, Verity was never lower than fifth in the bowling averages and took over 150 wickets in every year except his first.

In 1931, he was chosen to play for England for the first time and rose to prominence during a tour to Australia in 1932–33. Afterwards, he played regularly for England and the best performance of his career came when he took 15 wickets against Australia in a Test match at Lord's Cricket Ground in 1934. However, critics claimed he was ineffective on good batting pitches and he was occasionally left out the England team over the next few years. Even so, he had one of the best records of any bowler against Donald Bradman, regarded as the greatest batsman in the history of cricket. Verity continued to play for Yorkshire and England until 1939, when the outbreak of the Second World War ended his career.

Verity joined the Green Howards in 1939 and after training, he was posted overseas to India, Persia and Egypt, achieving the rank of captain. Taking part in the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943, Verity was severely wounded and captured by the Italians. Taken to Italy, he died in Caserta from his injuries and was buried there.

Early years

Verity was born in Headingley on 18 May 1905. He was the eldest child of Hedley Verity and Edith Elwick; his mother was a Sunday school teacher and his father worked for a local coal company. Verity also had two sisters, Grace and Edith. The family moved to Armley, then to the more rural location of Rawdon when Verity senior took over one his employer's businesses. From an early age, Verity became involved in cricket, watching Yorkshire play County matches at Leeds and Bradford, as well as at Scarborough during family holidays. Later, at Yeadon and Guiseley Secondary School, Verity became an important member of a strong school cricket team, bowling left-arm medium paced deliveries. Verity left school aged 14 to work for his father, who had established his own coal business in Guiseley. He continued to play cricket for Rawdon, appearing in the cricket club's second team; on his first appearance for the first eleven, in a minor evening game shortly before he left school, he scored 47 runs and took seven wickets. Soon, Verity decided, with the support of his father, to pursue a career in cricket and attempt to play for Yorkshire. Although continuing to work for his father, he devoted increasing amounts of time to cricket practice. To develop his physique and increase his stamina, he also worked at a local railway depot, shovelling coal, and went skipping and running in the evenings.

At this stage of his career, apart from a brief, unsuccessful attempt to bowl left-arm spin early in the 1922 season, he continued to bowl medium pace. He could bowl both inswingers and outswingers, possibly copied from the style of Yorkshire and England bowlers George Hirst and Abe Waddington. In 1921, Verity made his debut for Rawdon in league cricket; some of his performances attracted the notice of the local press and in total he took 29 wickets at an average of 13.80. The following season, he was spotted by Hirst and former England spinner Bobby Peel, who were talent scouting. Verity was given a trial in the cricket nets at Headingley cricket ground. Peel realised Verity was an intelligent bowler who could control where he pitched the ball, but believed he was not fast enough to be an effective bowler for Yorkshire. Verity later recalled Peel asking him if he could bowl faster; on hearing he could not, Peel commented: "It's a pity; you're a good fast bowler wasted." At the time, some judges in Rawdon believed his future lay in batting, and his performances with the bat improved in 1923. After some accompanying good bowling figures, the Yorkshire Evening Post described Verity as "one of the most promising cricketers in the Leeds district".

From 1924, Verity moved to play for Horsforth Hall Park. After a slow start, he produced some defensive batting performances in difficult situations and his batting became more effective than his bowling for a time. By 1926, when he scored 488 runs and took 62 wickets, winning the Yorkshire Council League prize for being the best junior bowler, his all-round potential earned a trial at Yorkshire. Receiving coaching from Hirst, Verity played several matches for the Yorkshire Colts. However, he was given little bowling to do, suggesting he was chosen more for his batting at this stage, and he was near the bottom of the team's bowling averages. Hirst was nevertheless impressed by Verity. But at this time, Yorkshire allocated promising cricketers to local clubs where they played league cricket; this did not happen with Verity. Instead, Hirst recommended Verity to Accrington Cricket Club, a team in the Lancashire League who were seeking a Yorkshire professional. After a trial, Verity signed a contract in September 1926.

Professional cricketer

Verity was unsuccessful during the 1927 season, his only one with Accrington. His predecessor, Charlie Llewellyn was an experienced spinner who was able to exploit the soft pitches common in the Lancashire League. Verity was expected to bowl in the same way and with similar success but was unable to do so at the time. The team were not particularly sympathetic, for example placing fielders in unhelpful positions. Verity failed as a batsman, despite an advanced technique, and his batting average for the season was 5.25, considered poor for a professional. His problems were compounded by an arm injury in the middle of the season which, along with a loss of form, affected his bowling and restricted him to 14 wickets in June. The other players at the club, much older than the professional, were not impressed by him. Verity faced criticism from spectators and club members, and at the end of the season, the Accrington secretary wrote: "Our choice of professional, so very bright at the opening, did not turn out to be quite the success we had thought. It was very discouraging to the players and undoubtedly had an effect on their play." Even so, the club were prepared to offer Verity an improved contract for 1928, but he declined after hearing that Accrington had once refused to release their professional to play county cricket; Verity still aimed to play for Yorkshire and wished to be released should the county ever select him.

Consequently, Verity signed a contract with Middleton, a club in the Central Lancashire Cricket League. Middleton, who could not afford a big-name signing, paid Verity less than he had received at Accrington, but guaranteed his release to play for Yorkshire if selected. Inheriting a young team, Verity worked hard at coaching and developing team spirit. The professional made a modest start in his first season, and was initially rated as a useful all-rounder but not particularly impressive. At this time, Verity decided to change his bowling style. Wilfred Rhodes, Yorkshire's main spinner since 1898, was considering retirement. While attending the Yorkshire nets, it was suggested to Verity by Rhodes and Hirst that he was more likely to achieve selection if he switched to spin bowling, as there was less competition for places among spinners. With the support of the Middleton team and committee, Verity started bowling spin at the beginning of the 1929 season. Beginning to attract more notice, Verity had an unsuccessful trial at Warwickshire. While visiting Rawdon later in the summer, Verity went to Headingley to watch Yorkshire play but was asked to fill a vacancy in the Yorkshire Colts team. Verity took five wickets for seven runs in the second innings. By the end of the season, Verity had taken 100 wickets for Middleton and came top of the Central Lancashire League bowling averages.

For the 1930 season, Verity received lucrative contract offers from several Lancashire League clubs, worth more than three times his Middleton salary. The security of these offers may have tempted Verity, who had recently married. Although he was by now on the fringes of the county team, Yorkshire gave him little encouragement. He still wished to represent the county, but Verity seriously considered these offers, taking his time before rejecting them. In the event, Middleton allowed Verity to play for Yorkshire during 1930 and eventually released him from his contract. Cricket historian Derek Hodgson notes that Verity's years in the Lancashire Leagues "meant that he reached Yorkshire ... as a hardened and experienced performer".

County cricketer

First-class debut

Early in the 1930, Wilfred Rhodes announced that he intended to retire from first-class cricket at the end of the season. Several spin bowlers were considered as his replacement and bowled in the nets; George Hirst, who watched them all, considered Verity the most impressive. Verity made his first-class debut in a non-Championship match against Sussex early in the season, during May. Rhodes, who missed the match, spent the game watching Verity and seemed convinced afterwards that his successor had been found. Bowling in two innings, Verity took three wickets for 96 in 46.1 overs; in the process, he won praise from the press, particularly for preventing the batsmen from scoring. Rhodes returned for the next match; Verity appeared only once more in May, taking eight wickets in the match against Leicestershire, and once in June. In his fourth game, he took nine for 60 in the second innings against Glamorgan and twelve wickets in the match. The pitch was affected by rain, making it difficult to bat against spinners and the batsmen struggled against Verity. After this, Verity played regularly alongside Rhodes, and helped by a succession of rain-affected pitches, took a total of 64 wickets in 12 games at an average of 12.42, figures which placed him top of the national bowling averages. His best performance came against Hampshire when he took 13 wickets for 83 runs, including seven for 26 in the first innings.

This latter performance was criticised by team-mate and mentor Emmott Robinson who believed Verity had bowled carelessly and would have been punished by better batsmen, making this a good performance only on paper; similarly, Robinson said Verity should not have given away as many as 60 runs in his nine wicket performance against Glamorgan. After every day's play, Robinson and Rhodes discussed tactics and analysed the errors of Verity and his friend and team-mate Bill Bowes, insisting they had to study the game to be successful. Bowes believed they were demanding, with high standards, but were always proved correct. He wrote: "To Wilfred Rhodes and Emmott Robinson ... I owe most for what I learned of first-class cricket—and Hedley Verity shared my debt." Verity enjoyed long technical discussions with Rhodes and according to Hirst, took in the advice "like a sponge takes water".

At the end of the season, critics in the press seemed convinced a successor to Rhodes had been found, and Verity was spoken of as a certainty to become an England regular, although some harsher critics claimed he was flattered by performances against weaker counties. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack considered Verity's success that season was important to Yorkshire; the county's president, Lord Hawke wrote that Verity, along with Bowes, were "the bright hopes of the future for Yorkshire and England".

Test debut

When the 1931 season started, many critics and journalists watched Verity closely to see how he compared to Rhodes. Their initial impressions were favourable as Verity took five for 42 against Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in Yorkshire's first match of the season and also took five for 42 against Cambridge University. Then, in his fifth game, Verity became only the second man to take ten wickets in a single innings for Yorkshire, after Alonzo Drake. Against Warwickshire, on his 26th birthday, Verity took ten for 36 in the second innings, having taken three wickets in the first innings, to give Yorkshire an innings victory.

Verity followed this performance with five for 54 against Lancashire, but a week after his ten wickets against Warwickshire, Frank Woolley hit four sixes from Verity's bowling as the Yorkshire bowler conceded 70 runs from 12 overs without taking a wicket. The rest of his season was successful. Favoured by pitches which rain made receptive to his bowling, he recorded impressive performances, earning selection for the Players against the Gentlemen at Lord's Cricket Ground, where he took five wickets in the Gentlemen's first innings. He was also selected in the less prestigious Gentlemen v Players fixtures at The Oval and Scarborough and was awarded his county cap by Yorkshire. Having been watched by England selectors, and after taking eleven wickets in the match against the touring New Zealand team, Verity was selected in the final two Test matches of the series between England and the tourists. The first match was the only one originally scheduled but was drawn after the New Zealand team performed above expectations and surprised England. Subsequently, two more matches were arranged and England brought in four new players, one of whom was Verity. On his debut, he took four wickets for 75 runs in the game. The Cricketer noted room for improvements in his technique but observed he could spin the ball well. England won the match and Verity was retained for the final Test. However, rain heavily affected the match and he did not bowl. In his first full season of first-class cricket, Verity took 188 wickets at an average of 13.52, finishing on top of the Yorkshire bowling averages and second in the national averages. Yorkshire won the County Championship and according to Wisden, owed much of their success to Verity's bowling. Verity was selected as one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year for his performances in the season. However, the citation said that despite his success and ability, he needed to improve the variety in the pace and flight of his bowling.

World record

Yorkshire made a poor start to the 1932 season, winning few games—mainly owing to poor weather shortening playing time—and dropping low in the championship table. The team lost heavily to Lancashire. Eddie Paynter scored 152 and hit Verity for five sixes. Although Verity had figures of eight for 107, he was expected to be more successful as the pitch conditions were perfect for spin bowling. Neville Cardus wrote that his figures were "bad for the pitch. He can spin the ball keenly enough, but lacks a plan in his control of length. Moreover, he seldom gets the batsman guessing while the ball is in the air." However, Yorkshire improved their form in the rest of the season to retain the County title. Between them, Verity and Bowes took 352 wickets in the season, and Verity took 162 wickets at an average of 13.88, to finish second in the national bowling averages. Verity's best performance of the season came at Headingley on 12 July, the third and final day of Yorkshire's match against Nottinghamshire. After heavy rain on the second day, Brian Sellers, the Yorkshire captain, closed his team's innings when Nottinghamshire still led by 71 runs. Verity did not concede any runs from his first nine overs, before the pitch became difficult to bat on as it dried in the sun. He then took all ten wickets while ten runs were hit from his bowling. Making the ball spin sharply, he took seven wickets in 15 deliveries, including the hat-trick. His bowling figures of ten for ten beat the previous record for fewest runs conceded while taking ten wickets, and this remains the best analysis recorded in first-class cricket in 2011. Yorkshire went on to win the match by an innings. Despite Verity's success, he was not selected for any Gentlemen v Players matches, nor in the Test match against India. His only representative cricket came in a Test trial at the end of July, in which he did not bowl as the match was washed out by rain.

Verity had been advised by his friends at the start of the season that he would need an exceptional performance to achieve selection on the 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia; Verity's biographer, Alan Hill, believes the performance against Nottinghamshire guaranteed Verity would be chosen to tour. In the middle of August, Verity was one of the last men added to the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) team which was captained by Douglas Jardine.

International cricketer

Bodyline tour

During the 31-day boat voyage to Australia, Jardine met Verity to discuss tactics, outlining his plan for Verity to bowl with the aim of conceding as few runs as possible, while the fast bowlers in the team were resting. However, Verity was not expected to be a big success on the tour. The good batting conditions, the aggressive Australian approach to playing spin bowlers and Verity's lack of experience led critics to dismiss Verity's potential contribution to the English bowling attack, even though fellow left-arm spinner Jack White had been successful on the previous MCC tour of Australia.

Verity had a successful start to the tour. Assisted by overnight rain, he took seven for 37, including the wicket of Don Bradman, against a Combined XI, comprising some of the best Australian players. In the following game, against South Australia, Verity took eight wickets, including five for 42 in the second innings. By now, the press had begun to pay attention to Verity's achievements, and former Australian batsman Clem Hill expressed his admiration for Verity. Jardine later commented that Verity quickly adapted his bowling to Australian pitches. In the final game before the Test matches began, Verity proved expensive against New South Wales, conceding 18 runs to Stan McCabe in one over. Chosen for the first Test on the strength of his early tour performances, Verity bowled just 17 overs in the game, mainly being used to give the fast bowlers a rest. He did not take any wickets and Verity himself believed he had bowled poorly. England won the match, using Bodyline tactics which had first been used earlier in the tour. After the Test, the tourists travelled to Tasmania to play two matches against the cricket team. Verity played in the second, and although rain interrupted play so that Verity bowled just five overs, he scored his first half-century in first-class cricket. However, he was left out of the team for the second Test and was replaced by Bill Bowes. England played four fast bowlers but Jardine had misjudged the playing surface; the Australian spinners were very effective on a slow-paced pitch and Australia levelled the series.

Verity resumed his place in the team for the third Test, replacing Bowes. The report in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack stated this was probably the most unpleasant match ever played. Controversy erupted over England's bowling tactics, following injuries to Australian players Bill Woodfull and Bert Oldfield, and the Australian Board of Control sent a telegram of protest to the MCC accusing the tourists of unsporting conduct. Verity's main contributions to the match came from his batting. In the first innings, he batted for two-and-a-half hours to score 45 runs and with Eddie Paynter added 96 runs in an eighth-wicket partnership. In the second innings, he scored 40 and shared a partnership of 98 with Les Ames. Wisden noted the effectiveness of Verity's defence while he was batting. He took one wicket in the game; after 16 wicketless overs in the first innings, Verity took the wicket of Bradman, who had played an unusually aggressive innings of 66 runs. Bradman had attacked the bowling of Verity, conscious of the danger from the fast bowlers, but immediately after hitting him for six, Bradman hit the ball back at the bowler and Verity caught it. England won the match by 338 runs.

After the third Test, the MCC played New South Wales again. Rain before the beginning of the third day affected the pitch; Bradman, possibly irritated by a minor show of bravado from Verity, scored 71 in conditions which should have been perfect for the Yorkshireman, who took only two wickets. At this stage, there was doubt over the continuation of the tour as the MCC and the Australian Board of Control exchanged telegrams, but matters settled when the Australian Board withdrew the accusation of unsporting conduct. Verity again made little contribution with the ball to the fourth Test. Nevertheless, of his bowling in the first innings, Wisden noted: "Verity kept an uncommonly good length while having only 32 runs hit off twenty-two overs." Batting in their first innings, England had lost eight wickets and were still 76 runs behind Australia's score when Verity joined Paynter, who famously had left a hospital bed, where he was confined with tonsillitis, to assist his team. The two men scored 92 runs together to give England a small lead. Verity scored 23 not out in two-and-three-quarter hours, although he was several times lucky not to be dismissed. The Wisden correspondent wrote that: "Verity kept up his end in manly fashion". Australia were bowled out in their second innings and Verity took two wickets; England scored the required runs to record a six wicket victory which ensured victory in the series—and the Ashes.

Verity's bowling was most successful in the final Test; to this point, he had been used in a defensive role but was here permitted to attack more. Although not used much on the first day, he took three for 62 in Australia's first innings. In the second innings, assisted by a worn pitch that helped him to spin the ball, Verity took five for 33. He dismissed Bradman, after a rapid 71, and later took two wickets with successive deliveries. In contrast, when England batted, Bert Ironmonger, the Australian left-arm spinner was unsuccessful; journalist and former player Arthur Mailey wrote that Verity's success must have come from poor batting as he considered Ironmonger a superior bowler. In the Test series, Verity totalled 11 wickets at an average of 24.65, second in the bowling averages to Larwood. Verity took three more wickets in four more matches of the tour, including his appearance in one of the two Tests against New Zealand at the end of the tour. In all first-class games in Australia, he took 44 wickets at 15.86, leading the first-class bowling averages for the tourists. Wisden's tour report noted Verity's "fine bowling record" and that he performed well. Jardine, in a letter to Verity's father, wrote: "Hedley has come through his first tour triumphantly, no mean feat to start with the stiffest tour, but particularly for a slow left-hander. On and off the field, Hedley has been a real friend and a grand help to me".

Tour of India

In the 1933 season, when Yorkshire won their third consecutive County Championship, Verity took 190 wickets at an average of 13.43 to be fifth in the national averages; in eight matches, he took ten or more wickets and achieved five wickets in an innings 18 times. In seven consecutive innings, he secured a total of 50 wickets, only the third player to achieve this feat in first-class cricket. He also scored over 600 runs with three fifties, his highest aggregate to date and his first fifties in English first-class cricket. During the season, Verity represented the Players against the Gentlemen and played in the first two of three Tests against the West Indies, taking four for 45 in the first match and capturing seven wickets at an average of 21.85 in the series. He was left out of the final game in favour of Charles Marriott, who took 11 wickets in his only Test, but in other games against the tourists, Verity took 14 wickets in a match for Yorkshire, on a slow pitch probably prepared to negate the bowling of Learie Constantine, and 10 wickets for Leveson-Gower's team at the Scarborough Festival. Against Essex, Verity achieved another record by taking 17 wickets in a single day's play, the second of three players to achieve this feat, on a pitch damaged by rain. However, against Surrey, Yorkshire conceded 560 runs and Verity, frustrated at the lack of a declaration, first bowled extremely negatively and then bowled two underarm deliveries that the umpire called no ball as he had not informed the batsmen of his intention. This was an unusually public reaction for Verity and his captain ordered him to resume normal bowling. That winter, an MCC team was selected to tour India and play Tests there for the first time. Jardine was chosen as captain, and Verity was the only other player from the Bodyline to tour, although other players declined an invitation.

Although the tour was politically sensitive owing to the Indian independence movement, and despite Jardine's love of India, the captain approached the tour with a competitive attitude and made thorough preparations. Jardine's biographer, Christopher Douglas, noted that the important games "were definitely played with the gloves off," and the fast bowlers on both sides caused several injuries to opposing batsmen. The touring party were extravagantly entertained by Indian and European dignitaries; distractions included frequent banquets and hunting wildlife. The attendances were high and the public followed the cricket very closely. Despite the high number of games giving the players a heavy workload, leaving several of them exhausted, Verity enjoyed the tour. He established a lasting friendship with Charlie Barnett; Verity guided Barnett, helping to overcome homesickness and developing his understanding of cricket.

Verity was the leading first-class wicket-taker on the tour, although he was second in the team averages, with 72 wickets at an average of 15.54; in the first match of the tour against Sind, he took six for 46 and ten wickets in the game. His best figures were seven for 37 against the Viceroy's XI and he took five wickets in an innings on five occasions. Against an Indian XI, he achieved his then-highest first-class score of 91 not out. On the same ground, in the second Test match, Verity took eight wickets in the drawn second game and scored 55 not out, his maiden Test fifty. As England had won the first Test, the third and final match would decide the series. Verity was again successful with the bat, scoring 42 and sharing a partnership of 97 with Jardine. Then with the ball, Verity took seven for 49 as the Indian batsmen struggled against his accuracy. Four wickets in the second innings, on a pitch that was crumbling, gave him eleven wickets for 153 in the match, the first time he had taken ten or more wickets in a Test match. In the three Tests, Verity took 23 wickets at an average of 16.82, leading the bowling averages for the series.

Jardine, who retired from regular first-class cricket after the tour, had little patience with his fast bowlers on the tour. On one occasion, when they were having difficulty in the heat, Jardine said: "Thank God we have one bowler in the side"—referring to Verity. Verity and Jardine admired each other greatly. Verity was impressed with the depth of Jardine's thinking on the game and his intelligence, enjoying tactical discussions with him on the voyage to Australia. According to Alan Hill, Verity did not relish the Bodyline tactics on that tour but supported his captain's stance completely and was shocked by the manoeuvres to remove Jardine as captain. Verity even named his second son Douglas after Jardine. Jardine, on the other hand, considered Verity to be the best slow-left-arm bowler of all time, writing: "I venture to doubt whether any other bowler of his type has proved such a master on all kinds of wickets ... No captain could have a greater asset on his side than Verity. He would make a great captain himself." Historian David Frith writes that Verity was "probably the cricketer [Jardine] admired above all others", while Bob Wyatt believed the two men were very similar in outlook, temperament and desire to succeed. During the Dunkirk evacuation in the Second World War, Jardine was separated from his batman in the confusion; when the pair were reunited, they sailed home on the HMS Verity and Jardine's batman said: "We're bound to be all right now, sir; she's called after your favourite bowler."

Series against Australia in 1934

In the 1934 season, Verity took 150 wickets at an average of 17.63, placing him third in the national averages. However, this was the lowest total of wickets and highest bowling average he achieved in a full English season. At the start of the season, Verity only reached five wickets in an innings once before his selection for a Test trial. That year, the Australians toured England and Verity was selected for the all five Test matches. Australia won the first game—Verity took two wickets. At Lord's, in the second match, England scored 440 in their first innings but after the second day's play, Australia were well placed to equal or surpass that score, having reached 192 for two wickets. Verity was the only bowler to trouble the batsmen and caught and bowled Bradman, who had scored a quick 36 runs. After rain fell overnight, the pitch changed to become helpful to spin; Wisden reported that: "although the wicket certainly helped [Verity] considerably it could scarcely be described as genuinely sticky except for one period after lunch." On the third day, Australia lost their last eight wickets while scoring 92 runs. Verity took six of the wickets to achieve bowling figures of seven for 61. The tourists just failed to score enough runs to make England bat again and were forced to follow on: Cardus wrote: "Verity settled the issue like a great bowler". England wicket-keeper Les Ames believed this was crucial to an England victory, or the home team would have batted in very difficult conditions. When Australia batted again, Verity took eight for 43, dismissing Bradman a second time, to give him match figures of 15 for 104; 14 of the wickets came on the third day. Cardus believed the Australian batsmen played very badly against Verity's spin, while the Wisden correspondent wrote: "This amazing achievement would probably have been only possible to a man possessed of such length and finger-spin as Verity ... Verity's length was impeccable and he made the ball come back and lift so abruptly that most of the Australians were helpless. The majority of them had had no experience in England of such a pitch, and they showed no ability or skill in dealing with bowling like that of Verity under these conditions  their efforts at playing back were, to say the least, immature." Afterwards, this game became known in cricket circles as "Verity's match"; it was the only occasion in the 20th Century when England beat Australia at Lord's, and their last such win for 75 years.

The third match was played on a very good pitch for batting in extremely hot weather, and England did not have a strong bowling attack in the view of Wisden. England scored 627, of which Verity scored 60 not out; while Wisden commented that he batted well, it noted he batted slower than was necessary. Australia replied with 491 when they batted; Verity took four for 78 in 53 overs and was able to prevent the batsmen scoring quickly. The match was eventually drawn. Cardus, in criticising the English bowlers in the game, wrote: "Verity is apparently the only England bowler in existence at the present time—and he is not subtle on a hard wicket." Poor weather prevented an English defeat in the fourth Test, as Bradman and Bill Ponsford shared a partnership of 388 runs; Verity took three wickets but, in doing so, gave away a lot of runs. The final, decisive game, was won by Australia, who therefore regained the Ashes. Bradman and Ponsford this time scored 451 runs together as their team totalled 701; Verity was wicketless in the match and conceded 166 runs. Cardus, assessing the English bowling, regretted that England did not have a bowler capable of flighting the ball, a role usually performed by left-arm spinners. Verity took 24 wickets in the series at 24.00, finishing second in the averages. Reviewing the series, Wisden editor Sydney Southerton wrote, "Verity, apart from his one amazing performance at Lord's, could be complimented upon his steadiness rather than upon his effectiveness on hard wickets.". Verity also made other representative appearances in the season, playing twice for the Players against the Gentlemen, appearing in Leveson-Gower's team against the Australians and representing the "Rest of England" against Lancashire, the County Champions; Yorkshire had dropped to sixth position, handicapped by the limited appearances by four key players who were regularly selected by England. However, future England captain Len Hutton made his debut, and Verity supported and encouraged him in his first seasons.

Career in the mid-1930s

During the 1935 season, Verity passed 200 wickets for the first time in his career, taking 211 at an average of 14.36 to finish third in the national averages. He took five wickets in an innings 22 times and had ten or more wickets in seven matches. His batting was less effective than in the preceding seasons; his highest score was 35 and he averaged 11.59, nearly six runs fewer than the previous two years. In the County Championship, Yorkshire regained the title. England played South Africa in a five-Test series that summer; the tourists won a Test in England for the first time and won the series 1–0. Verity was selected in the first four games. In the first match, his figures were three for 52 in 41 overs on a pitch which assisted spin bowlers. England were in a position of dominance when rain ruined the game. Following this game, the tourists defeated Yorkshire; in the second innings, Jock Cameron hit 30 runs from a single over bowled by Verity. Even when his first three deliveries had been struck for four, Verity continued to bowl in an attacking style. In similar situations, bowlers usually bowled defensively to avoid giving away more runs. Arthur Wood, the Yorkshire wicket-keeper, commented during the over: "Go on, Hedley, you have him in two minds. He doesn't know whether to hit you for four or six!" South Africa won the second Test, their first Test match win in England, although Verity took six wickets in the match. In the third game, Verity had bowling figures of two wickets for nine runs from 25 overs in the match and in the fourth, he took one for 72 from 40 overs. These two games were drawn, leaving England needing a victory in the final match. By now, Verity had acquired a reputation for being unable to take wickets on good batting pitches. In the report on the fourth Test, Wisden's correspondent observed: "Verity again failed to worry South Africa's batsmen". With victory essential, Verity was dropped for the last match. He was replaced by off-spinner Johnnie Clay, regarded by critics as effective at flighting the ball. The Times correspondent wrote: "Verity has not been impressive on firm wickets: he seems to have checked suddenly in a career which promised so well three seasons ago, and it is not surprising that he has been left out of this side." Nevertheless, he took 12 wickets at 20.83, leading the Test bowling averages for England. Verity was not selected in any other representative cricket that season apart from a festival match against the MCC team which toured the West Indies the previous winter.

The Yorkshire team toured Jamaica in early 1936, at the request of the Jamaica Cricket Association, playing three first-class matches. Yorkshire won the first game, Jamaica's first defeat at home in a first-class game for ten years. Verity took ten for 106 in 57 overs; Herbert Sutcliffe, Verity's Yorkshire and England team-mate, believed that Verity bowled better here than on the previous Australian tour. Yorkshire bowled defensively at Jamaica's key batsman, George Headley, frustrating him into making a mistake and losing his wicket. The other matches, played on very good batting wickets, were drawn. In the final game, Verity scored 101. Batting aggressively, he hit ten fours and his second fifty runs came in just over an hour. In total, Verity took 16 wickets, averaging 22.50, and scored 195 runs at 48.75.

In the 1936 English season, Verity once more passed 200 wickets. With 216 wickets at an average of 13.18, he reached the highest total of wickets of his career and finished second in the national averages. His best bowling figures were nine wickets for 12 runs against Kent, who were bowled out for 39 runs; in total, he took 15 wickets in the game, one of seven games in which he took ten or more wickets. In addition, he scored his highest aggregate of runs, accumulating 855 runs at an average of 31.66; at one point in the season, Verity was leading the Yorkshire batting averages. Yorkshire were second in the County Championship to Derbyshire, suffering from an over-reliance on the bowling of Verity and a slightly-unfit Bowes. Playing for his county against the Indian touring team, Verity achieved his highest first-class innings in England with 96 not out. He played in all three Test matches against India, a team which failed to live up to expectations and suffered internal divisions. The Indian batsmen struggled to bat for the long periods required, unaccustomed to batting for more than three hours. Gubby Allen, the England captain, won the toss in the first Test and bowled first on the advice of Verity, who predicted India would be all out by lunch on a difficult pitch. However, batting was never as difficult as expected and Verity was unable to bowl a good length. Allen later described this as one of the few occasions he saw Verity bowl poorly. India established a first innings lead, but were bowled out for 93 in their second innings by Allen and Verity and easily lost the match; bowling more effectively, Verity took four for 17. The second Test was a draw in which Verity took four for 41 in the first innings and scored 66, his highest Test score. However, the Indian batsman saved the match, partly by aggressive hitting against the slow bowlers. England won the final Test to take the series 1–0; Verity took four wickets in the game. In total, Verity took 15 wickets at an average of 15.20, finishing top of the England bowling averages. Verity also appeared for the Players against the Gentlemen and in a Test trial for the North against the South. Regarded as a certainty to tour Australia in the winter, Verity was among the first seven players selected and his name was announced before the second Test against India.

Second tour to Australia

Under the captaincy of Gubby Allen, the MCC tour aimed to restore good relations between England and Australia after the difficulties caused by the Bodyline series. Verity took 16 wickets before the Tests began with best figures of five for 50 against Queensland, his only five wicket haul of the Australian leg of the tour. England won the first two Tests of the series, assisted by poor weather altering pitch conditions in their favour. In the first match, England scored 358 and bowled Australia out for 234. Allen and Bill Voce took most wickets, but although Verity took just one wicket, Wisden's correspondent praised him, reporting: "Among the bowlers, apart from the two who clinched victory, Verity must not be forgotten. In the first innings he bowled in his best form and contributed to many of Voce's wickets... So difficult was Verity to score from that batsmen in desperation tried to get runs off Voce, with disastrous results to themselves." After England set Australia 381 to win, rain damaged the pitch; Allen and Voce bowled the home team out for 58 and although conditions were ideal for Verity's bowling, he was not used. Allen later stated he did not wish to give the Australians the experience of facing Verity on a rain-affected pitch. In the second Test, England won by an innings, again assisted by rain. Verity took three wickets in the match, including that of Bradman.

The turning point of the series was the third Test. On the first day, Verity again dismissed Bradman and the England bowlers performed well in good batting conditions before rain altered the state of the pitch. Australia declared their innings closed at 200 for nine and after losing nine wickets for 76, England also declared, hoping to make Australia bat on a still-difficult pitch. As the pitch became easier to bat on, Australia made 564 of which Bradman scored 270 and shared a partnership of 346 with Jack Fingleton. Verity bowled nearly 38 eight-ball overs and took three for 79. Cardus wrote: "Verity was magnificent ... In his absence Bradman might have scored another 100 runs. Nothing but consummate length and flight could have checked Bradman, in circumstances made for Bradman ... Every run from Verity had to be earnt. It was beautiful bowling, delightful to the eye and intellect." Wisden's report said: "Voce and Verity were outstanding England bowlers. The latter kept an immaculate length and allowed no batsman to take liberties with him." England were bowled out for 323 and lost the game.

Throughout the tour, England were hampered by the lack of an effective opening partner for Charlie Barnett. For the fourth Test, Verity was promoted to open the batting. After Australia were bowled out for 288, Verity and Barnett put on 53 runs together, England's best opening partnership of the series. Wisden praised Verity's defence but said he had not solved the problem of Barnett's partner. In two innings, he scored 19 and 17. England scored 330 but Australia's second innings of 433 left England needing 392. Barnett and Verity began with a stand of 45, but England made just 243 to lose by 148 runs. Verity was wicketless in the match; injuries to other bowlers left him with a heavy workload and he made it difficult for Australia to score runs. Having levelled the series, Australia won the final match by a large margin to take the series 3–2. Verity had figures of one for 127. Wisden observed he had "poor figures, on paper, but he put up a remarkable feat of endurance." In the series, Verity took 10 wickets at an average of 45.50; in all first-class matches in Australia, he captured 28 wickets at 30.75 and he secured 10 wickets at 18.20 in two matches in New Zealand at the end of the tour. The Wisden report on the tour said: "Verity admirably performed the task of keeping one end closed and took high honours for his consistently good work." The Times correspondent, noting the failure of the wrist spinners selected to tour, wrote: "Australia ... beat us because they have spin bowlers who make the ball truly spin. Verity certainly never had a wicket on which to demonstrate his art, so exposing the fact that real spin bowling does not at the moment exist in England."

During the 1937 season, Verity played only one out of the three Tests against the touring New Zealanders. He took two wickets, and although batsmen found it difficult to score from his bowling, he did not look dangerous and was left out of the remaining Tests in an attempt to strengthen the English bowling attack. He was not selected for the Players and his only other representative cricket was for the North against the South and for teams selected from the touring party of the previous winter. Nevertheless, he once again passed 200 wickets, taking 202 at 15.67 which placed him third in the bowling averages. The season ended with a challenge match, the proceeds to go to charity, between Yorkshire and Middlesex, who finished second in the Championship. Yorkshire won comfortably after rain; Verity took eight for 43 in the second innings after Middlesex followed-on.

Ashes series of 1938

Verity took 158 first-class wickets in 1938, fewer than the previous season but at an identical average of 15.38, placing him third once more in the national averages; with Bowes second in the list, Yorkshire retained the Championship. After appearing in a trial match, Verity played in all four Tests against Australia, during a series which was tied 1–1. In the first match, England scored 658 and according to Wisden, the new England captain Wally Hammond, believing he could make Australia follow-on, decided to keep Verity in reserve; he bowled just 45 balls in the innings; the last of these ended an innings of 232 runs by Stan McCabe. Australia did follow-on, and in the second innings, Verity bowled 62 overs to take three wickets for 102, bowling very accurately, but the batsmen played him skilfully and the match was drawn. Although England had a chance of victory until late in the match, Charlie Barnett, who played in the game but disliked Hammond, later said that Hammond overlooked Verity in the first innings simply through poor captaincy and that it adversely affected England's prospects.

In the second match, Verity took four for 103 out of an Australian total of 422, in reply to England's 494. After Verity had taken two wickets in eight balls, Australian were in danger of having to follow-on, but Bill O'Reilly struck him for two consecutive sixes to remove the possibility. Verity took two wickets in the second innings, but the match was drawn. After the third match was abandoned owing to rain, Australia won the fourth by five wickets to ensure the Ashes were retained. Wisden commented that: "At no time was the wicket easy for batting and Australia won largely because they possessed bitter spin bowling." Verity took two wickets in the match, but some critics believed his bowling could have won the match had Hammond used him more effectively. According to Barnett, the team believed Verity and Bowes should have done most of the bowling, with Bowes used to stop the batsmen scoring and Verity to take wickets. Bowes recommended the use of Verity or Wright to Hammond during the match, but Hammond ignored his advice. Later, Bowes publicly contrasted Hammond's tactics with those Yorkshire would have employed, comments the press interpreted as criticism. In a match where the Australian spinner O'Reilly took ten wickets, Hammond used his fast bowlers Bowes and Ken Farnes for the majority of both innings. Critics believed Hammond over-used his fast bowlers; Cardus wrote: "Hammond's faith in fast bowling rather exceeded his faith in the arts of Verity and Wright. The result was sad disillusionment." Barnett also said that Hammond refused to allow Verity to alter his bowling tactics, when the Yorkshire bowled wished to aim for a worn area on the pitch.

The final match of the series was to be played to a finish, no matter how long it took. England scored a record 903 runs and Australia were heavily defeated. Verity, one of five Yorkshire players in the team, bowled 12 overs in the game, taking two wickets. However, he played a part in the achievement of Len Hutton, who scored 364 runs, breaking the record for the highest innings in a Test match. As Hutton's innings began to assume epic proportions, Verity stayed with Hutton throughout the intervals, helping him to maintain concentration. On the Sunday of the match, when there was no play, Verity arranged for Hutton to have a break by the sea to relax away from cricket. Hutton commented: "I owe [Verity] the kind of debt that one can never fully repay ... His quiet, natural dignity was an immense source of strength to me throughout those long hours". The series was drawn; Verity took 14 wickets at an average of 25.28, finishing second in the England bowling averages, behind Bowes. Verity played no other representative cricket that season, but appeared once more against the Australians for H. D. G. Leveson-Gower's team which defeated the tourists by ten wickets.

Tour to South Africa and final season

In the winter of 1938–39, Verity toured South Africa with the MCC team under Hammond's captaincy. The cricket on the tour was played in a harmonious manner and Verity enjoyed the experience, as well as offering support and guidance to the younger members of the touring team. He took 47 wickets at 19.93 in first-class games. In the first game of the tour, Verity took 11 wickets against Griqualand West. In the Test matches, the batsmen played in a negative fashion, despite pitches that were very good for batting. High scoring games left the bowlers with expensive figures and Verity had the best bowling average on either side, bowling accurately and reliably. He played in all five Test matches, taking 19 wickets at 29.05. The first two matches were drawn: in the first innings of the opening Test, he took four for 61 in 44 eight-ball overs; in the first innings of the second Test, he took five for 70 in nearly 37 overs. England won the third match, the only result in the series and the fourth was also drawn. The final game was to be played without a time limit until there was a winner; after ten days it had to be abandoned as the MCC had to catch a boat home. The match established a record at the time for the total number of runs scored in a first-class game, as both teams posted an aggregate of 1,981 runs. Verity took four wickets and bowled 766 balls in the game, establishing a new record for deliveries in a first-class game. It proved difficult to score runs from Verity's bowling and the batsmen generally were very cautious.

Verity's final first-class cricket came in the 1939 season which was overshadowed and curtailed by the incipient war. Yorkshire won their third successive County Championship and the seventh of Verity's career. Verity took 191 wickets at an average of 13.13, to top the bowling averages for the only time apart from his debut season. Verity's only representative cricket came in the first Test match against West Indies, when he took two wickets in the match. He was subsequently left out of the team for the second Test in favour of Tom Goddard, and did not play any more Test matches. However, Wisden's report on the third Test commented that his absence and that of several other bowlers left the English attack weaker. In 40 Tests, Verity took 144 wickets at an average of 24.37 and scored 669 runs at an average of 20.90. With much of the end of the cricket season abandoned prior to the expected outbreak of war, Verity played his last match against Sussex. In the second innings, Verity took seven wickets for nine runs on a rain-affected pitch to bowl Sussex out for 33 and take Yorkshire to a win, although the match was played in a strained, tense atmosphere. This was Verity's last performance in first-class cricket. In total, he had taken 1,956 wickets at an average of 14.90 and scored 5,603 runs at 18.07.

Style and technique

Verity had a well-balanced seven-pace approach to the bowling crease and delivered the ball at almost medium pace, faster than usual for a spin bowler. R. C. Robertson-Glasgow, a cricket writer and journalist, wrote "He is a scholarly bowler ... He is tall, and much stronger than his pace needs. His run up, longer than most of his kind, has a measured delicacy that you would expect from this fastidious and nearly prim craftsman. Only his delivery has a grace which mathematics can't explain." His main asset as a bowler was an ability to bowl straight and with great accuracy, on a good length. He could also make the ball bounce higher than the batsman expected. The most effective type of delivery he bowled was one which curved through the air to pitch on middle and leg stump before spinning away from the batsman, who often edged the ball into the slips. On a rain affected pitch, he bowled more slowly and was almost unplayable at times. However, the period in which Verity played was notorious for providing a succession of good batting wickets, and batsmen often dominated. In these conditions, he prevented batsmen scoring runs and constantly tried new strategies to try to take wickets. Verity believed he was good enough to get any player out, and that it was possible for a bowler to dominate a batsman. According to E. W. Swanton, "on good pitches, he worked away, tireless, determined, and in length immaculate, relying on subtle variations of pace and angle of delivery." Verity also used different types of delivery to keep batsmen uncertain: he could bowl at a slower and faster pace to his normal style and occasionally bowled a much faster ball which regularly took wickets.

Verity never spun the ball very far, particularly after his second tour to Australia, but his contemporaries believed this could be an asset, while the bowler himself believed a good length was more important than the distance the ball turned. However, critics believed Verity did not pose enough of a threat to batsmen and could be dull to watch. By the middle of his career, he had a reputation for being ineffective on good batting pitches, and was occasionally dropped for his lack of effectiveness, although after his debut, he was only left out of one match against Australia and one against South Africa, the two strongest Test playing teams. Yet Verity believed his performances in unfavourable conditions for his bowling had greater merit than his successes in favourable ones. He once said: "Do not praise me when I have taken 8 for 20 on a sticky wicket, but when I have got 2 for 100 on a perfect wicket." At times, Verity almost seemed bored when bowling and performed less effectively, particularly if his side were winning without needing his contribution. Bowes once told the Yorkshire captain, Brian Sellers, that the way to get the best out of Verity was to tell him that everything depended on him.

Verity earned the respect of Bradman, generally regarded as the greatest batsman to have played cricket, and enjoyed bowling at him. Bradman described Verity as a great cricketer and wrote that throughout their respective careers, he "grew more and more to respect [Verity] both as a gentleman and as a player." Robertson-Glasgow believed that Verity was "one of only three or four bowlers who came to the battle with Bradman on not unequal terms". During the 17 Tests in which they faced each other, Verity bowled 932 balls at Bradman, conceded 401 runs, and took his wicket eight times, more than any other bowler. Robertson-Glasgow believed that, but for Verity, Bradman would have averaged over 150 in Tests instead of his actual batting average. In all first-class cricket, dismissed Bradman ten times in total, one two occasions twice in the same game. Only Clarrie Grimmett equalled ten first-class dismissals of Bradman. However, Bradman once said: "I think I know all about Clarrie ( Grimmett), but with Hedley I am never sure. You see, there's no breaking-point with him."

Verity is often cited as one of the greatest slow-left-arm spinners to play the game. Robertson-Glasgow dismissed any criticism of the bowler, and wrote: "We can only say that, in his own short time, he was the best of his kind." The writer considered Verity may not quite have achieved the heights of some other great bowlers of his type, but "as a workman-artist, he will take some beating." Douglas Jardine rated him higher than any previous Yorkshire spinners, and Les Ames believed him to be the best left-arm spinner he had played against. Bradman wrote: "Undoubtedly he was one of the greatest slow left-handed spinners of all time. His record testifies to that. No Australian left-hander of that type was Verity's equal and of the Englishmen I saw ... there is no doubt that Hedley was as good or better than the others."

As a batsmen, Verity occasionally showed potential to become good, but concentrated his energy on bowling. He modelled his batting on Herbert Sutcliffe, and Robertson-Glasgow wrote: "As a batsman, he looks like Sutcliffe gone stale. That is, pretty good."

Military service

Training with the Green Howards

Since around 1937, Verity had expected the outbreak of the Second World War and had prepared for it through reading military literature. He and Bowes decided to enlist together, and after briefly serving in the Air Raid Precautions in Guiseley until Bowes' wife gave birth, they attempted to join the infantry. However, Bowes was hampered by an old knee complaint and later became a gunnery officer. After serving as a sapper in the Royal Engineers, Verity was commissioned in January 1940 as a Second Lieutenant in the Green Howards, and later promoted to Captain. After a spell at the Infantry Training Centre, he was posted to the 1st Battalion. He served at the regimental depot in Richmond, North Yorkshire where he was responsible for training recruits. In the spring of 1941, the battalion moved to Omagh in Northern Ireland for further training. Verity's Yorkshire and England team-mate Norman Yardley was also in the 1st Battalion, and the fame of these cricketers made an impression on the local population. Playing several cricket matches, Verity frequently took wickets on rough pitches that were unsuitable for batting. There was even time for his appearance in a charity match at Lord's. Verity enjoyed his time in Omagh, particularly as his wife joined him. At the end of the summer, he returned to England and after a spell in London, he was posted overseas.

The first battalion of the Green Howards went early in 1942 to Ranchi in India, where the climate badly affected Verity's health. After suffering from dysentery, he was weak and his doctors wished to send him home. However, he resumed his position and by the end of the year his battalion was sent to Persia. In March 1943, the battalion was posted to Kibrit Air Base in Egypt for training and then to Qatana in Syria. Here, preparations were finalised for the Allied invasion of Sicily. Verity remained below peak fitness and was struggling a little owing to his age. After the Sicily campaign was completed, his commanding officers planned to withdraw him from front-line fighting and move him to the staff at headquarters.

Death

The Allied landings were initially successful until the Allied forces reached the plains outside Catania. The German forces put up a strong resistance and the Green Howards, as part of the 15th Brigade made a night attack on 19 July. However, conditions were more difficult than expected and the brigade came under heavy fire. Verity commanded B Company, which lost its position in the confusion and became surrounded. Attempting to secure the position, Verity was hit in the chest and had to be left behind as the company retreated. The last order he gave was "Keep going".

Severely wounded and subsequently captured by the Germans, Verity was taken to a field hospital and underwent an operation. Taken by boat across the Strait of Messina to Italy, Verity first went to a hospital in Reggio Calabria and was then transported for two days by train to Naples. The German hospital was full so Verity was sent to the Italian hospital at Caserta. By this stage, Verity was very ill and had another operation to relieve pressure from his rib onto his lung. The operation seemed successful but Verity deteriorated rapidly over the following three days, bleeding heavily. He died on 31 July, and was buried with full military honours. His grave was later moved from the town's cemetery to the military cemetery established by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Several Yorkshire players later visited the grave; some members of the MCC team under Len Hutton's captaincy in 1954–55, including Hutton, journalists and former Yorkshire player Abe Waddington paid tribute at Verity's grave while stopping en route for Australia.

Personal life

Verity married Kathleen Alice Metcalfe, a bookbinder and the daughter of a sales agent, on 7 March 1929. The couple had known each other as children in Headingley and met again at a Rawdon youth club social event. They had two sons, first Wilfred who was named after Wilfred Rhodes, and then Douglas, named after Douglas Jardine.

Shortly before the outbreak of the war, Kathleen began to suffer from poor health, and the family planned a trip to South Africa in the winter of 1939 to aid her recovery and so Verity could take up one of several offers of a coaching job. In the last summer before Verity went overseas during the war, Kathleen joined him in Omagh and spent some time together which she was later grateful for. She also joined him in London just before he went away.

Bibliography

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• Cardus, Neville (1982). The Roses Matches 1919–1939. London: Souvenir Press. ISBN 0-285-62520-9.
• Douglas, Christopher (2002). Douglas Jardine: Spartan Cricketer. London: Methuen. ISBN 0-413-77216-0.
• Frith, David (2002). Bodyline Autopsy—The Full Story of the Most Sensational Test Cricket Series: Australia v England 1932–33. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 1-85410-896-4.
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