Middlesex Ashes Captains - Gubby Allen Part 1 of 2

To celebrate the start of England's Ashes tour, Seaxe Man continues his occasional series (started last winter) reviewing the careers of Middlesex Ashes captains.  Last winter we published Stoddart and Warner (links at end of this feature) - now we continue with Part A of the Gubby Allen story.  Many thanks to Seaxe Man for these detailed pen pics.

G.O.B.Allen (Gubby) Part 1 of 2

The next in the series of pen-portraits, is of Gubby Allen. A fast bowling all rounder, who along with Voce and  Larwood comprised the three man pace attack, on Jardine’s 1932/33 series in Australia.

The 1932/33 series was known as the Bodyline Tour.

Jardine saw this as a way of countering the threat of Don Bradman, then, the top Test batsman in the world. His batting average of  99.96 remains the best ever..

It is difficult to imagine, that it will ever be bettered.

As far as Jardine was concerned, his leg theory tactics worked. The series being won by England, 4 matches to one..

This at the time, created a fair few ructions which eventually reached the highest governmental levels in both countries.

Allen however, was reluctant to carry out Jardine’s leg-theory bowling, regarding it, as unsportsmanlike, according to the historical write-ups of that series.

For Allen, (being an amateur, as was Jardine),  it was probably easier for him to question Jardine’s tactics as he reportedly did, rather than the professionals, Larwood and Voce, who had more to lose.

On a personal note. I once shared a bench with Gubby Allen, back in the mid eighties, watching a second eleven match at Uxbridge. I found him to be an affable companion, happy to talk cricket.

In recent times, what was formerly known as Q Stand, at Lord’s, which is to the left of the Pavilion, when viewed from the Nursery End, was renamed The Allen Stand in his honour.

This stand is on two levels, the lower of which now houses The Middlesex Room.

Listed in Wisden as: Allen, George Oswald Browning b. Bellevue Hill, Sydney, Australia. 31 July 1902. d. 29 November 1989.

Allen was a little unusual in that he was an amateur all-rounder. In his pomp, generating a fair bit of pace and was a handy lower middle order batsman to boot.

You can find his career statistics on Cricket Archive here:

http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/559/559.html

If you click on “List of matches and more detailed statistics you can see his stats for each team and against every opponent. 

He played in 25 Tests, captaining in 11 of those. He captained against Australia in the 1936/37 series.

His Test record can be summarised as follows - 750 runs at just over 24.  81 wickets at just over 29. 

The above figures say, he was a pretty handy player at top level. Bearing in mind, as an amateur. He was forced to drop out of series due to business commitments on frequent occasions.

For Middlesex he played too infrequently to make it onto either, the batting or bowling lists in terms of figures.

However he does get on the County’s record list, taking all 10 Lancashire wickets at Lord’s in 1929.  Analysis 10 for 40.

Australia had regained the Ashes in 1934 on their tour of England by 2 matches to 1, after their loss in the Body Line Series of 1932/33. They were not to be defeated again until 1953.

On Allen’s  watch, he won the first two Tests and then succumbed in the last three.

This was the first occasion when a series had been lost after winning the opening two Tests.

He was of course unlucky, in that, in the opposition’s ranks, was the greatest Test batsman of all- time Don Bradman.

Bradman after a slowish start, unfurled his run-machine ability in Tests 3, 4 and 5, and that pretty much was the difference.. Bradman also enjoyed handy support from Jack Fingleton, Stan McCabe and Badcock.

So we fast-forward from the turn of the 20th century to the 1936/37 Ashes Tour of Australia to catch up with the next Middlesex player to captain England in these matches.

It  was to be 40 years, before the honour was to be repeated.

Gubby was accompanied on this tour by two other Middlesex men. The amateur leg break bowler and lower order batsman, R W V Robins and the professional Jim Sims, also a leg break bowler and late order slogger.

Robins himself captained on three occasions against New Zealand, He scored a single Test century (108) and took 64 wickets at 27.46 in his 19 Test career.

So a useful performer at top level.

Sims had a more modest Test Record of 4 matches, taking 11 wickets at 43.63.

Though like his later contemporaries Compton, Edrich and Jack Robertson.

The advent of WW2 took a big chunk out of their careers when they were in their pomp.

Both Robins and Sims had huge records at county level.

J.M.Sims lies fourth in the all-time list of Middlesex bowlers, with 1257 wickets at 25.33.

Only Fred Titmus, J T Hearne and J W Hearne stand ahead him.

R.W.V Robins lies 20th on that list with 669 wickets at 22.28. He being an amateur, almost certainly meant, that he played less than he might have liked, due to business commitments.

He later served as a Test Selector.

His son Charles, also played for Middlesex in the Sixties, later serving on the Committee, plus in recent times, doing a stint as President of The Club, if memory serves me correctly.

Charles earnt his spurs with yours truly, as a true Man of The Middle, when at the 1981 AGM, the Committee were being taken to task, by one speaker, over the decision, to replace Vincent van der Bijl, with Jeff Thomson as the overseas player for the 1981 season.

The ‘critical’ speaker saying ‘that Yorkshire’, as was their wont back then ‘ did not employ overseas players’.

Charles Robins reply in his role as Cricket Committee Chairman: was to urge the speaker to ‘join Yorkshire’. I don’t think the offer was taken up.

To be continued in part 2, when you will read all about Gubby Allen's Ashes matches as England Captain.