George Geary
Encyclopedia
George Geary was easily the greatest cricket
er Leicestershire
produced before the advent of David Gower
and one of the best and hardest-working bowlers of the inter-war period. Above medium pace and right-handed, Geary was able to swing the new ball very effectively but relied for most of his success on his amazing persistence and ability to bowl with slight yet well-disguised variations of pace and cut. He was able to bowl quite incredible numbers of overs on unresponsive pitches, as shown in the last Test
of the 1928/1929 Ashes tour, when he bowled an amazing 81 overs on a typical billiard-table Australian wicket in very hot weather. Because he was tall and very solidly built, he was able both to get bounce and to bowl the long spells required for success in Australian conditions which destroyed the reputations of all English bowlers of slighter build.
Geary was also a capable lower order batsman who usually relied upon hitting, but could get runs with a quiet, if unstylish determination when they were desperately needed. Though he never scored a thousand runs - his best aggregates were 923 in 1929 and 900 in 1925 - his runs were frequently of great value to a county that never possessed any of the exceptionally high-class batsmen other counties could command in Geary's heyday. Owing to his considerable height and reach, Geary was an excellent slip catcher and, despite all the bowling he had to do, almost always his county's leading fielder.
For all his impressive build and strength, and his shrewd skill, George Geary proved a quite nervous starter in the cricket world. He played a few times for Leicestershire in 1912, and in 1913 established himself as the leading bowler of what became a very weak bowling side in good weather owing to the tragic illness of Tom Jayes. The last year before World War I saw Geary come right to the from with 114 wickets for just over 20 runs apiece, far ahead of any other bowler in the team. After serving in the air force during the war, Geary was unlucky not to have his leg cut by an airplace propeller and this affected, at least temporarily, his great strength and powerful build. After a very disappointing season in 1919 in which his wickets cost over 34 runs each, Geary did not play a single first-class game in 1920 - preferring the financial incentives of a Lancashire League professional job. He played a few times in midweek games in 1921, and was so successful that he took 23 wickets on unresponsive pitches and decided to commit himself to Leicestershire again.
He was bowled relatively little (though with good success) during 1922, but the following year saw him advance into the elite of bowlers with 115 wickets for less the eighteen runs apiece, and in 1924, seemingly out of necessity given the terrible weakness of Leicestershire's batting, Geary advanced so much that he scored 864 runs for an average of 24, which was excellent in so appallingly wet a summer, and was probably denied the "double" only by an injury during June. His Test debut against a weak South African side was due only to England experimenting after the rubber had been decided and was of no consequence. Remarkably given how little service he had given to Leicestershire, Geary received a benefit but it was severely affected by rain. in 1925 he advanced even further, scoring a maiden century against Kent, then June 1926 saw Geary produce two of his finest performances against powerful batting sides (even considering the treacherous pitches): he took fourteen cheap wickets against both Hampshire and Lancashire. The latter match was Lancashire's last defeat for over a year and a half. He consequenly played in two of the Tests that year and saved England from defeat at Headingley with some steady batting whilst George Macaulay
hit up 76, but took only three wickets. 1927, with so many very dead wickets, was a struggle for Geary, but on the matting wickets of South Africa he bowled so well to be regarded as the most dangerous bowler since the incomparable Sydney Barnes
, taking twelve wickets at Johannesburg.
However, a severe arm injury ruled Geary out of the last three Tests and, though he batted with some success in many games in 1928, he could bowl so little that he took only ten expensive wickets. Yet, his powerful build was seen as so vital for the rock-hard Australian pitches that Geary, with the reputation he had acquired, was still chosen. He proved a great success, heading the averages and working amazingly hard to back up probably the strongest batting side any country has ever fielded - so strong that men of such class as Phil Mead
and Ernest Tyldesley
could not keep their Test places. Following on from this, 1929 was his best season ever, for he exceeded 150 wickets and on a rain-affected pitch against an admittedly weak Glamorgan batting lineup had the astonishing figures of 10 wickets for 18 runs, which was at the time the best bowling figures in the history of first-class cricket
. He also had his highest ever batting aggregate with 923 runs. 1930, with the Australians back, saw Geary as powerless as all of England's other bowlers to stop the onslaught of Bradman, and he was also affected by injury. With Voce and Bowes developing had no chance of retaining his Test place in the following years. Geary still bowled well in the wet summers of 1931 and 1932, but the dry summer of 1933 was disastrous: Geary took only 40 wickets and not once took five in an innings.
However, despite further injuries, in 1934 he bowled so well when fit that he was chosen for two Tests but his only significant contribution was an innings of 53 against the marvellous leg spin bowling of Grimmett
and O'Reilly
at Trent Bridge
. Though these proved his last Tests, 1935 saw him in such deadly form on fiery or sticky pitches early in the season that, despite injuries hampering him later, he was second in the averages to Hedley Verity
and took 11 for 40 in one match against Sussex. In his second benefit match the following year, Geary produced his best bowling since 1929 on a broken pitch with an amazing 7 for 7 and 13 for 43 in the match. His last two seasons in 1937 and 1938 saw him decline with the ball on improved Leicester pitches, but his batting in 1938 was so good that he averaged over 30 - far above any previous season - and hit three centuries.
His retirement at the end of that year did not mark the close of Geary's involvement with cricket. For over twenty years after that he was cricket coach at Charterhouse
and in that time was seen as one of the best coaches any school has ever had. Most notably, the brilliant batsman Peter May admitted that Geary's coaching played a vital role in his development. After he left Charterhouse in 1959, Geary went to Rugby School, who were desperate for assistance to develop young players and improved their fortunes. Geary, as always, served them whole-heartedly, and he bowled, without the sweater to keep him cool, in the nets until he was about seventy-seven, a testimony to his amazing endurance despite many injuries and other setbacks. He died after gradually failing health in 1981 at the age of eighty-seven.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
produced before the advent of David Gower
David Gower
David Ivon Gower OBE is a former English cricketer who became a commentator for Sky Sports. Although he eventually rose to the captaincy of the England cricket team during the 1980s, he is best known for being one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of the modern era. Gower played 117 Test...
and one of the best and hardest-working bowlers of the inter-war period. Above medium pace and right-handed, Geary was able to swing the new ball very effectively but relied for most of his success on his amazing persistence and ability to bowl with slight yet well-disguised variations of pace and cut. He was able to bowl quite incredible numbers of overs on unresponsive pitches, as shown in the last Test
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...
of the 1928/1929 Ashes tour, when he bowled an amazing 81 overs on a typical billiard-table Australian wicket in very hot weather. Because he was tall and very solidly built, he was able both to get bounce and to bowl the long spells required for success in Australian conditions which destroyed the reputations of all English bowlers of slighter build.
Geary was also a capable lower order batsman who usually relied upon hitting, but could get runs with a quiet, if unstylish determination when they were desperately needed. Though he never scored a thousand runs - his best aggregates were 923 in 1929 and 900 in 1925 - his runs were frequently of great value to a county that never possessed any of the exceptionally high-class batsmen other counties could command in Geary's heyday. Owing to his considerable height and reach, Geary was an excellent slip catcher and, despite all the bowling he had to do, almost always his county's leading fielder.
For all his impressive build and strength, and his shrewd skill, George Geary proved a quite nervous starter in the cricket world. He played a few times for Leicestershire in 1912, and in 1913 established himself as the leading bowler of what became a very weak bowling side in good weather owing to the tragic illness of Tom Jayes. The last year before World War I saw Geary come right to the from with 114 wickets for just over 20 runs apiece, far ahead of any other bowler in the team. After serving in the air force during the war, Geary was unlucky not to have his leg cut by an airplace propeller and this affected, at least temporarily, his great strength and powerful build. After a very disappointing season in 1919 in which his wickets cost over 34 runs each, Geary did not play a single first-class game in 1920 - preferring the financial incentives of a Lancashire League professional job. He played a few times in midweek games in 1921, and was so successful that he took 23 wickets on unresponsive pitches and decided to commit himself to Leicestershire again.
He was bowled relatively little (though with good success) during 1922, but the following year saw him advance into the elite of bowlers with 115 wickets for less the eighteen runs apiece, and in 1924, seemingly out of necessity given the terrible weakness of Leicestershire's batting, Geary advanced so much that he scored 864 runs for an average of 24, which was excellent in so appallingly wet a summer, and was probably denied the "double" only by an injury during June. His Test debut against a weak South African side was due only to England experimenting after the rubber had been decided and was of no consequence. Remarkably given how little service he had given to Leicestershire, Geary received a benefit but it was severely affected by rain. in 1925 he advanced even further, scoring a maiden century against Kent, then June 1926 saw Geary produce two of his finest performances against powerful batting sides (even considering the treacherous pitches): he took fourteen cheap wickets against both Hampshire and Lancashire. The latter match was Lancashire's last defeat for over a year and a half. He consequenly played in two of the Tests that year and saved England from defeat at Headingley with some steady batting whilst George Macaulay
George Macaulay
George Gibson Macaulay , was a professional English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1920 and 1935. He played in eight Test matches for England from 1923 to 1933, achieving the rare feat of taking a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket...
hit up 76, but took only three wickets. 1927, with so many very dead wickets, was a struggle for Geary, but on the matting wickets of South Africa he bowled so well to be regarded as the most dangerous bowler since the incomparable Sydney Barnes
Sydney Barnes
Sydney Francis Barnes was an English professional cricketer who is generally regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the sport's history...
, taking twelve wickets at Johannesburg.
However, a severe arm injury ruled Geary out of the last three Tests and, though he batted with some success in many games in 1928, he could bowl so little that he took only ten expensive wickets. Yet, his powerful build was seen as so vital for the rock-hard Australian pitches that Geary, with the reputation he had acquired, was still chosen. He proved a great success, heading the averages and working amazingly hard to back up probably the strongest batting side any country has ever fielded - so strong that men of such class as Phil Mead
Phil Mead
Charles Phillip Mead was a left-handed batsman for Hampshire and England between 1905 and 1936. He was born at 10 Ashton Buildings , second eldest of seven children...
and Ernest Tyldesley
Ernest Tyldesley
Ernest Tyldesley was an England cricketer. The younger brother of Johnny Tyldesley and the leading batsman for Lancashire. He remains Lancashire's most prolific run-getter of all time...
could not keep their Test places. Following on from this, 1929 was his best season ever, for he exceeded 150 wickets and on a rain-affected pitch against an admittedly weak Glamorgan batting lineup had the astonishing figures of 10 wickets for 18 runs, which was at the time the best bowling figures in the history of first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
. He also had his highest ever batting aggregate with 923 runs. 1930, with the Australians back, saw Geary as powerless as all of England's other bowlers to stop the onslaught of Bradman, and he was also affected by injury. With Voce and Bowes developing had no chance of retaining his Test place in the following years. Geary still bowled well in the wet summers of 1931 and 1932, but the dry summer of 1933 was disastrous: Geary took only 40 wickets and not once took five in an innings.
However, despite further injuries, in 1934 he bowled so well when fit that he was chosen for two Tests but his only significant contribution was an innings of 53 against the marvellous leg spin bowling of Grimmett
Clarrie Grimmett
Clarence Victor "Clarrie" Grimmett was a cricketer; although born in New Zealand, he played most of his cricket in Australia. He is thought by many to be one of the finest early spin bowlers, and usually credited as the developer of the flipper.Grimmett was born in Caversham a suburb of Dunedin,...
and O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly (cricketer)
William Joseph "Bill" O'Reilly , often known as Tiger O'Reilly, was an Australian cricketer, rated as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. Following his retirement from playing, he became a well-respected cricket writer and broadcaster.O'Reilly was one of the best spin bowlers to...
at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
. Though these proved his last Tests, 1935 saw him in such deadly form on fiery or sticky pitches early in the season that, despite injuries hampering him later, he was second in the averages to 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...
and took 11 for 40 in one match against Sussex. In his second benefit match the following year, Geary produced his best bowling since 1929 on a broken pitch with an amazing 7 for 7 and 13 for 43 in the match. His last two seasons in 1937 and 1938 saw him decline with the ball on improved Leicester pitches, but his batting in 1938 was so good that he averaged over 30 - far above any previous season - and hit three centuries.
His retirement at the end of that year did not mark the close of Geary's involvement with cricket. For over twenty years after that he was cricket coach at Charterhouse
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
and in that time was seen as one of the best coaches any school has ever had. Most notably, the brilliant batsman Peter May admitted that Geary's coaching played a vital role in his development. After he left Charterhouse in 1959, Geary went to Rugby School, who were desperate for assistance to develop young players and improved their fortunes. Geary, as always, served them whole-heartedly, and he bowled, without the sweater to keep him cool, in the nets until he was about seventy-seven, a testimony to his amazing endurance despite many injuries and other setbacks. He died after gradually failing health in 1981 at the age of eighty-seven.