Rewind: Surrey v Warwickshire, 1953

May 16, 1953, was a damp, claggy day in London. Morning commuters splashed their way along streaming pavements, trams parted broad, rippling puddles as they went and Leyton Orient's Brisbane Road grou

matc

2022-07-24T11:44:27.000Z

May 16, 1953, was a damp, claggy day in London.

Morning commuters splashed their way along streaming pavements, trams parted broad, rippling puddles as they went and Leyton Orient's Brisbane Road ground was awash. It had rained for days.

Some supporters of the cricket teams of Surrey and Warwickshire, considering over breakfast whether to attend the opening day of the championship match at The Oval, decided not to bother. "They won't play today," was the verdict of one postman from Plaistow.

But they did play. And those spectators that did bother were rewarded with one of the most extraordinary day's cricket ever, a whole County Championship match completed in a day.

The Oval outfield was sopping wet, as was the pitch itself (uncovered in those days) but umpires Ernie Cooke and Laurie Gray decreed that play could begin at noon. Surrey won the toss and, unsurprisingly with the likes of Alec Bedser, Jim Laker and Tony Lock in their side, chose to bowl.

Just over an hour later, Warwickshire were 45 all out.

The run-ups were so treacherous that Bedser abandoned any semblance of one and bowled off a couple of paces. He did it pretty effectively...to the tune of 13.5-4-18-8. The great Laker didn't even get on to bowl and only Dick Spooner, with 16, reached double figures for the Bears.

Warwickshire's entire first innings lasted just 26.5 overs. Surrey's then lasted only 12.2 more but was more productive as they totalled 146. Keith Dollery took four for 40 to have Surrey 119 for nine before Lock thrashed all 27 of a tenth-wicket stand.

On a relentlessly grey, misty afternoon, there was still time for the Bears to go back in - and be all out - again. In murky light, with the ball moving all over the shop, they moved to 26 for two before Laker took out Spooner, Tom Dollery and Ray Hitchcock with a hat-trick.

Numbers four, five, six, seven and eight all bagged ducks as Laker took five for 29 and Bedser four for 16 (for 12 for 35 in the match).

Surrey won by an innings and 49 runs and took 12 points to Warwickshire's none. The Bears had a couple of unexpected days off in London and those spectators that bothered had an 'I was there' tale to tell.