Dad made a cricket champ look a chump

MY LATE father joined the Royal Navy straight from university in his 20s. Forces life was relatively relaxed between the World Wars and, for the first two summers of my father’s time as a sub-lieutenant, he did little of note except play cricket for Navy teams. At one such event, the Navy team went to a Duke’s stately home to play local dignitaries and prominent sportsmen. The star player on the Duke’s team was England and Kent wicket-keeper/batsman Les Ames. The spectators were hoping to see a big score from a man even now acknowledged as possibly the best wicketkeeper/batsman of all time. My father opened the bowling for the Navy team. His first ball to Mr Ames was short pitched and reared up — hitting the great man in the midriff and bending him over. After Mr Ames regained his breath, my father’s second ball uprooted the middle stump and sent it cartwheeling across the ground. The crowd fell silent, realising they were not going to get their Ames big score — or any runs from him at all. My father’s abiding memory was the look of intense hatred he got from Mr Ames as he trudged off. In later years, Mr Ames took part in the infamous ‘Bodyline’ tour of Australia, and my father used to jokingly wonder whether the events I have related had any influence on the England tactics. David Cowlishaw,

Alton, Hants.