Gubby Allen

Sir George Oswald Browning "Gubby" Allen, CBE (31 July 1902 – 29 November 1989) was a cricketer who played for Middlesex, Cambridge University, MCC and England. Australian-born, Allen was a fast bowler and hard-hitting lower-order batsman, who captained England in eleven Test matches. He later became an influential cricket administrator.

Career

Educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was awarded two blues, Allen played all of his cricket as an amateur. Between 1921 and 1950, he played for Middlesex and in 1930 was called to make his Test debut, in the second Test against Australia at Lord's. During the famous Bodyline series, Allen strongly disagreed with the controversial tactics of Douglas Jardine, the English captain, and refused to bowl leg theory; he still took 21 wickets in the series. The professionals on the tour, paid rather less money than the 'amateurs' received as 'expenses', did not have the luxury or the right to refuse.

Allen held the England Test record partnership for the 8th wicket, 246 against New Zealand in 1931, made with Leslie Ames,^[1] until this was broken by Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad who put on 332 against Pakistan in August 2010. He also took all ten wickets in an innings for only 40 runs playing for Middlesex against Lancashire in 1929 in front of a crowd of 20,000 at Lord's. He took the last four wickets in just five balls, having taken the field twenty minutes late due to working in the morning.^[2] Interestingly, reports suggest that, despite arriving twenty minutes late, he was put on to bowl 'immediately' - contravening the Laws of Cricket. He should not have been allowed to bowl until 20 minutes had elapsed. Indeed, had he been a professional, he would at the very least have been reprimanded, and possibly even sent home in disgrace. Due to his work commitments in the City, he made only 146 appearances for Middlesex in thirty years on the playing roster.^[1]

After Middlesex career

After retiring from the county game for Middlesex game in 1950, Allen remained an influential figure in cricket. He played until 1954 and scored an unbeaten first-class century (143*) against Cambridge University for the Free Foresters in 1953.^[3]

Allen chaired the selection panel for the England cricket team between 1955 and 1961. As a selector has been criticised for having been "...happiest in the company of clipped accents and a background that incorporated all the social graces".^[4]

Allen was knighted for 'services to cricket' in 1986. It completed a family hat-trick, as both his father Pelham Warner and grandfather had been similarly honoured.^[1] During his retirement he was regularly to be seen at Lord's Cricket Ground and around the Middlesex team. He gave fifty years service to the MCC, serving as President in 1963-4 and Treasurer for 12 years thereafter. MCC rented a house to him maintained by the groundstaff: a personal gate led from his garden into the ground, and he was granted his own key to the pavilion.^[1]

When close to death in 1989, he requested that he was taken home from hospital, so he could die within sight of the pavilion, and the stand at Lord's that bore his name.^[1]

References

External links

• Cricinfo page on Gubby Allen
• Cricket Archive
• Online collection of Gubby Allen - State Library of NSW