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10 For 10
10 for 10 - Hedley Verity and the story of Cricket's Greatest Bowling Feat
by Chris Waters

Published in the UK by:
John Wisden & Co.
An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLc
50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP, England
website: www.wisden.com, www.bloomsbury.com


Media contact: Mark Harrison
Email Id: harrisons@ndirect.co.uk

ISBN: 978 1 4729 0890 2
Pages: 224
Price: Sterling Pounds ten and Pence Ninety Nine only

The book reflects a varied and interesting life of Hedley Verity, one of Yorkshire's greatest ever cricketers, and it is well worth reading and will provide much to think and talk about.

Now, for the first time, the story of this amazing game has been told as Chris Waters narrates it in relation to Verity's career - a career that ended with the outbreak of a war in which Verity was killed at the age of 38.

In an outstanding cricketing career ranging from 1930 to 1939, the left-arm spin bowler, Verity had claimed 1956 wickets at 14.90 runs apiece in 378 matches. Renowned as a bowler having dismissed Don Bradman most times (eight) than anyone else in Test Cricket, he was chiefly responsible for England's only Ashes victory at Lord's in the 20th century when his tally of 15 wickets (7/61 and 8/43) enabled England in winning the 1934 Test - 14 of them claimed in a single day. England had won the Test in three days by an innings and 38 runs.

Chris Waters is the cricket correspondent of the Yorkshire Post. His first book, Fred Trueman: The Authorised Biography was the 2012 Wisden Book of the Year, the MCC/Cricket Society Book of the Year and the British Sports Book Awards Cricket Book of the Year.

In a beautifully written chapter, A Feat Without Equal, Chris Waters remarks: "There have been over 50,000 first-class games, and up to four times as many individual team innings, and yet Verity's record is far out in front. What happened at Headingley on 12 July 1932 was not so much phenomenal as preternatural, a performance that positively defied explanation. To paraphrase cricket historian David Frith's observation of Don Bradman, the 10 for 10 record is not one in a million, it is much rare than that."
In his first chapter, Chris says: Hedley Verity's 10 for 10, for Yorkshire vs Nottinghamshire at Leeds, has an air of amazement that glows to this day. "Had it been 10 for 12, 10 for 11 or 10 for 9, it wouldn't have had the same striking impact," said Douglas Verity, a suitably proud son. "There' something about it that sounds so special, it just has a wonderfully musical ring."

Verity's return, according to Chris - sealed with seven wickets in 15 balls, including the hat-trick - is the greatest recorded in first-class cricket. His full figures were 19.4 overs, 16 maidens, 10 runs, 10 wickets.

An outstanding publication, this is a fascinating book, having black and white photographs and pleasantly produced. It is also an excellent value for money - a good buy for anyone who has followed Hedley Verity's career and wants the details all in one publication.