George Simpson-Hayward: The last great underarm bowler

George Simpson-Hayward achieved success through his unconventional methods.

George Simpson-Hayward, born June 7, 1875, was the last great underarm bowler. Abhishek Mukherjee looks at a Worcestershire freak who achieved success through unconventional methods. He also helped shape Clarrie Grimmett’s famous flipper, albeit unintentionally.

If some think it is unfair to refer to underarm lob bowlers as “lobsters”, George Hayward Thomas Simpson-Hayward certainly never expressed that idea. He was, after all, the last serious exponent of underarm off-break lobs, and had carried it off rather brilliantly in the 5 Tests he played. He was also, almost certainly, the finest underarm bowler since the Nottinghamshire legend William Clarke (he also played a season for each of Surrey and Sussex).

Though overarm bowling was not legalised until 1864, underarm lob bowling was a thing of the past by the turn of the century. The genre of bowling came with its limitations: one could not, after all, bowl very fast underarm. Leg-spin became fashionable as cricket evolved in the new century, more so following the invention of the googly.

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Simpson-Hayward was, thus, a novelty of the era. “It sounds absurd but he was picked for England after taking a stack of wickets for Worcestershire, and bamboozled the South Africans with his spinning moon balls,” wrote Simon Hughes in And God Created Cricket.

In his much-acclaimed Twirlymen, Amol Rajan wrote of Simpson-Hayward: “He had a handsome, rugged frame, albeit more slender than the other lobster decades earlier, William Clarke. Long after the legislation of overarm bowling, and at a time when some bowlers were beginning to generate considerable pace, Simpson-Hayward, as if deposited by a Tardis, looked completely incongruous among his peers.”

Of course, there were other “lobsters”. Surrey’s Digby Jephson often bowled underarm (and at a brisk pace), but to quote Rajan, Jephson “believed lobs should be used only ‘medicinally’ — that is, when other options have failed”. Jephson claimed 297 wickets from 205 matches at 25.10; his batting numbers (7,973 runs at 30.67) were at par, given the era.

Then there was the case of Sussex’s Walter Alexander Humphreys, who “rode a tricycle to keep fit for his bowling” (718 wickets at 21.52) and his son (48 wickets at 28.18), who went by the same three-word name. None of them played Tests, and Humphreys sr’s career had got over by the time Simpson-Hayward’s took off.

It was not merely lob-bowling. Harry Altham wrote: “If Simpson-Hayward is to be regarded as a lob bowler, he was also a unique specimen of his type…He bowled the high full pitch with effrontery and aplomb. It was the pace of his off-break which beat you, and in this I doubt whether any lob bowler could rival him.”

He used the fingers and thumb to great extent. Pelham Warner was in awe of Simpson-Hayward’s crafty variations as well: “He bowled several different off-breaks, one turning a lot, another six inches and the third an inch or two.” Harry Pearson added that Simpson-Hayward used his fourth finger to bowl the one that turned most.

He did have a leg-break (Wisden thought highly of it), but it was not a vicious one. Altham wrote that his leg-break “was conventionally bowled, turned much slower and was much less deadly.”

There was also the famous straight delivery that he disguised cleverly. When Simpson-Hayward bowled straight, his fingers did not click — but as Gilbert Jessop put it, he flicked the fingers of his left hand. It was a trick Clarrie Grimmett would mimic years later while mastering his flipper. More importantly, this nasty “straight ball” would become the main influence behind Grimmett’s flipper.

He did not use a slip. Pearson mentioned in The Trundlers that Simpson-Hayward typically bowled to a leg-slip, a short square-leg, a deep mid-wicket, and a deep square-leg as well as a cover, a mid-off, a long-off, and a mid-on. The idea was clear — he would bowl straight, vary his turn, cut down the drives, and play on the patience of the batsman. “Keep your head, keep your temper, try to defeat your man,” was Simpson-Hayward’s simple mantra.

Not everyone took Simpson-Hayward seriously. CB Fry, for example, tried to make fun of his lobs by “hitting it between his legs croquet-style” (one can almost imagine an AB de Villiers or an Eoin Morgan pulling off something similar in the 21st century).

Not that it mattered. Simpson-Hayward’s greatness showed in his numbers: from 200 First-Class matches he claimed 503 wickets at 21.39. His Test numbers — 23 wickets from 5 Tests at 18.26, all in one series — were even better. Competent with the bat down the order, he scored 5,556 runs at 18.58 with three hundreds. It is surprising that nobody followed Simpson-Hayward’s legacy.

How did he succeed? Pearson had a view: “Psychology certainly played a part. For batsmen, facing an under-armer was akin to a top-flight football team playing a village side in the FA Cup third round: they had everything to lose and nothing to gain. The fear of getting out to such stuff plainly paralysed some opponents and contributed to their downfall.”

Most importantly, he was the last exponent of one of the forgotten arts of cricket. If one discounts Mike Brearley, who tried to tempt Brian Davison with head-high lobs in 1980, and Trevor Chappell, who followed his captain and elder brother Greg’s instruction to roll the ball along the ground underarm, Simpson-Hayward was certainly the last exponent of underarm bowling at serious level.

Metamorphosis

George Hayward Thomas Simpson (for that was his name at birth; he changed his surname to Simpson-Hayward in 1898) was born in Stoneleigh, Kenilworth, Worcestershire. He went to Malvern College, for whom he became a regular fixture.

He made his First-Class debut as a seam bowler for Cambridge University against Gentlemen of England in 1895 without much success. Former Test cricket cricketer George Vernon became his first wicket. Ironically, Vernon was also an underarm bowler.

Vernon remained his only wicket from three Cambridge outings. Simpson-Hayward became a Cambridge Blue in both cricket and football, but did not seem destined for anything special. Then something fantastic happened.

On a perfectly ordinary day at a club, Simpson-Hayward was tossing a billiards ball in his hands (perhaps tweaking them in the process) when he realised he was actually giving it considerable rip. He thought of trying out the same in cricket occurred to him. That changed his life. He was not the most talented spinner, but was always one for hard work and perseverance — and intelligence. As Warner said, “a cleverer bowler of his kind never was.”

Pearson wrote: “In the privacy of his garden, against players from the local village side, Simpson-Hayward began to practise his new style. He started off bowling at the stumps from twelve yards before gradually retiring to the full twenty-two. In all it took him three years — and a lengthy conversation with Peter Humphreys — to get to the point where he felt ready to test himself in a competitive match.”

First sight

Simpson-Hayward toured South Africa with the Corinthians in 1897. The South Africans had never seen underarm bowling of such high quality. He had an excellent tour that reached its pinnacle when he routed the opposition on a Johannesburg matting wicket with 8 for 43.

He played his first match for Worcestershire in 1898, but not a lot of success came his way till 1902 (though he scored four fifties, including three in four innings, in 1901). Warwickshire were set 178, but they ran into the wiles of Simpson-Hayward, who claimed 5 for 38. Warwickshire lost by 35 runs.

The next time he bowled was in the first innings: from 71 for 2 Leicestershire collapsed to 92. Simpson-Hayward returned figures of 9-3-11-5. There was no stopping him after that: he finished the season with 47 wickets at 21.38 with five fifers. However, given the depth of England’s bowling attack in the first of the 20th century, there was no way a lob bowler was going to make a breakthrough.

A Grum story

Despite not making it to the highest level, Simpson-Hayward was good enough (and unusual enough) for tours. For example, he toured India with Oxford University Authentics in 1902-03 and West Indies Lord Brackley’s team in 1904-05. He also toured USA with Worcestershire and even Egypt in 1909.

The most significant of these tours was, of course, the New Zealand with MCC in 1906-07 — one that would change the course of the sport. It was during this tour that Grimmett, then a mere 15, had his first sight of Simpson-Hayward.

Grimmett later wrote: “He could spin a ball more than any bowler I had seen at the time. How could such vicious spin be applied underarm, I wondered. Surely some different principle of spinning must be involved. If I had asked Mr Hayward, perhaps I would have evolved my Mystery Ball sooner. But as it was, I went on experimenting that much more spin could be applied by holding the ball between the thumb and second finger.”

Grimmett, who bowled mostly with tennis balls at this phase of his life, later switched to overarm bowling, and became a champion at it. The “Mystery Ball” evolved into Grimmett’s famous flipper. Simpson-Hayward, meanwhile, had an excellent tour, capturing 35 wickets at 16.88.

Let us pause for a while here to observe how the legacy of spin has been passed down over generations. Simpson-Hayward first tried billiards balls. Grimmett started with tennis balls. Abdul Qadir practised his art with fruits. Shane Warne, perhaps the greatest of them all, used all three in his formative years.

Rise of the lobster

Nottinghamshire won their first County Championship in 1907. Worcestershire had their moment of glory as well: they were runners-up for the first time, albeit jointly with Yorkshire. Simpson-Hayward played a mere six matches, but finally found his mettle in the following season.

It started at New Road, where his sudden jolt of 5 for 43 triggered a collapse, and from 292 for 3 Surrey were bowled out for 334. Then came 5 for 48 and 2 for 22 against Somerset that resulted in an innings victory.

Coming out at 44 for 4 he slammed 105 in 80 minutes (Worcestershire were bowled out for 185) against Oxford University. The poor students were left clueless against his guile, and were bowled out for 85. Simpson-Hayward’s figures read 8-3-13-6.

A week later he wrecked Hampshire with 4 for 19 and 5 for 52. He eventually finished the season with 68 wickets at 18.61. Was he ready? The selectors did not think so. He was not picked for the 1909 Ashes.

It was a matter of time: Middlesex won by 7 wickets at New Road, but Simpson-Hayward claimed 5 for 24 and 3 for 25. The revenge came at Lord’s, no less, where he routed the hosts with 3 for 53 and 7 for 54, his only ten-wicket haul — after he scored 41. Worcestershire lost to the touring Australians by an innings, but our hero claimed 6 for 132 before top-scoring in the first innings with 51.

1909 yielded 57 wickets for Simpson-Hayward at 19.56 in addition to 542 runs at 21.68. The time was ripe. They selected him for the South Africa tour.

Test cricket

Back to matting wickets, Simpson-Hayward had an excellent tour (50 wickets at 17.18). Unfortunately for him, the Test series finished 3-2 in South Africa’s favour thanks to their googly quartet of Aubrey Faulkner (possibly the greatest all-rounder of his era), Reggie Schwarz, Bert Vogler, and Gordon White. It was England’s second consecutive series defeat in the country.

Simpson-Hayward started off well, opening bowling on a turner at Old Wanderers, claiming 4 for 83. The signs, however, were ominous: all four googly bowlers played, Faulkner claimed 9 wickets, Vogler 7, and England lost by 308 runs.

As expected, all four played in the first Test at the same ground. Simpson-Hayward came on first change. The hosts were cruising at 133 for 2 with Faulkner and Dave Nourse both well set. It was then that Simpson-Hayward played his tricks: his figures read 6 for 43 — the best figures by an Englishman in his debut innings till then. It remained the best till 1946, when Alec Bedser claimed 7 for 49.

South Africa were bowled out for 208. England were 275 for 9 when Strudwick joined Simpson-Hayward: the pair put on 35; Simpson-Hayward scored 29 not out, getting England a 35-run lead. Then Faulkner scored a hundred (Simpson-Hayward took 2 for 59), and England were left to score 244.

Vogler and Faulkner ran through. England still needed 66 when Simpson-Hayward joined Gary Thompson, and scored 14, helping put on a crucial 32. It was not enough: South Africa won by 19 runs. England were outdone by Faulkner, whose haul of 78, 5 for 120, 123, and 3 for 40 has not been bettered by many.

South Africa went 2-0 up at Lord’s, Durban. Both sides finished on 199 in the first innings, but this time White scored a hundred before Faulkner routed the tourists. The victory margin was 95 runs. Simpson-Hayward’s figures read 4 for 42 and 3 for 66.

England claimed a 15-run lead at Old Wanderers. This time Simpson-Hayward was not willing to let go the advantage. His 5 for 69 left England to score 221, and a though they were reduced to 42 for 4, and later 93 for 6, a youngster called Jack Hobbs saw them home with 93 not out.

South Africa won the fourth Test and England the fifth, both at Newlands. Despite claiming 21 wickets from the first three Tests, Simpson-Hayward got to bowl only 25.5 overs in the last four innings, taking two wickets.

Simpson-Hayward finished the series with 23 wickets at 18.26. Thomson had 23 wickets as well, but at 26.91. Faulkner’s series numbers may be worth a mention here: he scored 545 runs at 60.55 and took 29 wickets at 21.89.

Wisden spoke highly of him after the tour: “He seldom flighted the ball like the ordinary lob bowler and did not often use spin from leg. In fact he was quite unusual with the speed at which he could make the ball, delivered with low trajectory, break from the off.”

Fading out

“Simmers” had three good seasons on his return from South Africa, but never played another Test. He was named Worcestershire captain in 1911. When the South Africans toured England in 1912, they ran into Simpson-Hayward again: from 277 for 4 they were bowled out for 298, our hero claiming 5 for 19. Unfortunately, Worcestershire were bowled out for 50 and 206.

The three seasons amounted to 53 matches for him. He scored 1,364 runs at 18.94 and claimed 108 wickets at 21.69. Unfortunately, his career faded out after he played only ten matches across the next two seasons, bowling sparingly for seven wickets.

To his credit, he played an outrageous innings in 1913 against Leicestershire. Trailing by 74, Worcestershire were 70 for 4 when Simpson-Hayward walked out, and soon became 94 for 6. The seventh-wicket stand, with Frank Chester (yes, the legend) amounted to 51; Chester contributed four of these.

Simpson-Hayward threw his bat at everything and smashed 105 not out with 11 fours and 5 sixes. Worcestershire scored a mere 161 during his stay. It would remain the last great act of his career.

Then World War I arrived. By the time cricket resumed Simpson-Hayward was in his mid-40s, and did not play again. He passed away at Icomb Place, Gloucestershire on October 2, 1936. He was 61.

(Abhishek Mukherjee is the Chief Editor and Cricket Historian at CricketCountry. He blogs here and can be followed on Twitter here.)

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