Tich Freeman
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Alfred Percy "Tich" Freeman (17 May 1888 – 28 January 1965) was an English first-class cricketer. A leg spin bowler for Kent County Cricket Club and England, he is the only man to take 300 wickets in an English season,[1] and is the second most prolific wicket-taker in first-class cricket history.[2][3][4][5]
Key Information
Career
[edit]Freeman's common name comes from his short stature, standing at 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m) tall. However, his stocky build and strong fingers gave him great bowling stamina, and he hated being taken off. His height gave his deliveries a low trajectory that was difficult for batsmen to reach on the full toss. This meant batsmen who did not play with a straight bat, or who lacked good footwork, rarely lasted long against him. Freeman relied chiefly on a leg-break that pitched on middle-and-leg, so that batsmen had to play at it, and a top-spinner that was notoriously difficult to detect and brought him hundreds of wickets; the googly he used sparingly. His bowling grip was somewhat unorthodox for a leg spinner: being such a small man with small hands, he gripped the ball between thumb, middle and index fingers[citation needed] rather than the orthodox leg break grip between the palm, index finger and ring finger.
Freeman, two of whose brothers played for Essex, played club cricket during the early 1910s and was engaged by Kent in 1914. After success with the Second Eleven, he was regularly selected for the first team later in the season, but World War I then halted county cricket until 1919. Figures of 7 for 25 against Warwickshire had shown Freeman's promise, and when cricket resumed in 1919 he developed rapidly. He took 60 wickets in a short season in 1919, 102 in 1920, 166 in 1921 and 194 in 1922. He was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1923 and took 17 for 67 on a rain-affected pitch against Sussex in 1922.[6]
In 1924, Freeman's bowling for the Players (6 for 52 in the first innings) against the Gentlemen earned him a place in the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) tour to Australia. However, owing to the rock-hard pitches and the superb footwork of Australia's batsmen, Freeman proved expensive in the two Tests in which he was selected. Freeman continued to dominate Kent's bowling in the following three years, but was only modestly successful against South Africa in 1927–1928.[7]
1928 was Freeman's most successful year: he set his record of 304 first-class wickets, including 22 wickets in three Tests against the West Indies (and also took 9 for 104 against them for Kent). In 1929 Freeman took 22 wickets in two Tests against South Africa, but their batsmen's mastery over him in the Fifth Test, when he did not take a wicket in 49 overs and conceded 169 runs, meant that this Test was his last. Yet, between 1930 and 1933 Kent so depended upon Freeman's bowling that he took 951 County Championship wickets–over 55 percent of Kent's total–for only 15.21 runs each. Among his best performances in these years were:
- 17 for 92 against Warwickshire at Folkestone in 1932[8]
- 16 for 82 against Northamptonshire at Tunbridge Wells in 1932[9]
- 16 for 94 (10 for 53 in first innings) against Essex at Southend in 1930[10]
- 15 for 94 against Somerset at Canterbury in 1931[11]
- 15 for 122 against Middlesex at Lord's in 1933[12]
- 15 for 142 against Essex at Gravesend in 1931[13]
- 15 for 144 against Leicestershire at Maidstone in 1931[14]
- 10 for 79 in an innings against Lancashire at Manchester in 1931[15]
- 9 for 50 against Derbyshire at Ilkeston in 1930 (match figures of 12 for 210)[16]
Freeman even did well against the 1930 Australians, taking 5 for 78, but he was never selected for a home Ashes Test. He averaged as little as 11 runs per wicket against Leicestershire, but more than 26 against the strong Surrey batting line-ups.
In 1934 and 1935, although he was still the leading wicket-taker in England, Freeman fell away gradually. His average rose from around 15 to over 21 runs per wicket, and he was rarely as successful as before when the ground helped him or against weak batting; however, his work rate still earned him many wickets. In early 1936, Freeman was again strong, and he took 70 wickets in the first fourteen matches. But his performance deteriorated thereafter, with only 33 wickets in the next fourteen games, so that Kent did not engage him for 1937. Freeman played for Walsall in the Birmingham And District League for a few years after that. He was granted life membership of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1949. After retirement Freeman opened a chain of sports retail shops in partnership with his old Kent teammate Jack Hubble. He christened his retirement cottage "Dunbowlin'".[1]
Records
[edit]The many bowling records he holds include:
- Taking 1673 wickets in six consecutive seasons from 1928 to 1933–in each of these seasons he took over 250 wickets, something no other bowler has done even once since 1901.[17]
- Ten wickets in an innings on three occasions (1929, 1930 and 1931).[18][19][20]
- Seventeen wickets in a match twice, in 1922.[21] and 1932[22]
- The three highest totals of balls bowled in a season in 1928, 1930 and 1933.
- Ten or more wickets in a match on 140 occasions, more than 50% ahead of his nearest rival Charlie Parker.
- 48.6% of his 3776 first-class wickets were taken without assistance (either bowled, caught and bowled, leg before wicket, or hit wicket).
- Second only to Wilfred Rhodes in his aggregate of first-class wickets, Freeman accumulated his in little more than half as many matches (Freeman took 3,776 wickets in 592 matches, Rhodes 4,204 in 1,110).[2] He is just second to Wilfred Rhodes for taking the most wickets in all forms of cricket (List A, first-class, T20).
- He holds the record for taking the most five wicket hauls in first-class cricket. Freeman's total of 386 is 99 ahead of Rhodes' tally and far exceeds cross-format aggregates from the limited-overs era.[23]
Notes
[edit]- ^ The name Tich derives from a common term which refers to a short person.
References
[edit]- ^ a b Frindall, Bill (2009). Ask Bearders. BBC Books. pp. 155–156. ISBN 978-1-84607-880-4.
- ^ a b "Records / Combined First-class, List A and Twenty20 / Bowling records / Most wickets in career". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
- ^ Mukherjee A (2013) ‘Tich’ Freeman: Colossus who ruled the County Championship for Kent, Cricket Country, 17 May 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- ^ Pathé, British. "Camera Interviews – Tich Freeman". www.britishpathe.com. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- ^ "Magical Man". ESPNcricinfo.
- ^ "AP Freeman". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- ^ "Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- ^ County Championship 1932 season – Kent vs. Warwickshire – 29–30 June 1932. CricketArchive (subscription required). Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ County Championship 1932 season – Kent vs. Northamptonshire – 6–8 July 1932. CricketArchive (subscription required). Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ County Championship 1930 season – Essex vs. Kent – 13–15 August 1930. CricketArchive (subscription required). Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ County Championship 1931 season – Kent v. Somerset – 1–3 August 1931. CricketArchive (subscription required). Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ County Championship 1933 season – Middlesex v. Kent – 30–31 August 1933. CricketArchive (subscription required). Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ County Championship 1931 season – Kent v. Essex – 2–5 May 1931. CricketArchive (subscription required). Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ County Championship 1931 season – Kent v. Leicestershire – 22–24 July 1931. CricketArchive (subscription required). Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ County Championship 1931 season – Kent v. Lancashire – 27–29 May 1931. CricketArchive (subscription required). Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ County Championship 1930 season – Derbyshire v. Kent – 28–30 May 1930. CricketArchive (subscription required). Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ First-class Bowling in Each Season – bowling by season. CricketArchive (subscription required). Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ County Championship 1929 season – Kent v. Lancashire – 24–26 July 1929. CricketArchive (subscription required). Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ County Championship 1930 season – Essex v. Kent – 13–15 August 1930
- ^ County Championship 1931 season – Lancashire v. Kent – 27–29 May 1931. CricketArchive (subscription required). Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ County Championship 1922 season – Sussex v. Kent – 30 August-1 September 1922. CricketArchive (subscription required). Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ County Championship 1932 season – Kent v. Warwickshire – 29–30 June 1932. CricketArchive (subscription required). Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ "Records | Combined First-class, List A and Twenty20 | Bowling records | Most five-wickets-in-an-innings in a career | ESPNcricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
External links
[edit]Tich Freeman
View on GrokipediaEarly life
Birth and family background
Alfred Percy Freeman was born on 17 May 1888 in Ladywell, Lewisham, in the county of Kent (now part of London).[3] He was the youngest son of Abraham George Freeman, a working-class labourer, and his wife Louisa Maria (née Archer).[5] The family resided in modest circumstances near Ladywell Station, reflecting the industrial and densely populated environment of late Victorian south-east London.[6] Freeman grew up in a household with several siblings, including his brother John Robert Freeman, who later became a first-class cricketer for Essex.[7] From a young age, his diminutive stature was notable; he stood at just 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m) as an adult, a physical trait that persisted from youth and contributed to his lifelong nickname "Tich," derived from the popular music hall comedian Little Tich, known for his small size and exaggerated performances.[8] Freeman's early life was shaped by the socio-economic realities of working-class London, where formal education was often brief to allow young people to enter the workforce. He left school at an early age to take up employment in local factories and trades, common for children in his circumstances during the era.[2]Introduction to cricket
Alfred Percy Freeman, known as "Tich" owing to his short stature of five feet two inches, was introduced to cricket through local clubs in the Lewisham area during the early 1900s, where he initially played as a batsman.[3][9] His early involvement included matches for clubs such as Catford Wanderers and Upper Tooting, the latter from 1909 to 1911, reflecting his developing interest in the sport amid a cricketing family background—two brothers also played club-level cricket.[9][2] Around 1910 to 1913, Freeman shifted focus toward bowling while playing for Essex Club and Ground teams in non-first-class fixtures, where he began experimenting with leg-spin after initially bowling fast-medium.[9] In these games, he captured modest hauls of wickets, including 22 at an average of 7.7 during 1912 Minor Counties matches, demonstrating emerging potential in spin despite his late start in the discipline at age 22.[9] He also appeared for Tonbridge in 1912, further honing his skills in club environments.[10] Freeman's association with Essex clubs did not lead to county qualification, as residency rules rendered him ineligible for their first-class side—he was born in what was then Kent county territory—prompting Essex to decline retaining him.[9][11] This opened opportunities elsewhere, with Kent scouts, including through their Second XI nursery under William McCanlis, noting his unorthodox leg-spin promise during trial performances.[9] At age 26, he secured his first professional contract with Kent in 1914, marking the transition from amateur club play to county-level prospects.[12][9]Domestic career
Early years with Kent
Freeman joined the Kent County Cricket Club staff in 1912 after a period of club cricket in Essex, where two of his brothers also played, but it was not until 1914, at the age of 26, that he secured a professional contract with the county.[9] His first-class debut occurred on 25–27 May 1914 against Oxford University at The University Parks, Oxford, in a drawn match where he claimed three wickets across both innings.[13] In his debut season, Freeman made only limited appearances for Kent, playing in seven first-class matches amid stiff competition from established bowlers such as the left-arm spinner Colin Blythe, and his inexperience restricted him to modest returns with no marked success.[2] The outbreak of World War I in August 1914 abruptly curtailed the county season after just a few weeks, and Freeman's early professional career was interrupted as he enlisted in the Army in 1915, later serving with the Royal Flying Corps in non-combat roles while occasionally participating in wartime cricket matches organized for morale and fitness.[9][14] Freeman resumed county cricket with Kent following the war, making his return in the 1919 season and demonstrating gradual improvement by capturing 55 wickets at an average of 19.48, as he began adapting his leg-spin bowling technique to the challenges of uncovered pitches that often provided turn but variable bounce.[3] This period marked the foundational phase of his development, laying the groundwork for his later dominance in the county game despite the disruptions of the preceding years.[12]Interwar success
Freeman's breakthrough came in 1922 during a County Championship match against Sussex at Hove, where he claimed 17 wickets for 67 runs on a rain-affected pitch, including 9 for 11 in the first innings and 8 for 56 in the second, helping Kent secure an innings victory.[15] This extraordinary performance on a difficult surface marked his emergence as a key figure in Kent's bowling attack and earned him recognition as one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year in 1923.[2] From 1924 to 1933, Freeman delivered consistent excellence, frequently leading Kent's bowling alongside all-rounder Frank Woolley and opening batsman Wally Hardinge, whose medium-pace support complemented his leg-spin.[16] His contributions were pivotal in Kent's strong challenges for the County Championship title during the late 1920s, including runner-up finishes in 1927 and 1928, as the team relied on his ability to exploit turning pitches.[3] The period highlighted his peak dominance, with Freeman taking over 250 wickets in each of six consecutive seasons from 1928 to 1933, amassing a total of 1,673 first-class wickets at an average of 16.74.[17][15] His 1928 season stood out as the pinnacle, capturing a record 304 first-class wickets—the only instance of 300 or more in an English season—while maintaining control across varied conditions.[2][3] In 1933, at age 45, he nearly matched this feat with 298 wickets, underscoring his enduring prowess. A notable example of his command on responsive pitches occurred in 1930 against Essex at Southend, where he took 10 wickets for 53 runs in the first innings, dismantling the batting lineup with precise leg-breaks and googlies.[18][12]Decline and retirement
Freeman's performance began to wane from 1934 onwards, as he approached the age of 46, with his wicket tally dropping to 205 at an average of 19.02 that season, compared to his peak hauls exceeding 250 in several prior years.[3] In 1935, aged 47, he captured 212 wickets at 17.94, reflecting a gradual reduction in effectiveness amid increasingly batsman-friendly conditions on county pitches, which were becoming harder and less responsive to spin due to improved preparation and partial covering.[3] The emergence of faster bowlers, including his Kent teammate Doug Wright, whose quicker leg-spin offered greater variation, further limited opportunities for Freeman's more orthodox style.[3] His final season in 1936, at age 48, saw Freeman take 110 wickets at 25.41, including three instances of 10 wickets in a match, but his form dipped markedly after a strong start, prompting Kent to release him at season's end.[19] Freeman's last first-class appearance came on 26–28 August 1936 against Lancashire at Dover, where he claimed 4 wickets in Kent's innings-and-106-run victory.[1] Over 23 seasons with Kent from 1914 to 1936, he amassed 3,776 wickets, establishing himself as a club legend despite the physical demands of his relentless bowling.[12] Freeman's retirement was driven by the cumulative toll of age and injury on his body, coupled with Kent's shift toward a younger bowling attack led by Wright.[3] Following his county departure, he transitioned to minor cricket, serving as professional and coach for Walsall in the Birmingham and District League during 1937–38.[20]International career
Test selection and debut
Freeman first attracted international attention in the early 1920s through his consistent wicket-taking for Kent in county cricket, including a tour to Australia and New Zealand with A. C. MacLaren's MCC team in 1922–23, where he gained valuable experience on overseas pitches.[12] His strong domestic form between 1922 and 1924 culminated in selection for the MCC's Ashes tour of Australia in 1924–25, announced at the age of 36, as one of the few specialist spinners in an England attack primarily reliant on fast bowlers like Maurice Tate and Harold Larwood.[21] Despite initial doubts about his effectiveness abroad given his diminutive stature of just 5 feet 2 inches—the shortest player ever to appear in an Ashes match—Freeman was chosen to provide leg-spin variety against Australia's batsmen, who were well-versed in facing pace.[22][23] Freeman made his Test debut on 19 December 1924 at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the first match of the series, opening the bowling in Australia's first innings and claiming 2 wickets for 124 runs off 49 overs.[24] In the second innings, he took 3 for 98 off 33.7 overs, finishing with match figures of 5 for 222 as Australia secured a 193-run victory.[24] He next featured in the third Test at Adelaide, capturing 1 for 135 in the first innings and 2 for 51 in the second, contributing to another Australian win by 11 runs.[25] Overall, Freeman played in two Tests on the tour, securing 8 wickets at an average of 51.00, a modest return hampered by the hard, true Australian pitches that favored batting and limited turn for spinners.[15] Prior to his Test appearances, Freeman adapted to overseas conditions in non-Test tour matches, notably taking 6 for 160 against an Australian XI in Melbourne during late December 1924, which helped build his confidence despite the challenges of unfamiliar surfaces.[26] These games allowed him to refine his approach against Australian batsmen, though his international debut phase underscored the difficulties leg-spinners faced in such conditions compared to his dominance on English turners.[12]Key international performances
Freeman's most prominent international contributions came during the 1928 Test series against the touring West Indies, marking their debut in the format. In three home matches, he claimed 22 wickets at an average of 13.72, playing a pivotal role in England's 3-0 series victory. His leg-spin exploited the conditions effectively, dismantling the inexperienced batting line-up on seaming pitches.[27] A standout performance occurred in the second Test at Old Trafford, Manchester, where Freeman recorded match figures of 10/93, including 5/54 in the first innings and 5/39 in the second, as West Indies collapsed to an innings defeat. This haul underscored his ability to maintain pressure through flighted deliveries and sharp turn, restricting the opposition to 115 in their second dig. In the series opener at Lord's, he took 5 wickets overall (2/40 and 3/66) to seal another innings win for England. The third Test at The Oval saw him add 6 more wickets (2/85 and 4/47), contributing to a clean sweep despite the match being dominated by England's batting.[15][4] In the 1927–28 series in South Africa, Freeman played four Tests, taking 12 wickets at an average of 30.08.[3] Freeman's Test career remained limited to just 12 appearances, spanning from his 1924–25 debut in Australia to his final match on 17 August 1929 against South Africa at The Oval. Across these games, he secured 66 wickets at an average of 25.86, with his last series yielding another 22 dismissals in five Tests against the same opponents. However, inconsistent selection hampered his opportunities, as selectors often preferred the pace of Harold Larwood and Maurice Tate, particularly for overseas tours where Freeman's effectiveness waned on unresponsive pitches. His strengths lay in home conditions, where he thrived on helpful surfaces, but abroad he struggled with harder tracks that neutralized his spin.[3][2] One of his finest individual efforts came in the 1929 series against South Africa, during the fourth Test at Old Trafford on 27 July, where he achieved his career-best innings figures of 7/71, complemented by 5/100 in the second innings for match totals of 12/171. This performance highlighted his persistence and variation, troubling a resilient South African side on a wearing pitch. Despite such displays, Freeman's international exposure ended abruptly after the series, as shifting priorities toward faster bowling curtailed further caps.[28]Playing style
Bowling technique
Alfred Percy Freeman, known as Tich Freeman, was a right-arm leg-spin bowler whose primary deliveries were the leg-break and top-spinner, which he delivered with remarkable control and variation in flight.[12] His leg-breaks turned sharply from the leg side, while the top-spinner provided a straighter, skidding path off the pitch, often deceiving batsmen into tentative prods.[2] Due to his diminutive stature of 5 feet 2 inches, Freeman employed a low, round-arm action that imparted a flat trajectory, making the ball skid through rather than loop high, which enhanced its effectiveness on responsive surfaces.[29] Freeman's unorthodox grip, adapted for his small hands, involved pinching the ball between his thumb, forefinger, and middle finger rather than the conventional spread, allowing him to generate vigorous spin despite physical limitations.[29] He bowled the googly skilfully disguised among his leg-breaks and top-spinners, maintaining deception through subtle changes in flight and pace, which kept batsmen guessing without over-relying on outright variations.[12] This approach emphasized consistency, with his well-nigh perfect length forcing errors; he flighted the ball cunningly to draw false shots, often resulting in catches in the slips or leg-trap positions.[12] Freeman particularly excelled on dry, turning pitches where his spin could grip and deviate, as evidenced by his record-breaking 304 wickets in the dry summer of 1928.[12] His bowling evolved significantly from pre-war inconsistency—limited to just 29 wickets in his debut 1914 season—to post-war mastery, where he became a dominant force through refined control and stamina.[2] This improvement was aided by guidance from Kent captains, enhancing his accuracy and tactical acumen on wearing tracks.[30]Batting and fielding
Freeman was a right-handed tail-ender whose batting contributions were secondary to his bowling prowess. In first-class cricket, he amassed 4,961 runs across 716 innings at an average of 9.50, achieving a highest score of 66 and four half-centuries, often providing stubborn resistance in the lower order during challenging situations.[1] In Test matches, Freeman's batting record was slightly more productive, with 154 runs scored in 16 innings at an average of 14.00, highlighted by his sole fifty—a defiant 50* against Australia in the first Test of the 1924–25 Ashes series at Sydney, where he helped stabilize England's innings.[3][24] As a fielder, Freeman was reliable and agile, particularly in close positions, taking 238 catches in first-class cricket and 4 in Tests over his career, which helped support his primary role as a specialist bowler.[1] His lower-order specialization meant he rarely batted higher than number 10, focusing instead on defensive cameos to protect more accomplished batsmen.Records and statistics
Domestic achievements
Over his 23-year first-class career, primarily with Kent, Tich Freeman amassed 3,776 wickets in 592 matches at an average of 18.42, placing him second on the all-time list behind only Wilfred Rhodes.[3] He achieved this remarkable tally with 386 five-wicket hauls—a first-class record—and 140 instances of taking ten or more wickets in a match, underscoring his dominance in county cricket.[12] These figures highlight Freeman's consistency as a leg-spinner, often exploiting helpful pitches to dismantle batting line-ups. Freeman's seasonal peaks were extraordinary, including a record 304 wickets in 1928 at an average of 18.05, the only instance of a bowler surpassing 300 in an English season.[4] He exceeded 200 wickets in eight consecutive seasons from 1928 to 1935, amassing 1,673 wickets across the six-year span from 1928 to 1933 alone.[31] For Kent, where he played the bulk of his matches, Freeman captured 3,340 wickets, a club record that propelled the county to strong showings, including multiple top-four finishes in the County Championship during the 1920s.[12] His contributions earned Freeman recognition as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1923, honoring his breakout 1922 season of 194 wickets at 14.63.[2] While his international exploits were more modest by comparison, Freeman's domestic prowess established him as a cornerstone of Kent's interwar bowling attack.[3]International records
Freeman played 12 Test matches for England between 1924 and 1929, capturing 66 wickets at an average of 25.86.[3] His best bowling figures were 7/71 against South Africa in 1929, and he achieved five five-wicket hauls along with three ten-wicket matches in a Test.[32] Notably, he took no more than four wickets in any single innings against the West Indies in 1928, but his overall performance in that series stood out as a highlight.[33] In home conditions, Freeman excelled more than abroad, securing 32 wickets across five Tests at an average of 20.00.[3] Away from home, he claimed 34 wickets in seven Tests at 30.00, reflecting challenges posed by unfamiliar pitches and stronger opposition batting line-ups.[12] His economy rate varied but never exceeded three runs per over in Tests, underscoring his control despite the leg-spin demands.[28] Freeman holds the distinction of taking the most wickets by an England leg-spinner during the interwar period, with his 22 wickets against the West Indies in 1928 topping the series averages at 13.72.[33] This output, while impressive, represented an underperformance compared to his domestic first-class average of around 18.42, attributable to inconsistent Test selection and varying overseas conditions that less favored his googly-assisted leg-breaks.[3]| Category | Matches | Wickets | Average | Best Innings | Five-Wicket Hauls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Tests | 12 | 66 | 25.86 | 7/71 | 5 |
| Home Tests | 5 | 32 | 20.00 | 7/71 | 3 |
| Away Tests | 7 | 34 | 30.00 | 5/63 | 2 |
