Larwood, Harold

▪ 1996

      British cricketer (b. Nov. 14, 1904, Nuncargate, Nottinghamshire, England—d. July 22, 1995, Sydney, Australia), pummeled the Australian side with his fast, short-pitched bowling in the infamous "bodyline" tour of 1932-33. Larwood worked in the coal mines from age 14, but four years later he quit to join the ground staff at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. He made his debut for Nottinghamshire in 1925 and was selected to play for England against Australia in 1926. Although he was a physically small man, Larwood was a fearsome bowler, with tremendous speed and accuracy. He distinguished himself in Tests against Australia (1926, 1928, and 1930), West Indies (1928), South Africa (1929), and New Zealand (1931). On the 1932-33 tour to Australia, the England captain, Douglas Jardine, ordered Larwood and Bill Voce to use bodyline, or fast-leg theory, bowling and aim their deliveries directly at the Australian batsmen in an effort to intimidate their opponents. The tactic worked; England took the series 4-1, and Larwood took 33 wickets at an average of 19 runs apiece. The casualties, however, included Larwood, who splintered a bone in his foot during the final Test. The bodyline strategy was widely denounced as unsportsmanlike, and Larwood, who refused to apologize, never played for England again. He remained with Nottinghamshire until 1938, when he retired with a 14-year career total of 1,427 first-class wickets (average 17.51), including 78 wickets (average 28.53) in 21 Tests. He was also a useful middle-order batsman, with 7,290 first-class runs and three centuries. Larwood immigrated to Australia in 1950. He was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1993.

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