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Gubby Allen
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===Middlesex=== In late 1923, having decided not to return to Cambridge, Allen took a job in [[City of London|the City]] (London's financial district) working for the [[Royal Exchange Assurance Corporation]] as an [[Underwriting|underwriter]].<ref name=S58/> Not particularly well-off financially,<ref name=S65>Swanton, p. 65.</ref> he had to work full-time and throughout his career could not afford to take too much time away from business.<ref>Marshall, p. 113.</ref> He played cricket as often as he could in the summer; when unable to play for Middlesex, he played weekend club cricket—including for the [[Marylebone Cricket Club]] (MCC)—and country house cricket.<ref name=S65/> Allen was free to play regularly for Middlesex in 1924.<ref name=S58/> The team was involved in a close race for the [[1924 County Championship|County Championship]] with [[Yorkshire County Cricket Club|Yorkshire]],<ref name=S58/> and Allen had several successful matches.<ref name=S63>Swanton, p. 63.</ref> He ended the season with 568 runs at 21.84 and 50 wickets at 17.48.<ref name=fcbatting/><ref name=fcbowling/> Playing less often in 1925, he scored 392 runs, took 39 wickets,<ref name=fcbatting/><ref name=fcbowling/> and scored his maiden first-class century in the Gentlemen v Players match at [[the Oval]].<ref>Swanton, pp. 68–69.</ref> He was also chosen for the first time to represent the Gentlemen against the Players at Lord's, where he scored 52, and his reputation grew steadily.<ref>Swanton, pp. 70–71.</ref> By the beginning of the [[1926 English cricket season|1926 season]], he and fellow fast bowler [[Harold Larwood]] were tipped in the press to be chosen for the [[England cricket team|England team]] against Australia that summer. Allen began well for Middlesex but was less successful in a trial match to help choose the England team. Larwood was chosen for the [[Australian cricket team in England in 1926|Test series]]; Allen was not.<ref>Swanton, pp. 72–73.</ref> In county cricket, Allen scored his first century for Middlesex,<ref>Swanton, p. 74.</ref> and began to open the bowling occasionally, having been the third or fourth bowler in previous seasons.<ref>Swanton, pp. 72, 74.</ref> Overall, he scored 771 runs, the highest seasonal aggregate of his career, at an average of 29.65 and took 44 wickets at 28.27.<ref name=fcbatting/><ref name=fcbowling/> During the northern winter of 1926–27, Allen toured Argentina to play first-class cricket with an MCC team.<ref>Swanton, pp. 75–77.</ref> When he returned to England, he played eight matches before the end of June,<ref name=figures/> including a game for the MCC against the [[New Zealand cricket team in England in 1927|touring New Zealand team]] in which he scored a century and took ten wickets.<ref name=S77>Swanton, p. 77.</ref> In total, he scored 482 runs at an average of 43.81 and took 19 wickets;<ref name=fcbatting/><ref name=fcbowling/> this was his last regular cricket until 1929.<ref name="Swanton, pp. 77–78">Swanton, pp. 77–78.</ref> He declined an invitation to tour South Africa with an MCC team,<ref>Swanton, p. 95.</ref> and work limited him to two first-class games for Middlesex in 1928.<ref name=figures/><ref name="Swanton, p. 79">Swanton, p. 79.</ref> Through [[Vivian Smith, 1st Baron Bicester|Vivian Hugh Smith]], the father of some old school-mates, Allen had the opportunity to work in France. He moved to [[Lyon]]s for 18 months to work for a silk company.<ref name="Swanton, pp. 77–78"/> During his time there, Allen became aware that the firm's finances were unsound; he warned Hugh Smith, who after some enquiries, withdrew from the business, along with his fellow investor [[Richmond baronets|Sir Frederick Richmond]]. The latter subsequently offered Allen work at [[Debenhams]], of which he was chairman.<ref>Swanton, pp. 78–79.</ref> Allen worked at Debenhams until 1933, initially as first assistant to the Works Department manager, then as the assistant to the assistant general manager.<ref>Swanton, p. 142.</ref> While at Debenhams, Allen was allowed leave to play cricket.<ref name="Swanton, p. 79"/> During his first appearance of the 1929 season he performed well but suffered a strain in his next game, which reinforced an impression in the press—articulated by Pelham Warner among others—that he was injury-prone and inclined to hypochondria.<ref>Swanton, pp. 80–81.</ref> His next appearance came a fortnight later, at Lord's against [[Lancashire County Cricket Club|Lancashire]];<ref name=figures/> that team had won the County Championship every year since 1926.<ref name=S81>Swanton, p. 81.</ref> Owing to work commitments, Allen arrived by prior agreement around 20 minutes after play started.<ref name=Williamson>{{cite web|last=Williamson|first=Martin|title=The shop assistant who took all ten| url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/375242.html| publisher=ESPNCricinfo|access-date=31 March 2013| date=25 October 2008}}</ref> He took the first three wickets, but Lancashire were batting comfortably at 215 for three wickets.<ref name=Williamson/> Around the tea interval, Allen took the last seven wickets in 69 [[Delivery (cricket)|deliveries]] while conceding 13 runs from his bowling, including the last four wickets in five balls.<ref name=Williamson/><ref name=S82>Swanton, p. 82.</ref> In total, he took all ten wickets at a cost of 40 runs, to become only the second man to take all ten wickets in a first-class match at Lord's since 1874, and the last to date.<ref name=S82/><ref>{{cite web|title=Ten Wickets in an innings in First-Class matches|url=http://www.wisdenrecords.com/Records/First_Class/Overall/Bowling/Best_Bowling_in_an_Innings.html|publisher=Wisden|access-date=31 March 2013}}</ref> He was praised in the press, although the ''[[The Guardian|Manchester Guardian]]'' correspondent suggested that a weak batting performance helped him, and ''Wisden'' merely described this as one of several good performances in the game.<ref name=Williamson/> Despite his success, the England selectors preferred Larwood in the Test team against South Africa; even when Larwood was injured, Allen was passed over.<ref>Swanton, pp. 82–85.</ref> Swanton suggests that Allen's bowling was inconsistent throughout the season;<ref>Swanton, p. 84.</ref> he finished with 31 wickets at 25.87 and scored 544 at 45.33.<ref name=fcbatting/><ref name=fcbowling/>
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