OTD: England spinner Tony Lock was born in 1929

England’s spinner Tony Lock was born in Limpsfield, Surrey, on July 5, 1929. The left-arm spinner built a career that was a mix of success and controversy. 

Lock made his first-class debut for Surrey in 1946 at the age of just 17. Recommended to the county by H.D.G. Leveson Gower, he made an early impact and quickly became a regular. He formed a famous spin partnership with Jim Laker, especially during the 1956 Ashes, when Laker took 19 wickets in a single match.

Despite his achievements, Lock’s bowling action, especially his quicker delivery, was often questioned. He was no-balled for throwing more than once and had to remodel his action several times. However, he went on to take 174 wickets in 49 Test matches at an average of 25.58. 

In county cricket, he played over 650 matches and took 2,844 first-class wickets, the ninth-most in history. He was a part of Surrey’s side that won seven straight County Championships from 1952 to 1958. 

Later, he played for Leicestershire and Western Australia, even leading both sides. Under his captaincy, Leicestershire achieved their highest County Championship finish at that time in 1967.

Lock was also a brilliant fielder and took 831 catches in first-class cricket. He holds the record for most runs in first-class cricket without a century, scoring over 10,000 runs with a top score of 89, which came in his final Test match in 1968 against the West Indies.

He also moved to Western Australia, where he enjoyed success both as a player and captain. He later became a coach in Perth and worked at Mill Hill School in London. Unfortunately, his later life was troubled by legal issues, though he was cleared of all charges. The spinner died of cancer in March 1995 at the age of 65.

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