Bill Voce

Bill Voce

Voce in 1932
Personal information
Full name	William Voce
Born	(1909-08-08)8 August 1909 Annesley Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire, England
Died	6 June 1984(1984-06-06) (aged 74) Lenton, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Left arm fast-medium
International information
National side	England
Test debut (cap 253)	11 January 1930 v West Indies
Last Test	7 January 1947 v Australia
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1927–1952	Nottinghamshire
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class Matches 27 426 Runs scored 308 7,590 Batting average 13.39 19.21 100s/50s 0/1 4/26 Top score 66 129 Balls bowled 6,360 85,428 Wickets 98 1,558 Bowling average 27.88 23.08 5 wickets in innings 3 84 10 wickets in match 2 20 Best bowling 7/70 8/30 Catches/stumpings 15/– 288/–
Source: Cricinfo, 6 March 2009

Bill Voce (8 August 1909 – 6 June 1984)^[1] was an English cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire and England. As a fast bowler, he was an instrumental part of England's infamous Bodyline strategy in their tour of Australia in 1932–1933 under Douglas Jardine. He was born at Annesley Woodhouse, near Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. He died at Lenton, Nottingham.

Voce came from a working-class background in the coal mining districts around Nottingham. In the late 1920s he was living in Hucknall, a colliery town. He walked from Hucknall to Trent Bridge in the hope of a trial and his natural talent was quickly recognised. In Voce's Daily Telegraph obituary, the writer E. W. Swanton recalled his "long, loose arm and natural flowing action". Bowling over the wicket, Voce could perform both the inswinger and the outswinger. Depending on the pitch conditions, he could switch from pace to slow-medium spin.^[2]

Voce made his

Over the next two years, Voce and Larwood practised this modified form of leg theory for Nottinghamshire, causing severe problems for opposing batsmen. Although Voce was somewhat slower than Larwood, his line, from left-arm over the wicket, and the steeper bounce that he obtained from his height, made him formidable enough and the batsmen got no relief when facing him.^[1] Voce took 123 wickets for 19.29 each in 1931, and with 136 for 16.87 each in 1932, he was chosen as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 1933. His bowling was so good that he regained his Test place and, with Larwood, was named for the 1932–1933 English tour of Australia, to be captained by Jardine. The bowlers implemented Jardine's tactic, bowling fast and short at the Australian batsmen, with Voce inflicting several bruising injuries.^[1] The Australian media dubbed the tactic 'Bodyline'. This resulted in severe ill-feeling between the cricket teams, and the countries.

Following the Bodyline series, Voce declined severely as a bowler, but advanced as a hard-hitting batsman, to such an extent that he scored 1,020 runs for an average of over 35 in 1933 – though from Nottinghamshire's perspective, this advance was nothing in comparison to the loss of 140 wickets from Larwood, and a cut of half in Voce's tally. Voce was to remain a dangerous hitter for the rest of his career, and still holds the record for having played in the greatest number – five – of tenth wicket century stands in first-class cricket.

The political fallout resulting from Bodyline ensured that Voce, despite taking eight wickets against the Australians in 1934, was not chosen for any of the Tests, and before the 1935 season started, Voce asked Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) not to choose him. However, in county cricket, Voce was as good a bowler as ever, and may have taken over 150 wickets in both 1935 and 1936, but for faulty catching in the slips. He declared himself available again during the latter year, and became party to the 1936/1937 tour under Gubby Allen. Bowling this time to an off-side field, Voce, after a disappointing beginning, bowled superbly in the first Test at the Gabba with six for 41 on a perfect pitch, and crushed Australia with four for sixteen, after rain, on the fifth day. England won by 322 runs, and Voce again utilised a rain-affected pitch in the second Test with match figures of seven for 76, including three wickets in four balls. After taking seventeen wickets in the inaugural two Tests,^[1] Voce did not keep up his form in the last three due to a back problem. He still finished with 26 wickets to be the leading bowler for the series.^[1]

1937, however, was wiped out by a serious injury mid-season, and, even when fit again in the following two years, Voce was troubled by illness and had lost the venom of earlier in the decade. He failed to reach 100 wickets in either season, and joined the armed forces during World War II.

In 1946, at the age of thirty-seven, Voce played little cricket, but one excellent performance in a Test trial led him to be picked for his third tour of Australia for the

Voce played in twenty seven Tests, scoring 308 runs at an average of 13.39, and taking 98 wickets at an average of 27.88. Even though he toured Australia three times, he never played for England against Australia in England. Right up to his death in 1984 at the age of 74, Voce was reluctant to discuss the Bodyline series, though it is known that he privately considered Bodyline to be wrong. ^[citation needed]

• Smith, Martin (editor). The Promise of Endless Summer (Cricket Lives from the Daily Telegraph). Aurum (2013).

• Media related to Bill Voce at Wikimedia Commons
• Bill Voce at ESPNcricinfo