The tall, sturdy medium-pacer with vicious break-backs forgot himself during his benefit match in 1907. That day, playing for Middlesex against Somerset at Lord’s, he captured four wickets in four balls and followed it up with a hat-trick. He thus ended the match ridiculously early — a rather inadvisable thing to do given that it was an age when spectators were prone to come in huge numbers in order to raise good money for the beneficiary. Oblivious about his financial loss, Albert Trott went down as the first bowler in the history of First-Class cricket to claim two hat-tricks in one innings. His famous quote after the match was: “I’ve bowled myself into a workhouse!”
Australia ignored the extremely talented all-rounder after a superb first series, and did not pick him for the tour of England that followed. Trott made his way to Ole Blighty and started playing for Middlesex, eventually becoming a legend of the county. He represented England as well, in Tests against South Africa.
When the Australians of 1899 played at Lord's, Trott hit Monty Noble over the pavilion. It was perhaps his way of getting back at the side that had ignored him.
He remains the only man to have cleared the pavilion with a strike at the hallowed ground.
Text: Arunabha Sengupta
Illustration: Maha