by Arunabha Sengupta
What is seldom remembered is that this great fast bowler started his career as a classical left-arm spinner. He was good too, with some forecasting his career as a natural successor to Colin Blythe.
His 37 wickets in 1927 were all as a spinner, and there was resentment when he changed his style to pace the following season. In 1929, when the wicket was sticky, Voce returned to his spinning ways with great relish and picked up 14 for 43 against Nottinghamshire.
But when he decided to choose quick bowling as his trade, England perhaps lost a great spin bowler, but gained a superb fast one.
He emerged from the same coal mines as Harold Larwood. He was bigger, bowled a bit slower, but that just meant he was just very quick instead of being extraordinarily quick.
Bill Voce was left-arm fast, which meant the deliveries slanted at an awkward angle. Along with Larwood, for Nottingmanshire and England, he traumatised the same batsmen. And they drank the same beer.
Beer was important. Arthur Carr, the Nottinghmashire captain, knew the magic potion he needed to keep these two going. That was beer. They were fond of it. He lathered them with amber during drinks breaks and more so during lunch and tea. Douglas Jardine was not averse to the idea either.
And there were those late night binges.
Once the two drank so much that Voce had to be wheeled home by an equally drunk Larwood in a wheelbarrow. They were stopped by the Nottinghamshire constabulary.
Their fame knew no bounds, but the faces were not so recognisable in the pre-television days. So when Larwood maintained he was the famous Nottinghamshire fast bowler, the policeman was not impressed. “Oh, you are Harold Larwood?” he said with mock seriousness. Pointing to the sleeping man on the wheelbarrow he asked, “And I assume that guy there is Bill Voce?”
While Larwood traumatised the Australians from one end during the infamous Bodyline series, Bill Voce maintained an almost equivalent pressure from the other end. But the 15 Bodyline wickets of the series were not his only contribution to the cause of England.
Unlike Larwood, his career continued after the series. Voce’s most striking performance came against Australia at Brisbane during the 1936-37 tour that followed the Bodyline exchanges.
Voce ran through the strong line up with 6 for 41 in the first innings on a near-perfect pitch, Don Bradman and Stan McCabe among his victims. In the second innings he picked 4 for 16, skittling Australia out for 58 alongside Gubby Allen.
Voce toured in 1946-47 too, at 37, way over the hill after the War, but still one of the best bowlers of England.
He retired with 98 Test wickets at 27.88.
He aided the weak Nottinghamshire bowling attack off and on till 1952 before calling it a day with 1,558 scalps in First-Class cricket at 23.08.
Bill Voce was born on 8 August 1909.