Gloucestershire had awarded Tom Goddard a benefit match at his hometown in Wagon Works. However, all seemed doomed when Nottinghamshire were bowled out cheaply on what turned out to be a bowler-friendly track. Then Wally Hammond, seldom hailed as the greatest team-man, rose to the cause. On August 31, 1936, the second day of the match, Hammond carved out 317 of the best runs on a pitch that required tremendous application. Goddard’s benefit match was thus saved, Abhishek Mukherjee looks at a day when a teammate brought the compassionate best in probably the most enigmatic character cricket has witnessed.