Tony Lock

For the English footballer, seeTony Lock (footballer).For the American football player, seeTony Locke.

Tony Lock

Tony Lock in 1970
Personal information
Full name	Graham Anthony Richard Lock
Born	(1929-07-05)5 July 1929 Limpsfield,Surrey, England
Died	30 March 1995(1995-03-30)(aged 65) Perth,Western Australia
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Slow left arm orthodox
International information
National side	England
Test debut (cap370)	17 July 1952 vIndia
Last Test	3 April 1968 vWest Indies
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1946–1963	Surrey
1962/63–1970/71	Western Australia
1965–1967	Leicestershire
Career statistics
Competition Test FC LA Matches 49 654 8 Runs scored 742 10,342 5 Batting average 13.74 15.88 1.00 100s/50s 0/3 0/27 0/0 Top score 89 89 3 Ballsbowled 13,147 150,168 428 Wickets 174 2,844 10 Bowling average 25.58 19.23 27.00 5 wickets in innings 9 196 0 10 wickets in match 3 50 0 Best bowling 7/35 10/54 3/20 Catches/stumpings 59/– 831/– 3/–
Source:Cricinfo,8 September 2009

Graham Anthony Richard Lock(5 July 1929 – 30 March 1995)was an Englishcricketer,who played primarily as a left-armspinner.He played in 49Test matchesforEnglandtaking 174 wickets.

Lock took 2,844first-class wickets,placing him ninth on the all-time list, and is the only player to score more than 10,000 runs without once making a century;despite passing fifty on 27 occasions, his highest score was 89, made in a Test in Guyana. His tally of 831 catches infirst-class cricket,mostly taken at short leg, lies behind onlyW.G. GraceandFrank Woolley.

Life and career

Born inLimpsfield,Surrey, Tony Lock had the weighty backing ofHDG Leveson Gowerand made hisfirst-classdebut forSurrey County Cricket Clubat just seventeen years and eight days old on 13 July 1946, which made him the youngest ever to play for the county.However he did not play regularly until 1949. In 1951 he took 105 wickets, and broke the 100-wicket barrier every year up to and including 1962, on two occasions (1955 and 1957) claiming more than 200 victims.

Lock made his England debut in the thirdTestagainstIndiain 1952,and played the fourth and fifth Tests againstAustraliathe following summer; he had in fact been picked for the first game, but had worn his spinning finger raw after being named in the team and had had to withdraw while it healed. However, England regainedthe Ashesand for his efforts Lock was named one ofWisden Cricketers of the Yearin the 1954 edition of Wisden's Almanack. However, he also had to deal with accusations (not entirely unfounded) that he was a 'chucker', being called for throwing on more than one occasion. This was one of the grudges that many had against him, the other was his consistent Test selection overJohnny Wardleof Yorkshire.

In 1956, Lock was famously the bowler who took "the other wicket" whenJim Lakerachieved his world-record 19–90 atOld Traffordagainst Australia,and two years later had an extraordinary summer of success against an admittedly poorNew Zealandside, finishing with 34 wickets at anaverageof a mere 7.47.He was inconsistent abroad, however, failing completely on the1958/59 tour of Australia,but again terrorising the New Zealanders in the same winter, with 13 wickets at under nine runs apiece. It was during the New Zealand leg of the tour that he saw himself on film. Shocked by what he saw, he remodelled his action.By 1961, he was back in the Test side against Australia.

Not included in the English team for the1962–63 Ashes series,he played with great success for Western Australia,returning to play for that state each winter for the rest of his career.

Lock moved toLeicestershirein 1965, and was madecaptainfor the following two seasons,taking the club to second place in theCounty Championshipin 1967. In 1967/68 he was unexpectedly recalled by England because of an injury toFred Titmus,and played in the last two Tests againstWest Indies.He was the last man called up to play for England who was not playing for a first-class county. Though not achieving any great success with the ball, he contributed to the cause in another way, by making his highest first-class score of 89 in the first innings of the final Test atGeorgetown, Guyana.England had nine wickets down when the game (played over six days) finished, and claimed the series 1–0.

Lock's remaining playing career was spent entirely with Western Australia, and fittingly his last first-class wicket was that of an Australian Test player,Paul Sheahan.

Retirement

After retirement he moved into coaching inPerthand London, and became an Australian citizen in 1982.

Personal life

He married Audrey May Sage (1928/9–1994) in September 1949. They had two sons and adopted a daughter.

Assault allegations

Late in life Lock faced two separate charges of sexual abuse. In December 1993 he was found not guilty by a 10–2 majority ofindecently assaultinga fifteen-year-old girl after inviting her to his home in Perth for a bowling lesson in 1987,including placing her hand on the clothing covering his penis.Lock admitted to kissing the girl in a "friendly" manner but denied any sexual intent and refuted her allegation that he recommended she bowl in the nude.

The following day he was charged with four counts of indecent assault on a girl aged ten some time between 1980 and 1981.Lock asked for a permanent stay on the grounds he was dying of lung cancer with several doctors confirming he would be dead within two years. However the judge allowed the trial to go ahead.The jury deliberated for eight hours but was unable to come to a verdict.Plans for retrial were eventually dropped due to Lock's ill health. He died from cancer in his adopted home town ofPerthat the age of 65.

External links

• Tony LockatESPNcricinfo