Cricket's Funniest incident: England fast bowler Alf Gover enjoyed a long and distinguished first-class career with Surrey, capturing 1,555 wickets at an average of 23.63 across two decades of cricket. Although his Test career was brief, interrupted by the Second World War, he later achieved renown as a respected coach, establishing and running a celebrated fast-bowling school.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Gover is also remembered for a very funny incident during the 1937–38 tour of India with Lord Tennyson’s XI. The side played fifteen first-class matches, including five against India, and it was during one of these fixtures at Indore that an episode unfolded—later immortalised in Fred Trueman and Frank Hardy’s 1978 book You Nearly Had Him That Time—which ensured Gover a lasting place in cricketing folklore.
n the 1937-38 season, under the name Lord Tennyson's XI, a team of 15 English cricketers toured India. They played 15 first class matches, including five against India XI, as well as nine other matches. During a match at Indore, this incident took place that made Alf Gover one of the best topics for after dinner speeches. Source of this incident: A book titled ‘You Nearly Had Him That Time’ by Fred Trueman & Frank Hardy, published in 1978.
