in a single match for Lancashire in 1898, and broke down again soon after resuming playing in 1899. Such setbacks would have certainly finished most cricketing careers, but Hallam worked hard to improve his health during 1900. Nevertheless, Lancashire's bowling had become so strong that he was able to play only four games for the first eleven, with the result that Nottinghamshire, wanting a bowler to support Wass and John Gunn, turned to Hallam (qualified for them by birth). Hallam established himself quickly as a steady stock bowler during the following three years, though he was seldom deadly even when the pitches suited slow bowling as they usually did in 1902 and 1903. In 1904, Hallam was so disappointing when the weather turned fine that he was left out of four matches and did not once take five wickets in an innings, but he rebounded in 1905 with some excellent performances, notably 6 for 46 on a worn wicket at Lord's and a career-best 8 for 63 for North Of England in a festival game in September. A prelude and an extraordinary triumph 1906 saw Hallam develop his skill considerably, showing an ability to spin the ball past the bat of even a watchful batsman when the pitch helped him. However, his greatest feat that season was the amazing endurance he showed in bowling, on a perfect Lord's wicket, 58 overs with a damaged hand and winning the match with Middlesex for the second successive year. Nobody, though, could have been prepared for the following year's cricket. Striking their form at the start, Hallam and Wass were so deadly on the treacherous pitches that they won match after match with almost no bowling changes – they took all but fifty of the 348 wickets falling to Nottinghamshire in nineteen County Championship matches, only one of which was played throughout on a pitch unaffected by rain. In almost all Nottinghamshire's matches, the soft turf took all the spin Hallam and Wass could get on the ball, and even the best wet-wicket batsmen could never make a stand against them. It was thought Hallam should have played in the Test matches against South Africa, but he was chosen only for the third and declined due to a damaged hand which had prevented him participating in Nottinghamshire's game with the tourists. However, he did displace Schofield Haigh from his perennial position at the