1955, scoring 127 and 154 against some of the best bowlers in the country. In 1955, Palmer was responsible for one of the most remarkable spells of bowling in cricketing history. Putting himself on to bowl against Surrey to allow his main two bowlers to change ends, he took 8 wickets for 7 runs, with his figures at one stage being 12-12-0-8. Ironically, his figures were "spoiled" by Jim Laker whose eight for two in 1950 is the world record return by a bowler taking eight wickets. A catch was dropped from a swing by Laker which deprived Palmer of a nine for none return and Laker then managed to edge a few more so that Palmer finished with eight for seven. Even worse for Palmer was that Surrey still won the match by seven wickets. A curiosity of Palmer's bowling was his fascination with what is called the "donkey drop". This is usually an accidental delivery that flies high because the ball has been released too soon. Palmer used it deliberately, sending it twenty feet or so high with the intention of it dropping behind the batsman and onto his stumps. It sometimes paid off and in 1957 when leading Leicestershire against the touring West Indians, Palmer claimed the wickets of no less than Frank Worrell and Rohan Kanhai with it. After retiring as a cricketer, Palmer was appointed chairman of Leicestershire, he became a member of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) committee, was President of the MCC in 1978–79, and chairman of the Test and County Cricket Board between 1983 and 1985. He died, at the age of 85, in March 2005. References Smith, Martin (editor). The Promise of Endless Summer (Cricket Lives from the Daily Telegraph). Aurum (2013). External links 1919 births 2005 deaths England Test cricketers English cricketers Leicestershire cricket captains Leicestershire cricketers Presidents of the Marylebone Cricket Club Worcestershire cricketers English cricket administrators Europeans cricketers Sportspeople from Staffordshire Gentlemen cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Gentlemen of England cricketers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire North v South cricketers 20th-century British businesspeople Marylebone Cricket Club South African Touring Team cricketers