were all out for 72 and Lancashire won the match by an innings and 60 runs. Statham really made an impression when he encountered Yorkshire for the first time in the Roses Match which began at Old Trafford on Saturday, 5 August. A large crowd was present and Statham caused a stir when he lost his footing and fell over while running up to bowl the first ball. He responded by simply dusting himself down and starting again. After conceding a single to Len Hutton, he bowled Frank Lowson for a duck and went on to take five for 52 as Yorkshire scored 226 with a century by their captain Norman Yardley. The match was an even contest and ended in a draw after Lancashire had been set 276 to win on the final day and made 160 for three. Wisden said that Statham's first innings bowling bordered on the sensational. Statham ended the 1950 season with 37 wickets, a best return of five for 18 (against Somerset) and a good average (eighth among bowlers who took at least ten wickets) of 16.56. He had earned a regular first-team place and was awarded his county cap. Playfair described him as a most promising pace bowler who was able to move the ball either way with genuine pace off the pitch. 1950–51 in Australia and New Zealand Statham returned to his old job in accountancy for the winter, a generous act by his employer as he had been absent for nearly two years since leaving for national service and then going straight into county cricket. He had just about settled in again when he received a huge surprise just after the New Year. He and his Lancashire colleague Roy Tattersall were summoned as reinforcements for the injury-hit MCC team touring Australia and New Zealand. They left behind a severely cold winter in Manchester and flew to a severely hot summer in Adelaide where Statham played his first overseas match against South Australia, starting on Saturday, 27 January 1951. Statham had never even met the majority of his new team-mates but he had encountered and impressed Len Hutton, and it is generally supposed that he was invited on Hutton's firm recommendation. He played against Victoria at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in February and then went with the MCC team to New Zealand. After playing against Auckland and Otago, Statham made his