in his only first-class match took three for 22. Bowes made his final Test appearance in the first match against India in 1946. Yorkshire retained the championship, their 22nd title, and Bowes took 65 first-class wickets at 15.18 with a best return of five for 17. In 1947, Yorkshire slipped down the table as Middlesex and Gloucestershire fought for the title in a summer of glorious weather. Bowes took 73 first-class wickets at 17.49 with a best return of six for 23. He received a then-record benefit of £8,000 raised in the match against Middlesex at Headingley on 28 and 30 June. Bowes retired from playing at the end of the 1947 season. Cricket correspondent Colin Bateman summarised his career by writing: "Bowes' Test bowling average of 22 runs per wicket is outstanding for his era, his (first-class) career average of 16 is quite astonishing". Style and technique In Barclays World of Cricket, Bowes is described as a bowler who "missed no opportunity to learn by tutorial and experiment". He rapidly developed into a new-ball bowler of "uncommon liveliness and control". His deliveries achieved significant and disconcerting "lift" thanks to his great height and high action. This, coupled with his ability to "swing" the ball and his "line and length" control made him a formidable opponent. Colin Bateman wrote that Bowes "never looked like a cricketer" as "his fielding was clumsy at best and his batting so poor that he scored fewer runs than he took wickets". As a bowler, however, he had few equals during his best years in the 1930s. Very tall and willowy, Bowes was, after his early years, only medium-pace through the air but, thanks to his high action, could make the ball bounce very fast off the Yorkshire pitches of his time. He was able to sustain his attack for lengthy periods and, with the new ball, could generate an extremely deceptive "swerve" with the ability to swing the ball in both directions. At times, he was criticised for pitching too short, but in later years, with loss of pace, Bowes found greater reward in attacking the stumps. Retirement and personal life When Bowes went to London in April 1928 to join the MCC staff, he lodged with the Beaumont family in Pinner who were friends of his parents. He lived there for many years while he was attached to MCC. It was through them