Bumble's almost unique feat, and a hat-trick of stumpings

Is David Lloyd the only player to convert his only score above 50 in Tests into a double-century? And who are the players whose only Test hundred was a double? asked Alex Thalis from Australia
Actually David "Bumble" Lloyd, who made 214 not out against India at Edgbaston in 1974, is one of only two people who extended their only half-century in Tests past 200. The other was Brendon Kuruppu of Sri Lanka, who made 201 not out in 777 minutes on his debut against New Zealand in Colombo in 1986-87. The other list you ask about is rather longer: apart from Lloyd and Kuruppu, there are eight other men whose only Test century was a double - the England pair of Reginald "Tip" Foster (287) and Rob Key (221), the West Indians Faoud Bacchus (250) and Denis Atkinson (219), Taslim Arif of Pakistan (210 not out), the New Zealander Martin Donnelly (206), and two recent Australians: Brad Hodge (203 not out) and Jason Gillespie (201 not out).

I was playing for Oxford University Authentics against Cambridge University Crusaders in the summer, and was the first wicket to fall in a hat-trick of stumpings, with the third one also being the final wicket of the game. Has any Test or first-class game ever been won with a hat-trick of stumpings? asked Dan Kearns from Oxford
The quick answer is no. There has only been one recorded hat-trick of stumpings in first-class cricket, by Gloucestershire's Welsh-born keeper William Brain against Somerset in Cheltenham in 1893: his three victims all came off the bowling of the future England legspinner Charles Townsend. Although the hat-trick did end Somerset's second innings, it didn't end the match - Gloucestershire were left 302 to win and, despite the presence of WG Grace and his brother EM, were bowled out for 174 to lose comfortably. For the benefit of those unfamiliar with university cricket, I should perhaps point out that the Oxford Authentics and Cambridge Crusaders are effectively the second XIs of the two Varsity sides. And I see that the keeper who started the slide in this Twenty20 match by stumping Dan Kearns, and then his two colleagues, was the American-born Ananya Sen. The bowler was Michael Carson, a legspinner.

How many bowlers have taken hat-tricks in both Tests and one-day internationals? asked Nasir Ayub Khan from Saudi Arabia
There are two, both from Pakistan. Pride of place should probably go to Wasim Akram, who took two in Tests and two in ODIs. He managed hat-tricks in successive Tests against Sri Lanka in Lahore and Dhaka in 1998-99, and he also managed the feat twice in one-day internationals, against West Indies in October 1989 and Australia in May 1990, both times in Sharjah. The other man to complete this rare double is Mohammad Sami, who took an ODI hat-trick against West Indies in Sharjah in February 2002, and the following month took one in the Asian Test Championship final against Sri Lanka at Lahore. Brett Lee took a hat-trick in a one-day international (against Kenya in the 2003 World Cup) and in a Twenty20 international (against Bangladesh in the World Twenty20 in 2007-08).

What is the connection between the Sydney and Adelaide Tests of 1951 and Hymns Ancient and Modern? asked Ric Piper via Facebook
I managed to guess the short answer to this question after looking at the scorecards of the Ashes Tests in Sydney and Adelaide in 1950-51: they were the only two played by the Middlesex fast bowler John Warr, a rather surprising choice for the tour in the first place. Warr took one wicket in them, for rather a lot of runs. Mike Leach, another Facebook regular, filled in the details: Warr was apparently once asked, "How many runs did you concede for your one wicket, John?" And Warr, a noted raconteur with a neat line in self-deprecating humour, replied: "281. I remember the number perfectly. Hymns Ancient and Modern No. 281: 'Art thou weary, art thou languid, art thou sore distressed?'"

Clarrie Grimmett was the first bowler to take 200 Test wickets. Is he still the oldest? And who was the youngest? asked Warren de Kretser from Melbourne
You're right, the great Australian legspinner Clarrie Grimmett was indeed the first bowler to reach the milestone of 200 Test wickets, in 1935-36. He was 44 then, and remains easily the oldest to get there - next on the list is another Aussie legspinner, Stuart MacGill, who was 36 when he reached 200 late in 2007. There are now 58 bowlers with 200 or more Test wickets to their name, and the youngest man to reach the mark was Kapil Dev, at 24 years 68 days in March 1983. Another Indian, Harbhajan Singh, is second - he was 25, and about six months younger than the next man, Ian Botham.

I was wondering where the term "plumb" with respect to lbw came from? asked Jainan Desai via Facebook
I hadn't thought about that one before, but I suspect it comes from the building trade, in which there's a thing called a plumb line (usually a lead weight on a cord), which hangs down so they can make sure the walls and doorways are straight. So "plumb lbw" would signify a dead straight lbw (and a nice easy decision for the umpire!). People also talk about "plumb" wickets, which are really good ones for batsmen - the ball doesn't deviate much off the straight, again rather like a plumb line.