[4][5] The following year, Townsend's record was modest though Grace gave him a good deal of bowling on soft pitches, and he was seen as not physically strong enough for county cricket by most critics of the day.

The following year, Townsend's bowling was expensive even on the few rain-affected pitches because he was sacrificing accuracy to gain spin,[10] but his batting developed so much that he attained the status of an all-rounder, scoring a maiden century against Yorkshire and winning a critical match against Nottinghamshire.

In May 1898, Townsend started his season poorly, although his nought for 150 against a powerful Surrey batting side on a soft Oval wicket was affected by several dropped catches.

[11] However, in early June after two weeks of rain he took nine for 48 (fifteen for 134 in the match) to defeat Middlesex on a sticky wicket at Lord's,[12] despite bowling many loose balls.

[13] Although on the hard pitches which ensued in late June and July his bowling was largely harmless, Townsend's skill as a batsman reached far beyond that of previous years and he hit five centuries, including four in six innings.

Townsend was rewarded for these feats with selection as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year, and his jump to the front rank of batsmen continued in the dry summer of 1899, when he made nine centuries, including 224 against Essex.

In 1900, though he only took 57 first-class wickets, Townsend again batted well despite playing no really large innings, showing greater ability than before to counter the spinning ball on treacherous pitches, notably late in the season at Cheltenham.