With his massive hands and steep bounce due to his height (about 190 centimetres or six feet three inches), he was an immediate success and Gloucestershire re-engaged him for 1929.
[1] Even on the best of wickets Goddard was able to turn the ball substantially, and when the turf was worn or sticky he could spin to a remarkable degree.
With Charlie Parker, he formed the most lethal bowling combination in county cricket, and, aided by the brilliant batting and catching of Wally Hammond, Gloucestershire had their most successful (though brief) era, finishing fourth in 1929, second in 1930 and second in 1931.
– 9 for 37 against Leicestershire at Bristol in 1934 – 9 for 82 against Surrey at Cheltenham in 1946 – 9 for 21 against Cambridge University at Cheltenham in 1929 In 1951, at the age of fifty, Goddard was forced to retire due to an attack of pneumonia and pleurisy,[2] but because he wanted so desperately to reach the 3,000-wicket mark, he came back for fourteen matches in 1952, even managing to pick up a ten-for, till at 51 years of age it became apparent his body could no longer support his immense will-power; he ended with 2,979 wickets, fifth on the all-time wickets tally after Wilfred Rhodes, Tich Freeman, Parker, and Jack Hearne.
He left Gloucestershire's off-spin heritage safe in the hands of John Mortimore, Bomber Wells, and David Allen.