Hampshire Cricket History

Interesting to see Imran Tahir back on international duty yesterday for South Africa in their one run victory (50 overs) against Pakistan. Imran took three vital wickets (3-45) as Pakistan crashed from 165-4 to 182 all out (needing 184 to win). Sohail Tanvir took 2-33 although neither man did much with the bat.

Meanwhile Shane Watson (102), George Bailey (156) and Adam Voges (44) scored well for Australia but India reached their target of 351 – Watson and Maxwell both expensive and wicketless and Maxwell also out for nine. There were of course no Hampshire players in the Indian side – Hampshire have never signed an Indian player.

Maybe – or perhaps Western Australia will simply bat and bat

The England bowlers suffered today – including Chris Tremlett (0-71) and one reason was an innings of 77 by WA opener Luke Towers who played for Hampshire’s 2nd XI a few years back. Here he acknowledges applause after completing a double century for the 2nd XI on our Nursery Ground

I have some notes about this at the ground, which I will look out next time I’m there

In the meantime after some discussions some of us think they are (left to right)

Ron May, Mervyn Burden, ??? (*), Owen Cooper, ??? (1), Don Cartridge, Ray Pitman (2), John Newman

(*) Pat Thompson? I suspect not simply because he was at Oxford Uni unless it’s a vacation pre-season squad

(1) I’ve had a suggestion of Malcolm Heath but I’m sure it’s not him

(2) I’m not entirely convinced although have seen no others of him until he was 3/4 years older

Missing include Sainsbury and Heath (National Service), Barnard and Horton (soccer)

The Handbook covering this season (1954) has no 2nd XI scores as it was the one produced decades later. There are some scores/names on Cricket Archive which may help

for Bob at least!

The man four from the left and five from the right is Owen Cooper

You can find him on some friendly match Hampshire scorecards on Cricket Archive in 1953 and here he is a few years later. I’ve been chatting to his son who sent this photo and the story will follow next

Here is the back row of a squad photo from 1953. I wonder whether you can name anyone? A great deal more will be revealed!

… here is the full squad photo from which it was taken, almost certainly pre-season not least because it’s missing two footballers, Barnard and Horton.

Three players who appeared with Hampshire are in the Wisden best-ever Test XI. Wasim Akram contributed very little to Hampshire’s cause in 2003, but Shane Warne and Malcolm Marshall (especially the latter) were very fine players for the county

The full XI:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/24640224

I cannot help wondering whether Barry Richards would have been there too had things been different back then.

Benny Howell, the only French-born Hampshire cricketer, now with Gloucestershire, has signed a new two-year contract after a successful all-round season

Apologies, especially to Bob, since I never revealed the names

Combined Services v Warwickshire at Edgbaston 1953

Back: Tony Catt (12th man, also Kent, wicketkeeper), John Mortimore (Gloucs), ‘Bomber’ Wells (Gloucs, Notts), Gerry Tordoff (Somerset & CU), Colin (Stansfield) Smith (Lancs), Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie (Hants), Roy Swetman (Surrey & Notts)

Front: John Manners (Hants), Alan Shirreff (CU, Hants & Kent), Michael Ainsworth (Worcs), John Deighton (Lancs) and the Rev WEG Payton (Notts,Derbys, CU)

Members Committee Chairman Terry Crump has asked Hampshire’s Chief Executive David Mann about the situation and he has replied as follows

“It’s fairly straightforward.  Denizen, who were building the hotel, have gone into administration.  We therefore need to find a new builder to step into the contract and we have already instigated this process which will be done through a formal tender.  Funding remains in place and although the process of finding a new builder is likely to cause a short delay to the process there is no threat to the hotel project overall.”

Just when everything seemed to be proceeding nicely, the news has broken that “Work to build a hotel at Hampshire’s Ageas Bowl cricket ground has stopped after the developers went into administration”.

This is on the BBC Sport website. It continues:

“The multi million-pound project, backed by £38.5m from Eastleigh council, will see a new 175-room Hilton Hotel.

Council leader Keith House said taxpayers were not exposed as the council is buying the completed hotel.

Developer Denizen has yet to officially comment.

The club said major events would not be affected.

In an email obtained by BBC News, Denizen managing director Steven McGee wrote: “[We have] encountered considerable difficulties in progressing and completing current projects. This has been brought about by erroneous project budgets, exacerbated by supply chain cost increases as the industry emerges from recession”.

“The Southampton project will be closed forthwith until a solution can be found.”