Hampshire Cricket History

I’m fascinated by this picture. The game does not appear on Cricket Archive and from the players involved I think it must be around 1938, it’s definitely at Portsmouth and I think it must be against a Combined or United Services XI

If you click on the photo you can see a larger version. In the back row (l-r) the first two are DF Walker and PA Mackenzie, then a CS/US player, then HM Lawson and then probably Ernie Hayter but why is he wearing a capped players crest? Finally another CS/US player

Middle row: Umpire, CS/US, Lloyd Budd, Lofty Herman, Stuart Boyes then three CS/US and umpire

Front Row: CS/US, Neil McCorkell (back home!), CS/US, HLV Day (?), CS/US, Len Creese, two CS/US

There are only 21 players in shot

Why 1938? Walker played 1937-1939, Mackenzie 1938-1939 and Lofty Herman spent 1939 in the Lancashire Leagues. If it is Ernie Hayter he only played for the county side 1935-1937 but he was local. Incidentally ‘Hooky’ Walker appears to be wearing an RAF jacket – he was killed in a bombing raid in the War.

I’ll need a trip to the Library to check the newspapers

I’ve just watched a T20 over in which George Bailey and Glen Maxwell faced Danny Briggs. Sadly Danny lost (4-0-53-0). It looks highly probable that in a couple of hours England will have lost too.

I’ve been looking up some bits & pieces about Conan Doyle’s cricket career and came across a local Cup Final in which Winchester beat Portsmouth Borough. The scores were

Winchester: 198 & 376

Portsmouth 188 & 235

That adds up to 997 runs (I think)

But what’s extraordinary is that it is given as a one-day match – 15 September 1890

Those were the days! Full score at:

http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/329/329133.html

Hampshire seam bowler Chris Wood could miss the first month of the season after undergoing knee surgery just before Christmas. The 23-year-old missed the last couple of Championship matches in 2013 because of the problem but rest has not allowed the injury to settle. It flared up again forcing the left-armer to go under the knife.

Geoff Keith batting in the second Hampshire innings. Kent declared on 98-0 setting Hampshire 227 to win and they struggled to a draw at 181-7, of which Keith, opening with Marshall, top-scored with 75.

Keith was trying – ultimately unsuccessfully – to establish himself as Jimmy Gray’s replacement but he became a very good coach with Hampshire’s youngsters until he died tragically young in the mid-1970s. In the match above, Denness, Cowdrey and Henry Horton all scored centuries. Keith is here batting against Underwood, the wicket-keeper is Tony Catt and the fielders are Leary, Cowdrey, Richardson, Denness and Luckhurst – just imagine, three short-legs!

I haven’t checked yet but it must be 1950 or 1951 and it’s Bournemouth. The players are Rayment, McCorkell, Hill, Rogers, Cannings and DE Blake. I cropped it from a larger shot, which shows CJ Knott was captain not Eagar so it should not be too difficult to place.

PS It is v Lancashire, August 1950 and the visitors won by an innings (281 beat 96 & 109). Hampshire’s total of 205 for 20 wickets took 126 overs, with Roy Tattersall taking 7-39 in first innings. Bridger scored 33, Hampshire’s only innings of more than 20 in either knock. In the Lancashire innings, Knott’s figures were 47-19-75-3, while Winston Place scored 81.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, Neil McKenzie is unlikely to return to Hampshire – mainly for family reasons. He was a marvellous batsman for Hampshire but they have already added Will Smith and Joe Gatting.

However, Hampshire have also announced their overseas signing – hopefully for the whole of 2014 and a very interesting signing he is:

Kyle John Abbott, Right-arm fast-medium, right-hand batsman

Born Natal, South Africa 18 June 1987. All first-class cricket to date has been for South African sides

One Test Match HS 13, BB 7-29

Two ODIs – Economy Rate 4.6, BB 1-35

FC HS 80

FC BB 8-45

Attempts by England, Australia and India to take a large share of control over the international game have met opposition from the Players’ Union. This may run on for a while but you can find the story so far on the BBC at

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/25820223

I’m watching the last minutes of another hammering for England and with it the series. If you follow the ‘Blogs’ the answer is obvious – get read of Flower, Giles, Cook, Gooch, disband half the counties, ban overseas players etc etc

But let’s keep it simple. As a captain, Cook seems unimaginative and lost and he’s no longer scoring runs but his players are not doing what they should do. If Cook is relieved of, or relinquishes the captaincy who replaces him? Is there anyone certain of an England place who could do that job? Bell? Broad? What’s the evidence?

If not, in the ‘old’ days we would go to county cricket. If not May then Cowdrey. If not Cowdrey then MJK Smith. Last season Collinwood led Durham to the title and Chapple led Lancashire to promotion. There’s a pair of promising youngsters! Think former internationals Foster or Read, what about recent men like Dexter at Middlesex, Joyce at Sussex or Gale at Yorkshire. Otherwise maybe we could transfer an overseas player like Klinger or Hall. It seems to me there is no obvious answer

At the end today that nice man Nick Knight said “England are not quite playing well enough”. I’d like to know what he means by “quite”!

Still it was another good day for Carberry and Briggs.

I spent the whole day yesterday in meetings with Simon Fox of our Community Trust and the Design Company from Manchester who are putting together the new Museum at the Ageas Bowl which we hope will open mid-summer. The project is currently two-phase and will become increasingly ‘high tech’ and interactive with a strong educational focus (for people of all ages). The period covered will stretch back to the 18th century (Hambledon and beyond). A large open space has been allocated on the first floor of the Shane Warne stand and as the Archivist I am of course very excited about this. I’ll keep you informed.