Hampshire Cricket History

Many thanks for the alert on the previous post:

Craig White has left at the end of his contract citing personal reasons/spending too much time away from his family.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/46036969

Many thanks to Colin Price – rapidly becoming our London area correspondent – for this information about Middlesex v Hampshire games not played at Lord’s.

The county Middlesex itself ceased to exist in 1965. Most of it was absorbed into Greater London with Staines going to Surrey and Potters Bar going to Hertfordshire.

The Middlesex area considerable smaller than that of the other first class counties and was urbanised with good transport links. However they are tenants of the MCC at Lord’s so they have less control over their main ground than other counties so some of these games may have been scheduled elsewhere because Lord’s was not available rather than a desire to spread the games around the county. Uxbridge, Northwood, Richmond and Southgate are all close to tube stations and are all less than an hour from St John’s Wood by tube.

And other stories. To the Bat & Ball today for the end-of-season meeting of the Hambledon Club, where our guest speaker was Dennis Amiss, who had many interesting tales in his speech and many more informed thoughts over lunch, befitting a man who played a great deal of cricket and then had many years in administration.

(L-R) Dennis Amiss, the Hambledon Club’s President Brian Ford (former Chairman HCCC)’ and Alan Rayment

You will have realised I’m ‘on’ the 1950s. In the 1954 County Championship (the Handbook reported) Hampshire scored their runs more slowly than all the other 16 counties, with 8,558 runs from 22,382 balls or an average of 2.29 runs per six balls (over).

While all their opponents scored more quickly than Hampshire, the Handbook reported that they did not do so against Hampshire, with 9,604 runs from 22,930 balls. Sadly the Handbook (or my calculator) got it wrong, as that works out at an average of 2.5 runs per six balls.

If my calculator is correct then, had the 1954 days consisted of 96 overs, Hampshire would have averaged in one day just 220 runs, their opponents 240. It was incidentally a dreadfully wet summer.

More contract news at Hampshire (BBC):

Hampshire pair Ryan Stevenson and Felix Organ have signed new extended contracts with the county until the end of the 2020 season. Right-hand top-order batsman Organ, 19, played his only first-class game against Middlesex in September 2017.

“Ryan’s attitude to rehab over the last couple of years has been outstanding and he impressed on his return to the squad this year,” director of cricket Giles White said. “Felix is an exciting prospect and he also had a strong season for the second XI, as well as the academy”.

Hants v Lancs at Pompey in 1954. We batted first and were all out for 59 in 43.3 overs (Tattersall 18.3 -9-21-7)

They don’t make them like that any more. (The match was drawn)

Early in the following season, Hampshire met Derbyshire at Southampton. The visitors were sluggish, posting 202 all out in the 94th over, with our slow-left-armer Reg Dare taking 5-49. We struggled to 184 all out in the 78th over; a recovery from 113-8 thanks to that same Reg Dare, who scored 41* at number 10 (Rogers top-scored with 46, Edwin Smith 5-44).

Derbyshire with a lead of 18, were 141-4 overnight and most of their batsmen reached a score of sorts, with debutant Lee – a recruit from Yorkshire – hitting 61, before Guy Willat declared, inviting Hampshire to chase 253 – the highest total of the match – in four hours.

In those days the measurement was always time, with a fixed close-of-play, and Hampshire batted into their 65th over, winning the match, because once again Dare, promoted to number five performed well, hitting 74 in 55 minutes.  Henry Horton opened and was 73 not out at the close with Hampshire 253-6, scored at 3.94 runs per over.

Reg Dare was awarded his cap at the end of that innings, but age 32 it was to be his last season as one of a number of departures. For family reasons, Cliff Walker had left after the previous match, Ralph Prouton played in the next game but not again for the first team and by the end of the season, Charlie Knott, Dick Carty and Gerry Hill had also played for the final time. In their place came the nucleus of the Championship-winning side of 1961 including youngsters Sainsbury, Barnard, Heath, Burden – all Hampshire-born.

Might be number one in an occasional series

Hampshire v Surrey at Bournemouth September 1953

This was the last match of the season, with Surrey Champions again, and Hampshire playing their second consecutive match at Dean Park, having just lost to Yorkshire.

Surrey won the toss, invited Hampshire to bat and bowled them out in 47 overs for just 82 runs. Neville Rogers opened and scored 39 before his dismissal, common against Surrey – caught Surridge bowled Lock. Tony Lock’s figures that morning were 17-8-26-8, his first-class best at that time (Laker 2-37).

‘Shack’ got Fletcher early and Surrey struggled too, with Peter May top-scoring for them with just 35, while off-spinner Mervyn Burden, playing his first month of Championship cricket, took 6-70. Surrey were all out for 151 in the 59th over and there was time for  them to dismiss David Blake and Gerry Hill that evening as Hampshire closed on 29-2.

Hampshire only managed to add another 98 runs on the Thursday, but their all out total of 127 took 86.3 overs with Gray 39, sharing an 8th wicket partnership of 50 with Shackleton. Lock took 5-43 and Surrey, needing just 59 to win, got there for the loss of Fletcher with Clark 33*. Not one batsman reached 50 and the game ended in two days. Don Cartridge bagged a pair in his final Championship match.

England were rubbish then – while I understand that James Vince is not obviously a Test Match batsman, I don’t get his omission from their white ball squad. In that format he seems to me clearly of international class.

It was no surprise that the rain intervened for the fifth match in a row, although by that stage it was a merciful release. All five matches, rain affected.

Gavin Griffiths has signed a contract extension with Leics. You might remember that he played some matches for us in 2016, on loan from Lancashire. Meanwhile Rangana Herath who had a brief, and fairly unhappy spell at Hampshire, will retire after the first Test v England. He has 430 wickets for Sri Lanka in 92 Tests, the largest number by any slow-left-armer in international cricket, and 10th overall.