Hampshire Cricket History

My question relates to a new display we are organising in the Shackleton bar

In August 1955 v Somerset at Clarence Park, Weston-Super-Mare: Derek Shackleton had match figures of 14-29, at that time the fourth best figures for Hampshire. In the first innings he took 8-4 and that average of 0.5 runs per wicket is better than any Championship average with eight or more wickets in an innings**.

(In 1930 Verity took 10-10 for Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire in 1932 and AP ‘Tich’ Freeman 9-11 for Kent v Sussex in 1922. In 1950 Jim Laker took 8-2 for England v the Rest in a Test Trial but it was not a county match)

**Is that bit right?

PS Sorry to steal anyone’s thunder but the ACS replied immediately and said yes!

***(From ACS) We have a list of ‘Best Bowling Returns Eight wickets in an innings’, headed, inevitably by Laker, but with Shack in second place and no-one else with an equal or better Championship performance. In fact, next best was Charles Palmer’s unlikely 8-7 for Leicestershire in the same season as (but around three months before) Shack’s 8-4. There’s been a 6-2 and a number of instances of 6-3, but the best 7-for is ‘only’ 7-6. So Shack’s average of 0.5 is actually better than that of anyone taking 7 or more wickets in a Championship innings.

This red-ball, longer form of the game.

BBC Sport today: “Vince makes quickfire 27 …”

(A bit like “Sunak and Starmer have a slight disagreement” or “Palace & Liverpool draw 0-0”?)

Actually this ‘news’ Comment (also BBC) is even better. Alex Hartley who bowled for the England Women’s team has suggested – no asserted – that having won their third successive World T20 Trophy the Australians are “the greatest sporting side of all time”.

I preferred a reader’s Comment on the Spurs v Chelsea game suggesting that all the stories would be about Harry & Potter!!

Oh Boy

The main BBC News at 6pm rightly devoted considerable time to Ukraine

Then at around 6.25 we got “and now to the cricket”.

Quite right too, given another magnificent performance by the two England century-makers in the Test Match

Except “the cricket” was England’s Women losing a one-day semi-final. And did they follow that with the Test match?

Not a chance. Disgraceful!

Way back, Hampshire cricketers sometimes toured and a few took coaching posts, particularly in South Africa – but often they worked from early September until pre-season coaching and practice began around Easter.

Below, Derek Shackleton bakes cakes for M&S, Peter Sainsbury checks the books and Jimmy Gray is on the office switchboard in a school where he taught after retirement. When younger he played football professionally at Arsenal and Bedford Town:

I know that many of you follow events through the winter more carefully than I do but I’ve compiled this list of Hampshire players’ cricket since the end of September 2022. If you spot anything incorrect or missing I’d be pleased to know – including anything else pending between now and April

Mason Crane: South African20 (for Sunrisers), England Lions tour of Sri Lanka

Liam Dawson England ODIs in Australia; Abu Dhabi T10 (Northern Warriors); UAE International League (Gulf Giants); Pakistan Super League (Lahore Qalandars)

Joseph Eckland: England under-19 v Australia U-19s

James Fuller South African20 (Sunrisers); Pakistan Super League (Karachi Kings)

Nick Gubbins Logan Cup Harare (Southern Rocks)

Ian Holland: ICC World Cup League Two (USA)

Eddie Jack: England under-19 v Australia U-19s

Dominic Kelly: England under-19 Tests v Australia U-19s

Fletcha Middleton: Western Province One-Day League (Cape Town)

Mohammad Abbas: Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (Southern Punjab)

Tom Prest England Lions tour of Sri Lanka

James Vince: England ODIs in Australia; Australian T20 Big Bash (Sydney Sixers); UAE International League (Gulf Giants); Pakistan Super League (Karachi Kings)

Brad Wheal: T20 World Cup (Scotland); International League T20 (MI Emirates)

Ross Whiteley: Abu Dhabi T10 (Chennai Braves);Australian T20 Big Bash (Brisbane Heat)

Stayed Home? Kyle Abbott; Keith Barker; Ben Brown; Jack Campbell; Scott Currie; Aneurin Donald; Felix Organ; John Turner; Joe Weatherley; Chris Wood

(A.K.A. Where Are They Now?)

As far as I’m aware there is only one Hollywood (MGM) biopic about a Hampshire cricketer – and it’s one you might catch later today (although I doubt there will be much cricket!)

Who is it? The answer is in the first Comment

(AKA Fiddling while Rome burns)

I’m picking up conversations elsewhere about changes to points awarded for run, wickets and draws in the is year’s Championship. I’ve not found a report anywhere but assuming it is the case maybe someone might enlighten us?

(Mind you it’s not too important – this time next year it will have changed again)

I think that as I’m writing this the Play-Off has happened

That’s the Play-off in the International League T20 competition in Dubai between Desert Vipers and …

Actually I’m not sure who they played but I do know that Alex Hales is a Viper (I think unrelated to the Southern Vipers) and that his team is owned by Avram Glazer of the Manchester United Glazers. All this I have learned from an article in yesterday’s Daily Telegraph sports section titled “Why Twenty20 is new playing field for billionaires like Glazer”. I confess I skim-read quite a lot of it.

Somewhere in all of this another ‘stats’ company called CricViz is involved. I rather like the idea of Viz magazine getting involved in cricket.

Divided …???