Hampshire Cricket History

On Wednesday 15 May, Hampshire paid their annual visit (n those days) to Basingstoke to meet Kent – one of the Championship’s stronger sides. Mike Denness won the toss, inserted Hampshire and while six of the top eight reached double figures (Taylor 43) it was Jesty with 90 (and still without a first Championship hundred) who did most, helping them to 290 all out. It was a score that looked rather more substantial when Roberts blew away the top three, leaving Kent on 23-4 overnight.

They resumed next morning with Cowdrey and nightwatchman Underwood and Roberts soon despatched Cowdrey who was struck by Roberts ‘quicker’ bouncer, collapsed on his stumps and was both knocked out and given out. For whatever reasons Cowdrey contested the dismissal and it is said he never again spoke to Hampshire’s captain Richard Giliat. Roberts finished with 4-12 in 15 overs, Herman dismissed two in the middle order and Taylor added 4-40 as Kent, 86 all out, followed-on.

Despite missing the injured Cowdrey they fared slightly better second time round (Denness 49) but were still dismissed for 133 before the close, giving Hampshire a two-day, innings victory. Roberts added 5-27, Taylor another two and Hampshire’s title charge was underway.

After their free Friday, Hampshire travelled to Taunton where they won a third consecutive B&H game. Richards (93) and Greenidge (45) posted 135 in an innings of 254 and despite no wickets for either Roberts or Herman, Somerset never got close as Jesty (4-42), Taylor (3-15) and Sainsbury (3-20) bowled them out for 129. A young chap called Botham took 1-52 and was dismissed for just three – he would fare rather better on Hampshire’s next trip out west in this competition.

Gilliat leads out Hampshire at Basingstoke – actually in 1975 v Glamorgan

Today’s Guardian carries a back page story in which the PCA declare the new fixture schedule is “unsustainable”, followed by comments about “player welfare” and the “tightly packed four-day” matches. I can see that – in the first nine weeks of the season (actually 62 days) they are scheduled to play 7 Championship matches (and nothing else) so 28 days (45%) of cricket (assuming they go the distance) and 34 days (55%) for all that rest, recreation and practice.

I have demonstrated more than once that today’s county cricketers play far fewer days per week than those in the past – notably perhaps in the mid-1970s when they played three ‘white ball’ competitions of 40, 55 and 60 overs, all longer than today’s equivalents – and sometimes two three-day Championship matches in a week. In addition, if you look at my figures for last season you will see that Hampshire’s 2023 four-day Championship matches were, on average, shorter than many three-day games back then – and they never had to play one day of a Championship match and then travel somewhere else (and back) for a Sunday League game before day two.

Since I’ve little interest in watching T20 matches, the eight-week fixture list from 1 June – 25 July offers me one home Championship game (v Kent). Then in the first three weeks of August, there are three home 50-overs games. I guess it’s up to them. Why would they care whether someone like me is increasingly disenchanted with contemporary county cricket and cricketers?

PS Just caught up that the Telegraph reported much the same yesterday.

(It’s a Muddy Waters blues song)

Today’s Daily Telegraph opens with the tale of the Sportswashing Saudis got their way yesterday over loan transfers between their growing number of clubs, next up how the BBC is likely to lose the Six Nations to a pay channel and then inside comes this full-page:

This was a quiet week with the Championship starting in a somewhat ‘bitty’ fashion. On Saturday Hampshire came to Portsmouth for the first time that year to play a 55-over B&H West group game against the Minor Counties (South). The visitors drew players from Wiltshire, Bucks, Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire and as far north as Suffolk (but not neighbouring Berkshire or Dorset) while Devon’s Doug Yeabsley returned the remarkable figures of 11-4-14-0 in Hampshire’s innings of 242-8. They had looked in some difficulties at 111-6 but Jesty (75*) and Taylor (41) added 89 and took them to respectability (Richards 67). The Minor Counties lost their former Hampshire 2nd XI opener Brian White to Roberts without scoring and while his partner Tony Warrington scored 44 they were never in the hunt and were finally dismissed for 99 in the 43rd over – Roberts 4-25 in his 11 overs. Hampshire had played two, won two on their way to the quarter-final.

On the following day, Hampshire opened their Sunday League season with a victory against Middlesex at Southampton. The visitors posted 169-7 in their 40 overs with ‘Larry’ Gomes top-scoring with 58 and the five Hampshire bowlers sharing the wickets. As on the previous day, Hampshire’s top order struggled and at 62-5 at the halfway point Middlesex were on top. None of the Hampshire batters reached 35 but the middle order restored things somewhat with Lewis (23) and Sainsbury (34) taking them to 109-6 before they fell away to 143-9. Roberts (14*) then joined Mike Taylor (33*) and the pair added 26 until, with scores level and just four balls left, Taylor hit the boundary that brought victory. After three ‘white ball’ games Hampshire had three victories but were not yet showing top-form. That was imminent, particularly in the Championship.

I’ll have to update the Handbook’s player profiles then:

Alistair (‘Ali’) Graham Hamilton ORR (?)

Left-hand opening batter, right-arm medium-pace bowler, occasional wicketkeeper. Born Eastbourne 6.4.2001

Ali Orr played for Sussex age group sides from at least under-14s in 2014. He made his 2nd XI Championship debut for Sussex in 2018, and 2nd XI T20 in 2019 occasionally keeping wicket, although he has not done so in first-class matches. He made his Championship debut in 2021, scoring 67 v Yorkshire at Headingley; played his first List A game that year and made his T20 debut in 2022. In 2022 he scored 1,047 first-class runs at 47.59 with three centuries and a best of 198 v Glamorgan. In that same year he scored 206 in a List A game v Somerset but he did not play in the 50-over competition in 2023, when he played in just two T20 games. He has joined Hampshire for the 2024 season. His figures for Sussex:

First-class: 27 matches, 1,917 runs at 39.93; HS 198 v Glamorgan. Three overs, 0-12. Catches 11

List A: 14 matches, 670 runs at 47.85, HS 206 v Somerset. Catches 5

T20: 10 matches, 223 runs at 22.30. HS 41. Catches 4

PS Not for the Handbook:

2022 was his very fine season (1,000 runs with three Championship hundreds and three fifties) but in 2023 he played just 8 (Div 2) Championship matches scoring 322 runs at 26.83 (one fifty), didn’t play any 50-over games and in just two T20 games scored 33 & 21 (he didn’t keep wicket in any of those games)

I published the hint (from Sussex) about a week ago and now as some of you have noted, it’s confirmed. He is said to be a wicketkeeper although never done that job in his 27 Championship matches so far. He has however, with barely an exception opened the batting.

The key to me though are those three initials. He’s clearly in line to be the next captain.

(Where for Weatherley? I saw him in the indoor nets last week with the bowling machine, smashing white ball sixes)

World Cup final on Sunday ( India v Australia, 8.30 start GMT ) is being broadcast on Channel 5 as well as on Sky.

Well played Australia – again not a thriller but a very fine all-round performance. The final figures:

Excluding the single ‘freakish’ D/L result (P v NZ) – 23 games were won batting first and 24 batting second; only 18 of the 47 games were won after winning the toss and the average winning margins were pretty large (very few close games). The average winning margin by RUNS: 126.13 and the average by WICKETS: 5.95.

PS (BBC) Stephan Shemilt:

“There were precious few close matches. If the metric of a tight one-dayer is a victory margin of three wickets or less, or 30 runs or less, then this World Cup had only six such results, the fewest since both 2003 and 2007, two poor tournaments. By the end of the bloated group stage it was more intriguing watching the battle for places in the 2025 Champions Trophy, rather than the semi-finals. The problems of a 10-team tournament have been apparent since the format was adopted: a lack of jeopardy until the knockouts, and shutting out the nations that so often bring the most colour, character and charisma”.

(No apologies for a recycled title – after seven years my initial publication is seriously out-of-date)

From yesterday’s Daily Telegraph: “The constant tinkering with County Championship regulations will continue next year”. They predict firstly that from two last year the number of matches played with the Kookaburra ball will be doubled to four.

Of our batters in last year’s two matches (Middlesex (H) Somerset (A)) Dwason (108.5), Gubbins (92.0), Abbott (53.0) and Organ (46.6) had averages above 30 and better than their season’s average (Vince? 17.0). Of the others, Brown (29.0) was the only one above 24. Among the bowlers, Abbott did well with six wickets at 14.3 but Abbas took 1-125, Fuller 1-107 and Barker 2-128. It was Dawson who prospered taking 16-248 (15.5) to add to his runs but even then Organ had 1-109. The match at Taunton was Hampshire’s second longest last year (320 overs) and there were five longer and eight shorter than the home game v Middlesex (265, three days).

There is also a prediction that draw points will return to eight (presumably going down again to five in 2025 and then back up again?). There was no mention of batting bonus points starting sooner (200?).

Today’s Guardian rather puts all that into perspective with two pieces from India and the World Cup. Barney Ronay offers a somewhat bewildering view of the ICC’s ‘Cricket Matters’ conference in Mumbai where he reported from informal conversations at the interval asking from elsewhere in the world about the Hundred “Is that dead now?” Nobody else cares you see. He quoted also from a formal presentation: “Sport is going to change more drastically in the next in the next three to four years than in the last 50 in terms of how we consume it and in terms of who we consider to be a fan”.

Inside there is a piece about Jay Shah, Head of the Board of Cricket Control India (BCCI) describing him as the most powerful single person in any sport anywhere in the world”. It refers to another article about him “behaving as an autocrat, taking months to OK basic office admin, surrounding himself with sycophants, trailed by bodyguards and aides”.

Eton v Harrow at Lord’s? Duke’s or Kookaburras? Eight points or five? Who cares?

I don’t propose to devote a lot of space to the 2nd XI during my weekly survey of the 1974 season but here’s a quick mention: the match against the Indians finished on Tuesday 7 May 1974 and on the following day the 2nd XI played their first game, three days at Hove where they were beaten by 226 runs. For Sussex Jerry Groome scored 114, despite Bob Herman’s 6-61. Bob had played all the first three first team games with mixed fortunes but bowled well at Hove and would enjoy another good season in 1974.

The Handbook reports that Hampshire batted poorly – Richard Lewis, also playing for the first team at that point scored 24 and the Handbook praised Nigel Cowley’s off-spin but Sussex set a target of 352 and Hampshire didn’t get close. In the second innings Bob Herman hit 30 but in both innings the leading Hampshire batter was John Nash, an Australian spending a summer in England. In this match he scored 39* & 38* and at the end of the season he topped the 2nd XI averages with 557 runs at 42.84.

Among the regular members of the side were Andy Murtagh, Richard Lewis, Nigel Cowley, Tim Tremlett, John Southern and John Rice, pictured below with Nash who as another overseas player was not able to play for Hampshire’s first team. He played across ten seasons for South Australia.

(Reminder that weeks in 1974 began on Wednesdays)

Having drawn with MCC at Lord’s in miserable weather, Hampshire went back to ‘Headquarters’ and opened their Championship season as reigning Champions and undefeated since August 1972. Three days later that record was gone.

‘May Day’ and the next two days were still unwelcoming with frequent showers and cold winds as Middlesex opened with a century partnership before Roberts struck with a first Championship wicket and Taylor dismissed the other opener. But Radley followed his 46 & 61 for MCC last week with a century and 40 from captain Brearley helped him to declare on 300-4. By the close Selvey had bowled Richards (16-1).

On Thursday Hampshire struggled to 233 (83.3 overs) and that thanks almost entirely to Greenidge who went from 3* to 120 (13 x 4s and one six). Otherwise only Jesty (33) got to 20 with Selvey taking 5-97. Roberts (twice) and Herman then struck back to reduce Middlesex to 13-3, just 80 ahead but Radley (again) and West Indian ‘Larry’ Gomes rescued them. They closed on 116-3 and on the third morning with Gomes reaching 85, Brearley declared on 207-7, setting Hampshire 275 to win (Roberts 3-66).

This time Greenidge went early and while he, Turner, Gilliat and Lewis got into double figures only Richards held firm, reaching 86. Sainsbury stuck out for 19* but the last three failed to score including a Stephenson ‘pair’ and Titmus finished things with 5-40 in his 35th over as Hampshire lost in the last half-hour by 100 runs.

They were then due to meet the Indian tourists at Southampton but the start was delayed by 24 hours until 2pm on Sunday to allow for the competing attraction of the televised Cup Final (Liverpool 3 Newcastle 0 – correction thanks to Colin). When play got underway, the weather was still poor as Roberts struck in his first over and Hampshire worked their way through the visitors to leave them 162-6 at the close – they were all out for 209 early on Monday at barely more than two runs per over (Taylor 4-28). Despite six wickets for Bedi – renewing his duel of 1973 with Richards (49) – Hampshire replied with 302-6 overnight, declaring on 371-7 on day three with only Jesty (13) of those seven failing to reach 25 (Gilliat 69, Sainsbury 63*). Roberts (3-31) then bowled a fierce spell, leaving the Indians 53-5 but Abid Ali (79*) led them to safety and the match was drawn.

The first nine days had not yet brought a victory although soon that would change. The miserable weather however would haunt Hampshire through the season.