Double Headers

72 the pattern that their sides against the Universities each year consisted largely of ‘Old Boys’ of the University in question, taking the opportunity to revisit their old haunts for a match against the latest crop of students. It also became the pattern that these matches were generally among the last of the Universities’ home matches each season 62 , before the University squads embarked on their pre-Varsity Match tours. Particularly in the later 1920s, the dates of the Foresters’ matches against the two Universities were therefore quite close together: in 1927 the match at Cambridge was from 8-10 June, and that at Oxford on 11-14 June; in 1928 the Cambridge game was on 6-8 June, the Oxford one on 9-12 June. The inevitable occurred in 1929, when the two matches were arranged to be played simultaneously, starting on 8 June. This presented no difficulties for any of the parties concerned – the Foresters had plenty of players they could call on, and the date fitted comfortably enough into the Universities’ fixture lists. Here are the summarised details and memorabilia of the double-header: Season Play dates Fixture Venue Result 1929 8-9-10 June Cambridge U v Free Foresters Cambridge D 8-9-10 June Oxford U v Free Foresters Oxford D •Hubert Rhys scored 149 on his first-class debut in the Foresters’ first innings at Fenner’s. In his remaining nine first-class matches (mostly for Glamorgan in 1929 and 1930) he only once passed a score of 35. •Both the games ended as draws, though neither tamely. At Fenner’s, the University had a go at reaching the target of 254 in 120 minutes set by the Foresters’ third-innings declaration; they finished on 171-2, with Bryan Valentine scoring 101* in 85 minutes. In The Parks the Foresters bowled Oxford out late on the last day, leaving themselves 95 to win in 45 minutes; the game ended with them on 70-6. As was usual, the two Free Foresters’ sides each had a preponderance of former members of the Universities they were opposing. Nine of the Foresters’ side at Fenner’s had played first-class cricket for Cambridge University, some recently (two had won Blues in 1928) and some rather earlier (two had won their first Blues as far back as 1904 and 1908 respectively). Among the nine were future Test cricketers Maurice Allom and ‘Father’ Marriott, the sometime Somerset player and future educationalist Jack Meyer, and A.G.Doggart, father of Hubert. In the Parks, the University was faced by eight former Oxford Blues, among then the erstwhile Worcestershire stalwart G.N.Foster (first Blue 1905) and, of the younger generation, future Test cricketer Errol Holmes whose latest Blue had been won as recently as 1927. Also in the Foresters’ side in the Parks was former England captain Johnny Douglas, one of the three non- University players in the XI and apart from Holmes the only past or future Test cricketer in the side. The Free Foresters’ team at Oxford also included our friend from Warwickshire’s 1919 double-header, Edward Hewetson. In his penultimate 62 The matches were always played at Fenner’s or The Parks: as a wandering club, the Free Foresters never played any ‘home’ first-class fixtures. Other instances in the British Isles