fell for 27. Wright had match figures of 10-158 as Kent won in two days. On August Bank Holiday Monday 13,267 paid for admission. Hampshire surprised everybody by making such a fine start to the 1948 season that they were fifth by mid-July, although they tailed away afterwards. Kent were among their victims, the Whitsuntide match resulting in a two-wicket victory off the third ball of the final over, Valentine and Ames for Kent and Johnny Arnold and Neil McCorkell for Hampshire, getting hundreds and Martin’s pace almost bringing victory. These were, indeed, golden days and big crowds saw two Kent successes in 1949. On August Bank Holiday Monday, when 14,000 were present at Canterbury, the Duke of Edinburgh was introduced to the two teams. He was accompanied on to the field by Lord Harris, Kent club president, and Lord Cornwallis, Lord Lieutenant of Kent. Wright carried off the bowling honours with 11-170, including the seventh hat trick of his career. One of Wright’s hat trick victims was Derek Shackleton, who had been given a trial as a batsman in 1947 when he had been playing Army cricket. He never reached a century in the first-class game but he became the acknowledged master of seam bowling at a little above medium pace, with an annual haul of 100 or more wickets in 20 consecutive seasons. In 1950 he was joined by Vic Cannings from Warwickshire and the pair, in dressing room parlance Shack and Vic, rivalled Derbyshire’s Jackson and Gladwin as the best contemporary new ball attack in county cricket. They soon made their mark but first in 1950 there was drama at Southampton. It was a game of low scores and Hampshire needed 153 in the fourth innings. Ten minutes before lunch on the final day, Knott, the last Hampshire batsman, joined Cannings with 22 required. Seven were added before the interval and afterwards Knott levelled the scores with a late cut for two. Next ball Knott fell to a slip catch by Fagg off Wright’s bowling and the match was a tie. It was the following season, 1951, that Shackleton began to make a real impact on the Kent-Hampshire fixtures, with ten wickets in the match at Southampton. Kent were a long way now from their glory days and only a fighting maiden century by Richard Mayes kept them in this game. Ridgway, making the ball fly, routed Hampshire in their second innings but Shackleton and Cannings proved too much. The major problem facing Hampshire’s captain Desmond Eagar was how to avoid overbowling them but they were a permanency at the Pavilion and Bannister Park ends in the 1952 game at Southampton. Saturday’s play was limited to three hours, which saw Hampshire struggling against Martin and Ray Dovey and the slip-catching of Fagg. On Whit Monday Kent, replying to 135, were caught on a rain-affected pitch off which the ball rose alarmingly or skidded through. Nine wickets were down for 18 before Martin struck a six and a four but the innings closed for 32. Peter Hearn batted throughout for an undefeated 12; Shackleton took six for 22 and Cannings four for 10. Martin again proved a handful before Eagar declared 247 ahead and although Evans (34) showed courage, Shackleton and Cannings were again in hostile mood. The innings ended at 91 after 90 minutes, Hampshire winning by 156 runs in two days. On the second day 29 wickets fell, Shackleton having match figures of 21.4-3-67-12 and Cannings 20.1-3-55-8, the pair bowling unchanged. These were lean times for Kent. In 1951, 1953 and 1956 they were only one place off the bottom and in 1952 they were 15th. Hampshire by contrast, were generally comfortably placed with highs of third in 1955, sixth in 1956 and runners-up in 1958. During Canterbury Week in 1953 committee members were Hampshire v Kent 154