Cricket 1891

G . G . H E A E N E , (M EM B E R OP TH E K E N T COUN TY X I.) M A N U F A C T U R E R O F C R Cricket, Football, and Lawn Tennis Outfitter (Wholesale, Retail, and for Exportation), 140, LEWISHAM HIGH ROAD , LONDON, S.E. a T o ge th e r jo ined in c r ick e t ’s m an ly toil.5’— Byron. No. 28 0 VOL. X. Registered for Transmission Abroad. THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 1891 PR ICE 2d. J O H N T H O M A S H E A R N E . T h e Hearne family have played an important part in cricket for more than one generation. The veteran Tom Hearne, who might not inappropriately bear the nick-name given to another “ Tom,” of a much earlier era—Tom Walker of the Hambledon Club—of “ Old Everlasting,” was a power in the land some thirty years ago. His brother George, a good all-round player himself, did even perhaps better service to the state of cricket in supplying Kent with such a useful trio of sons as G-. G., Frank (for the last few years settled in South Africa), and Alec. And now Mid­ dlesex has found another valuable recruit in the person of a nephew, J. T. Hearne, to wit. Like his two uncles,the young professional whose bowling has proved of such great assistance to Middlesex during the last two seasons, is a native of Bucks. Chalfont St. Giles has been the home of more than one branch of the Hearne family, and it was there, on May 3, 1867, that the young Middlesex professional was born. In Chalfont, too, he was taught the rudiments of the game. More than that, his early cricket was mostly played in the village, so that to Buckingham­ shire belongs the credit of at least the preparatory stages of his train­ ing. Unfortunately, as it happens, there are no records extant to per- E etuate the best performances of is boyhood. The keeness of which he has ^iven sucb substantial proof since his promotion into the higher class of matches will however be sufficient to show that his enthu­ siasm is not a developement of later years. As a boy, indeed, he had evinced promise, and moreover of such unmistakable kind that those who remember him at this time have been in no way surprised to find him taking a place, as he does now, in the foremost rank of cricketers. At the same time his first experience as a professional does not date back beyond the season of 1887. An engagement at Evelyns School, Hillingdon, that year was his first introduction to what we may call serious cricket. Under the care of a Principal, himself in his day a capable exponent of our summer as well as winter games, Mr. T. B. Hughes, well- known at Winchester and Oxford, cricket at Evelyns is, it goes without saying, con­ ducted on a sound principle The Masters’ eleven there has always been strong enough to render a good account of itself against some of the best of the Amateur touring clubs. In Hearne, too, the Masters’ eleven at Evelyns found a recruit of the greatest use. For four successive seasons, from 1887 to 1890 inclusive, his all-round cricket added very considerably to the strength of the side. Most of his best records, at least in the earlier years, were as a bowler. Against the Old Carthusians in 1887 he took five wickets for 21 runs, an ex­ cellent achievement which he supplemented in the same year with one of abetter kind against the Old Wykehamists, when his six wickets were got at a cost of only 19 runs. The match with the latter club, too, furnished one of his most noteworthy records for 1888, though absolutely his best was against theWill-o’-the- Wisps, eight of whom he dismissed for 31 runs. The Old Carthusians, too, provided him with an opportunity for another good performance in 1889, and on this occasion he not only took seven wickets for 27, but also carried out his bat for a very useful score of 28. Meanwhile, Hearne had been tried for Middlesex without success. The Colts’ match of 1889 was spoiled so completely by the weather that it was in no way of any value as a test of the youngster’s cricket. Nor did the match against the Australians in the middle of June give him much better opportunity cf displaying his real capacity as a bowler. The wicket was all against run-getting, and Burton, who had most of the bow’ling, utilised his chances so suc­ cessfully that the colt was not severe­ ly tried. Even then, he performed very creditably, dismissing two good batsmen in eleven overs for nineteen runs. Still, curiously enough, Middlesex cricket knew him no more till the early part of last summer. On his re-appearance however, he showed such excep­ tional promise that his place in the County eleven has never since been in doubt. In the first innings of Notts at Lord’s in May 1890, he took six of the best wickets for 62 runs, and though not so successful in the later matches his figures for the season wrere very creditable, showing thirty-five wickets for an aggregate of 774 runs. This sum­ mer he has more than sustained his reputation. His chief successes have been against Lancashire, and in the two matches withthatCoui ty he was credited with twenty-one wickets at a cost of just over six runs a-piece. Still he has performed with equal effect against every kind of batsman, and his bowling has been so consistently good through­ out, that up to Saturday last be had taken eighty-four wickets for an aggregate of 940 runs, and an aver­ age of under eleven and a half, a great record for a player in his second year of first-class cricket, and so good as to place him atthe very head of the bowling tables in important matches. Heame shows every promise of developing into one of quite the best all-round cricketers of the day. As a bowler, already, he has few, if any, superiors. He is medium pace, rather