Cricket 1913

180 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OP THE GAME. M a y 10, 1913. Alec Hearne’s Benefit. His name is Alexander, of course; but no one ever called him Alexander. To all his thousands of friends and well- wishers he was and is “ Alec.” Born at Ealing- on July 22, 1863, he first played for Kent in 1884, before he had attained his majority, and he con­ tinued to play regularly until 1906, when he was 43. With almost any other county team he would have gone on longer; but Kent had many youngsters knocking at the door, and so the veteran of twenty-odd years’ county cricket had to make way whi'e he was still almost as good a batsman as ever and still at least a useful change bowler. His brother George was only 19 when he first played, and Frank, who came between the two, also appeared early. George can still wield bat and ball effectively. Frank has lived since 1889 in South Africa, and has a son coming on, young George, who played for Western Province in the recent Currie Cup matches with success. Alec has had consider- ALEC HEARNE. able experience of South Africa, too, and Durban still remem­ bers him as a fine coach and a rare good specimen of English manhood. The Hearnes must rank as our foremost professional cricketing family, in numbers, in skill, and in popular esteem. Of the o'der generation there were “ old Tom ” and “ old George,” the former one of the best men of his day, the latter good also, but the father of better players— George, Frank, and Alec. Besides these three, and cousins all, there are, or were, J. T .—needn’t say much about him! —Walter, Herbert, and G. F., pavilion clerk at Lord’s and a good cricketer to boot. The younger generation is represented by J. W .—that youngster with the o'd head on his shoulders— and by the youthful Afrikander before-mentioned. It was very much of a chance that the three, George, Frank, and Alec, did not play for Middlesex. All were born at Ealing. But “ old George” had moved to Catford by the time they were coming on ; and Lord Harris looked after the rest of it— and small blame to his lordship! Alec’s first match for Kent was v. Somerset, at Taunton, May 8, 1884. He went in No. 8, and carried his bat for 19, but did not get a chance to bowl. Kent won in an innings. He was in and1out of the team for a time thereafter; but the match with the Australians at Canterbury definitely fixed him in it. Five for 36 and 2 for 30 were his figures, and Kent had the proud distinction of being the only county to beat the Fourth Australian Team. Since that? Oh, no end of feats since th at! Not room for them all here. Any amount of respect for Alec, but cannot give up the whole number to him. If he had done less, it might have been possible to tell of all his best per­ formances. As it is, only a few samples can be given. As thus : 13 for 48 v. Yorkshire, at Sheffield in 1885 ; 5 for 15 v. Hants, at Tonbridge in 1885; 4 for o v. Somerset, at Taunton in 1894; 5 for 13 v. Warwickshire, at Maidstone in 1896; 8 for 36 v. Middlesex, at Lord’s in 1897; 4 for 10 v. Gloucestershire, at Tonbridge in 1902; 8 for 15 v. Glou­ cestershire, at Tonbridge in 1903. All these for K en t; in other matches 8 for 30, M.C.C. v. Yorkshire, at Lord’s in 1888; 5 for 7, Viscount Cantelupe’s XI. v. South Africans, at Bexhill in 1894. Hat trick, Kent v. Gloucestershire, at Clifton in 1900. So says the History of Kent County Cricket. Batting? Well, here is a list of his centuries in first- class cricket 116*, Kent v. Gloucestershire, Canterbury, 1892. 155, Kent v. Gloucestershire, Gravesend, 1895. 105, Kent v. Oxford University, Maidstone, 1895. 117, Kent v. Sussex, Catford, 1898. 112, Kent v. Somerset, Tunbridge, 1898. 117, Kent v. Notts, Nottingham, 1898. 162*, Kent v. Notts, Nottingham, 1899. 168, Dr. E. W. G. Grace’s XI. v. Australians, Crystal Palace, 1899. 142, M.C.C. v. London County, Lord’s, 1900. 152*, Kent v. Essex, Leyton, 1901. 103, Kent v. Somerset, Taunton, 1901. 194, M.C.C. v. Leicestershire, Lord’s, 1902. 100*, Kent v. Middlesex, Lord’s, 1904. 154, Kent v. Worcestershire, Worcester, 1906. Some of the long partnerships in which he has helped : 220 for the second wicket with W. H. Patterson, Kent v. Somerset, at Tonbridge in 1898; 321 for the third with J. R. Mason, Kent v. Notts, at Trent Bridge in 1899 (neither man out); 191 for second with the Hon. F. S. Jackson, C. I. Thornton’s XI. v. Cambridge University, in 1895; five (for the first wicket in each case) of 100 and over with J. R. Mason in one season (1895); others with the same great all-rounder, with Alec’s brother George, with George Bean, with G. J. V . Weigall, with Walter Wright, with F. Marchant, and with numerous other men of might and mettle. For Mote Park v. St. Lawrence, in 1887, he and F. M. Atkins put up 399 before a wicket fell. At the time of his disappearance from the eleven he had scored more runs (13,897) and taken more wickets (1,036) for Kent than any other player. This still stands as an all­ round record, and is likely to stand unless Frank Woolley 'asts long enough to beat i t ; but Blythe has now a bigger bag of wickets. Alec Hearne played for Players v. Gentlemen in 1893, 1894, 1897, and 1898. He visited South Africa with W. W. Read’s Team in 1891-2, and America with the Kent Eleven in 1903. He never went to Australia; one fancies that the conditions down under would have suited him. Very cool and steady, scarcely muscular enough for big hitting at any time, but able to come down hard on a loose one, he was a very difficult man to get out. A slow bowler, he had a bit of break either way, kept a length, and with a little help from the wicket could be very deadly; always good, even without that help. He fielded well in the slips, too. In all first-class matches, at home and abroad, his figures were : 837 innings, 79 not outs, 16,380 runs, average 21.60; 61,272 balls, 23,185 runs, 1,167 wickets, average 19.86. Good enough, eh? Here’s a bumper to Alec Hearne! This is the M .C .C .’s benefit to him, of course; he has been on the ground staff ever since 1888. Kent gave him a benefit in 1898, the match v. Lancashire, at Canterbury. C r ic k e t S e cr e ta r ies should obtain Mr. A. W . Somerset’s Uniaue Score Book, 150 openings, Records and Curiosities fS.— A. J. Gaston, “ Argus ” Cffice, Brighton. For Sale : Cricket Annuals, over 2.oco Books on Cricket, Cricket Prints & Engravings. A. J. Gaston, “ Argus ” Office, Brighton.