Famous Cricketers No 60 - Ernest Tyldesley

1909 Lancashire had seceded from the Minor Counties Championship in 1909 but were still regularly involved with the Whitsun Second XI “Roses” match against Yorkshire. Ernest Tyldesley played in this game and impressed by top scoring in the second innings with 55 - his own highest to date for the county. When Jimmy Heap suffered a badly sprained ankle in the Championship match against Kent a day or two later it afforded the younger Tyldesley an immediate opportunity to make his first-class debut and he walked out at Aigburth to join his brother J.T. with the score standing at 44 for 3. Together they took the total to 87 before J.T. was injured and retired; Ernest was then joined by the great Archie MacLaren and the pair “hit the bowling to all parts of the field” in adding 128 runs in 90 minutes. His own faultless 61 helped Lancashire to an innings victory. Lancashire won all his next three games, though his contributions were minimal. Recalled in August when Spooner, MacLaren and Sharp were needed for the Fifth Test he experienced his first defeat in the match against Worcestershire. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 1. Lancashire v Warwickshire, Liverpool, June 7, 8 (Lancashire won by an innings and 122 runs) b S.Santall 61 270 64 84 1 2. Lancashire v Sussex, Old Trafford, June 10, 11, 12 (Lancashire won by three wickets) b A.E.Relf 25 120 187 b E.H.Killick 15 293-7 223 2 3. Lancashire v Kent, Tonbridge, June 17, 18, 19 (Lancashire won by 312 runs) c F.E.Woolley b A.Fielder 8 310 123 not out 0 252-5d 127 4. Lancashire v Surrey, Kennington Oval, June 21, 22 (Lancashire won by an innings and 35 runs) c H.Strudwick b E.G.Hayes 1 343 159 149 5. Lancashire v Worcestershire, Old Trafford, August 9, 10, 11 (Worcestershire won by seven wickets) b J.A.Cuffe 1 179 216 c E.G.Arnold b J.A.Cuffe 9 184 149-3 SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Avge 100 50 Ct County Championship 5 8 1 120 61 17.14 - 1 3 1910 E.T. began the 1910 season in the Second XI, but attracted attention immediately with an innings of 71 not out in the match against Yorkshire 2nds (May 16-17). Lancashire had trailed by 65 on the first innings but when Ernest joined Bill Tyldesley at 5 for 1 in the second innings their undefeated stand of 136 won the match. He hit a six and four fours. This secured his promotion to the first team but in a fairly mediocre season Tyldesley achieved only two innings of real note. Against Worcestershire on July 4th he surpassed his 61 of the previous season, topscoring with 66 out of Lancashire’s 239 all out; but a week or two earlier he hit 39 out of a Lancashire total of 403 for 8 against Nottinghamshire - the first occasion in the County Championship that any side had won after being set to score 400 in the fourth innings. His stand of 80 for the fifth wicket with Ralph Whitehead took a mere 40 minutes. The rain-ruined final game saw him take three catches in the Northamptonshire innings of 99 for 5; it was a pity he was denied further opportunity as he was to equal this number just once in his entire career. 11