Famous Cricketers No 79 - Richard Hadlee

SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Test matches 3 4 0 29 20 7.25 - - 2 Career 131 182 34 3409 103 23.03 3 13 57 Bowling O M R W BB Ave 5i 10m Test matches (6b) 119.3 37 288 10 5-47 28.80 1 - Career (6b) 2202.2 570 } 11445 518 7-23 22.09 28 5 (8b) 1586.6 231 1981 - in England For the first time Hadlee was able to play a full Championship season, and with Clive Rice also available for every game, these two great cricketers did so much to give Nottinghamshire their first County Championship title since 1929 during the days of Larwood and Voce. There could be no doubting Hadlee’s importance to the side and Wisden , in its review of the season, states: “Hadlee…showed his pedigree as a fast bowler capable of matching anyone, including the West Indian battery. Even bowling off a shortened run, as he did for much of the season, the New Zealander whipped up more pace, bounce and movement than most batsmen could master. In addition to his 105 wickets, 45 of which were captured away from Nottinghamshire’s own green pastures, Hadlee’s match-winning stroke-play took him to a run aggregate of 745.” Despite many fine performances by Hadlee, Nottinghamshire had won only two matches in their Championship campaign up to and including the game with Hampshire in early July. At Bradford Hadlee (142*) was in splendid form against Yorkshire and made his highest first-class score to date. Dropped by Richard Lumb when on 78, the New Zealander and Rice (67) meted out heavy punishment to Phil Carrick and then Eddie Hemmings (28) helped Hadlee to put on 124 for the eighth wicket. Hadlee also took 4 for 16 as Yorkshire were routed for 78. At Liverpool Hadlee with “figures of 7 for 25, including spells of 3 for 10 after lunch and 3 for 0 with the new ball after tea” ( Wisden ), swept aside Lancashire with “accurate and hostile seam bowling” ( Wisden ). Hadlee (4-57) started the match against Middlesex by dismissing their first three batsmen – Brearley, Barlow and Radley – who made only four runs between them. He then did much to give Nottinghamshire a first innings lead of 158 when he top-scored with 82, hitting four sixes and seven fours in 110 minutes, but the Trent Bridge side still lost by 112 runs! A wonderful run of success – winning nine of their last eleven Championship games – gave Nottinghamshire the title and as one would expect Hadlee played a major part in this happy state of affairs. This winning streak started against Worcestershire at Trent Bridge where Rice made 152 and Hadlee took five wickets in the match. However, the New Zealander followed this with match figures of 8 for 116 in the next game against Yorkshire; 8 for 104 in the match with Lancashire; 6 for 78 (and a score of 98) in the fixture with Surrey; 6 for 51 including Glenn Turner’s wicket early in each innings in the away game with Worcestershire; 7 for 67 in the encounter with Warwickshire; 8 for 69 in the match against Northamptonshire at Cleethorpes; and then, in their final championship game of the season, when Glamorgan provided the opposition, 8 for 56 as Nottinghamshire clinched the title at Trent Bridge, pipping Sussex to the winning post in the end by just two points. In these games Hadlee bowled many lethal spells, finishing with 3 for 8 when Warwickshire were routed for 49 at Edgbaston; 5 for 34 when Northamptonshire were skittled out for 85 at Cleethorpes; and 4 for 18 when Glamorgan were swept aside for 60 at Trent Bridge. The Hadlee-Rice combination was also very much in evidence. Against Yorkshire at Trent Bridge, Rice made 172 while Hadlee claimed eight wickets in the match; then in the games against Surrey and Northamptonshire, Rice returned match figures of 9 for 94 and 7 for 80 respectively, as the deadly duo accounted for fifteen of the wickets to fall in each of these games. However, even Hadlee and Rice were not always centre stage. What a season this proved to be for Hadlee, Rice and Nottinghamshire! The Kiwi was the only bowler in the country to take one hundred wickets in first-class games during the season, Rice excelled with both bat and ball, and Nottinghamshire, under his astute captaincy, at long last, experienced the thrill of Championship success once more. 35