Lives in Cricket No 16 - Joe Hardstaff

homework seems to have been done about the potential of the West Indies team. MCC travelled on the SS Tetela , a cargo boat, and from all accounts endured a fairly rough voyage which led to their arriving two days late and only allowed only three days of acclimatisation before the first match, against Barbados. Allen pulled a muscle while skipping on deck during the voyage and was thus out of action before the tour started. Unfortunately this was only the first of many more injuries which were to plague the team. Joe began with two and 26 in the first match against Barbados. In the second Barbadian match he made 105, sharing a partnership of 187 for the third wicket with Dennis Brookes. It was then straight into the First Test at Bridgetown. Allen was still unavailable, so Cranston took charge. The West Indies were dismissed for 296. England replied with 253, Joe making 98. Swanton felt that he batted beautifully, displaying a variety of off-side strokes. Eventually England were set 395 to win, but rain ruined the last day and also made what batting there was very difficult; the game was drawn. Sadly Joe failed to trouble the scorers, pushing an off break from Goddard into the hands of Gomez at short leg. The team moved on to Trinidad. Joe made an unbeaten 47 in a minor match against South Trinidad, 58 before the colony match during which he tore a hamstring while fielding. This was very unfortunate as he had made 92 earlier in the match and was clearly running into form. The injury kept him off the field for a month, causing him to miss the second Trinidad match and the drawn Second Test at Port of Spain. This was a disaster for England. As Swanton wrote in his Daily Telegraph report, the team was ‘light on attractive, established batsmen’ and went on to say that ‘Hardstaff was the great magnet and his absence from the side, both in the popular view and as a practical reckoning, made a yawning hole.’ Joe reappeared in the Third Test, at Georgetown, which England lost by seven wickets. After the West Indies had declared at 297 for eight, England struggled to 111, Joe being bowled for three. Following on, England reached 263. Joe was top scorer with 63 and according to The Cricketer , although the wicket was vicious and Post-War Years, 1946-1948 99 58 This was perhaps an early example of commercially sponsored cricket, the match being arranged by Clarence Skinner under the patronage of Trinidad Leaseholds Ltd. MCC were evidently short of players as the journalists Crawford White ( News Chronicle ) and E.W.Swanton ( Daily Telegraph ) both appeared in the match.