Lives in Cricket No 16 - Joe Hardstaff

to Hutton, Washbrook, Compton, Crapp, Simpson, Palmer, Watkins and Mann. Palmer, Simpson, and Watkins were of the ‘next generation’ and were obviously selected with the future in mind. The 1948 season was Joe’s benefit year and the Notts committee granted him the Derbyshire game at Trent Bridge on 7, 9 and 10 August. Notts outplayed Derbyshire who could only muster 194 and 125. Notts replied with 364, to which Joe contributed 97, and won by an innings and 45 runs in extra time on the second day; this, of course, meant the loss of the third day’s gate money. In all Joe’s benefit raised £3,077. 62 For a player of his ability and standing one might have expected it to be a higher figure, but as far as Notts benefits went in the period up to 1960, 63 it ranks third behind the £3,249 received by Keeton in 1947 and the £3,500 – a Notts record in its day – received by Harris in 1949. Both these summers were much better than 1948. Much depended on organisation and undoubtedly some counties were better at it than others and in those days there were far fewer fund-raising events – if any. It is not known exactly what was done on Joe’s behalf but recently a brochure advertising a match between Joe Hardstaff’s Notts XI and Sutton-in-Ashfield District has come to light. The match took place on Sunday, 20 June at Simpson, Wright and Lowe’s Ground, Huthwaite Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield starting at 1.30 pm and finishing at 7.00 pm. The brochure contains tributes from Neville Cardus, Bill Sime, Jack Hobbs, Walter Keeton, Bill Edrich, Denis Compton, Len Hutton and George Pope. Interestingly, on the Sunday of the August Bank Holiday weekend, Joe and several Notts players took part in a match at Catford in south-east London for Les Ames’ benefit. This visit and those in other years arose from a wartime friendship between Walter Keeton and the Catford captain, Pat Thompson. This particular day was a great success and, according to Alan Hill, Joe remembered all the Catford matches as 'delightful Sundays'. Compared with others who received benefits in 1948, Joe’s figure was the lowest. In 1948 Washbrook received £14,000, but Lancashire gave him the Australian match; Gray (Middlesex) received £6,000; Hollies (Warwickshire) £4,896; and Ames (Kent) £4,336. Nevertheless Joe was able to use £750 to pay off his Post-War Years, 1946-1948 105 62 According to the currency converter at www.nationalarchive.gov.uk/currency, this is the equivalent of £70,000 at 2010 prices. 63 The returns from other Notts benefits of this period were Butler (1950) £2,679; Jepson (1951) £2,000; Meads (1953) £1,575; Stocks (1956) £2,000; Dooland (1957) £2,991; Giles (1959) £1,250 and Poole (1960) £1,302.