Lives in Cricket No 16 - Joe Hardstaff

George Gunn. Of his English contemporaries, only Hutton and Compton could be said to have been better. Based on his 1939 form Joe must be ranked with Hammond, Hutton and Compton and well ahead of the rest of the field. In the end the wartime hiatus in Joe’s career, as well as the shrapnel injury to his eye, makes it impossible to come to a definite conclusion. The war, coming when it did, totally disrupted his career and denied him the best years of any batsman’s life. Hutton and Compton, respectively five and seven years younger than Joe, were able to make much more of an impact after the war. Joe was effectively denied this opportunity which is why one hopes that this book will go some way to reviving his reputation as a supreme stylist and stroke maker who gave countless hours of pleasure to thousands of spectators from Trent Bridge to grounds throughout the cricketing world. Cricket was his life and he loved every minute of it. Latter Days, 1956-1990 123