Lives in Cricket No 16 - Joe Hardstaff

There was little to celebrate in 1933 – apart from the birth of his daughter Helen. It was not a good season for Notts who fell to eighth in the Championship. Harold Larwood was unable to bowl, having injured his foot in Australia, while Voce showed obvious signs of tiredness after the tour. This considerably reduced the potency of the attack. Joe was selected for 14 matches. He appeared in six of the first fifteen games, scoring 108 runs, averaging 12.00. He was then out of the side from 8 July to 5 August, before returning for the last eight matches. These appearances were more successful. He scored 326 runs and his average climbed to 36.22. On 23 August, Notts were playing Northamptonshire at Worksop. Joe scored 62 and 48 not out. This was his first fifty since his 86 against Warwickshire at the end of July 1931. He followed this with 42 and 23 not out against Kent at Trent Bridge. Two matches had produced 175 – riches indeed after the barren days of May. Wisden felt that he was a little more reliable than hitherto. The Cricketer said that he ‘showed some development, though he is maturing all too slowly’. With the benefit of hindsight it can be seen that the Northamptonshire and Kent matches represented a turning point in Joe’s career. At the time it was not so obvious. He had created a good impression, but he had not made a great impact. He had played in 65 matches and his 86 innings had produced 1,572 runs at a distinctly modest average of 21.53. There had been one century and five fifties: 1934 was going to be a crucial season for Joe. At this point it is instructive to compare his progress with the other five promising players identified in 1928 and 1929. All had been capped. Keeton and Harris had begun their long association as openers and were clearly following in the footsteps of those earlier Nottinghamshire opening pairs, Jones and Iremonger, Gunn and Whysall. ‘Young George’ Gunn had done less well than Keeton and Harris, but better than Joe. Arthur Wheat, despite all his ability, would still be the reserve wicket-keeper until 1937. 11 Poor Frank Shipston had had a torrid time in 1933 and left the staff at the end of the summer. Making His Way, 1931-1934 25 11 His career as reserve wicket-keeper is similar to those of Bill Farrimond of Lancashire and Jack Eaton of Sussex. Like Wheat, Farrimond had two full seasons after George Duckworth retired in 1937. Eaton was on the Sussex staff from 1926 to 1946 in which time he made 36 appearances as reserve to ‘Tich’ Cornford and ‘Billy’ Griffith.