Lives in Cricket No 16 - Joe Hardstaff

sore shins, did not appear on the third day after bowling two overs in the second innings the previous evening. It cannot have been easy to concentrate on playing cricket in these circumstances. In particular the loss of Carr hit Joe hard: he thought the world of Carr and rated him amongst the very best of captains, not least because Carr, a strict disciplinarian, had dropped Joe from two or three matches in the previous season for failing to keep his eyes on the captain, neglect which was regarded as a cardinal sin. Joe explained that he had turned to answer a ‘man from his village’ in the crowd and had not seen Carr waving to move him in the field. 14 Carr must rank amongst the most remarkable of county captains. A man of independent means who was afraid of no one, least of all the Notts committee, he was highly respected by the professionals, not only because he gave them tremendous support but also because, unusually for that time, he was happy to mix with them socially. Despite all this, Joe came into his own in 1934 and for the next 21 years was a regular fixture in the Nottinghamshire side. Wisden was lavish in its praise: ‘Hardstaff came along most opportunely and the one batsman to rise from the ordinary to the highest standard in his county’s hour of need, he earned high praise.’ The Cricketer felt that he would reach the top class and considered that he ‘must be looked upon as perhaps the best bat in the side.’ The Nottinghamshire season began at Trent Bridge on Saturday, 5 May, with a match against Somerset. In Notts’ only innings Joe batted at No.9 and was caught by Hawkins off the bowling of Bertie Buse for eight. There was a gap of three days before the next match against Warwickshire, also at Trent Bridge. In the meanwhile, Willis Walker had been laid low with appendicitis. For this match the amateur Patrick Vaulkhard was drafted into the side. He played nine matches for Nottinghamshire, all in 1934, scoring 169 runs at 14.08. 15 Vaulkhard batted at No.3 against Warwickshire and Surrey, but scores of 19, 21, 9 and 7 indicated that this was perhaps too high in the order. Against Warwickshire Joe was at No.9 and made 26. In the second innings he was promoted to No.6, making 41 in a 24-run victory for Notts. 28 Nottinghamshire and England, 1934-1935 14 Perhaps, though, the distraction was female. John Arlott reported, much later, on Hardstaff’s good looks, adding that ‘ladies used to gather round his place in the outfield and regard him with admiration.’ 15 He reappeared in county cricket after the war and played 65 matches for Derbyshire, captaining the side in 1950. Strangely his only first-class century was his 264 against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 1946.