Lives in Cricket No 16 - Joe Hardstaff

been chosen as one of Wisden ’s Five Cricketers of the Year. He also featured in the 1938 Player’s cigarette cards. He was somewhat embarrassed by the likeness produced on the card and always maintained that it took him until after the War to live it down! While Notts struggled throughout 1938 and declined to twelfth position (their lowest season since the First War and their record of ten defeats their worst since 1895), Joe had another good season, as did the rest of the Notts batsmen. It was their bowling which let them down. Larwood played in only three matches before deciding to call it a day. Voce and Butler were the only bowlers of quality, although Arthur Jepson, who was to shoulder the attack along with Harold Butler after the War, made his debut. Because of injuries and representative calls Joe only played in 14 Nottinghamshire matches. Nevertheless he made 1,250 runs and averaged 59.52, scoring four centuries and eight fifties. 39 His selection for the First Test, at Trent Bridge, 40 was a foregone Regular England Player, 1937-1939 72 Cigarette card appearance. Joe Hardstaff was unimpressed by the Nottingham company’s picture of him. 39 Sir Home Gordon, in his autobiography Background of Cricket , says romantically that ‘Old Joe’ gave his son out ‘with promptitude’ in this match and that the son accepted the ‘decision with a bright smile’. Wisden shows, however, that Joe senior was not standing in this match. 40 This would have been his first Test appearance at Trent Bridge. In the end he had to wait until 1948.