Lives in Cricket No 16 - Joe Hardstaff

Australian spinners. White and Fleetwood-Smith carried him off and he took no further part, not only in the Test Match but also in the rest of the tour. Verity hit the last ball before tea for four to take the score to 903 for seven. Joe was undefeated on 169. As soon as Hammond heard that Bradman was out of the match he declared, much to the chagrin of ‘Bosser’ Martin who felt that England should have gone to reach 1,000. All the rest was anti-climax. Australia – two men short – managed only 201 and 123 and England won by an innings and 579 runs. Anxious to see what the Press had to say about his innings, Joe seized the papers next morning with avidity but, much to his chagrin the only mention of his 169 was in the score card! Hutton had stolen all the headlines. Joe went to finish the county season with a flourish, making 84 not out and 63 in an exciting Notts victory over Hampshire at Bournemouth. This was the match in which the 18-year-old Ron Giles, playing in his first match of the season, took the last two Hampshire wickets with the last two balls of the last possible over. 76 Regular England Player, 1937-1939 Don Bradman and Joe Hardstaff congratulate Len Hutton on overtaking the Don’s record Test score, at The Oval in August 1938. Hardstaff went on to score 169 not out: England reached 903 for seven declared.