Lives in Cricket No 16 - Joe Hardstaff

Chapter Seven Australian Test Tour, 1936/37 For the second year in succession the RMS Orion carried an MCC team to Australia. Departing from Southampton on Saturday, 12 September, the Orion – now a year old – called at Gibraltar, Toulon, Naples, Port Said, Suez and Aden. After a very hot passage through the Red Sea, Ceylon was reached on 3 October and MCC disembarked for the then traditional game against All-Ceylon. Joe was selected for this match. Ceylon batted first and by 3.00 pm F.A.Waldock, their captain, had declared at 149 for four. Fagg and Worthington opened for MCC. Fagg, however, was bowled by Gooneratne for eight and without further addition to the score Worthington was dismissed by C.E.Allen also for eight. Wyatt left at 23. Fishlock and Hammond took the score to 60 at which point Fishlock was stumped by Schokman off de Kretser for 19. Joe then kept Hammond company until the latter was dismissed at 72. Now Joe was joined by his captain Gubby Allen who attacked the bowling, and when stumps were drawn at 6.00 pm he and Joe had added 140. Allen had reached 82 and Joe was 65 not out. A Special Correspondent writing in The Cricketer was full of praise for Joe, saying that he was ‘grace personified’ and ‘his glancing and cutting were quite fascinating’. … ‘He seemed to get the maximum effect with the minimum effort.’ Then it was back on board the Orion and on to Fremantle which was reached on 13 October. It would be a long and arduous tour: including the New Zealand section, twenty first-class matches and nine minor games would be played between 16 October and 3 April. In addition the five Tests would all be played to a finish. The team was not due home until 26 April. There were seven first-class matches before the First Test began at Brisbane on 4 December and there was also a minor match against a Clare Country XI 32 at Clare in South Australia. The selection of the team for the First 53 32 According to Wisden and The Cricketer this match was against a Clare Country XI, but Bruce Harris records it as having been played against Northern District of South Australia.