Lives in Cricket No 26 - HV Hesketh-Prichard

19 have done well to make 94. The main wicket taker, H.A.Browne, apparently bowled a ‘judicious mixture of round-arm, lob and grub bowling’. Loretto only just took a first-innings lead, scoring 102, Hex bowling 19 overs to take two for 18. Fettes’ second innings was 91 and set 84 to win Loretto achieved it for the loss of four wickets: Hex this time had one for 32 from his 17 overs. On 16 June Fettes entertained Blair Lodge in a tight game. Fettes went in first and were bowled out for 61. Prichard then caught and bowled Townsend off the first ball of the innings and eventually took six for 31 in 14 overs: but Blair Lodge made it to 71. With two hours left, Fettes batted again and made 94. The Scottish Field reported that ‘Prichard bowled very well for Fettes College taking 6-31, and I am very much mistaken if he is not the best school bowler of the year.’ The next match reported was on 21 June against EUEPSCC. (The ‘EU’ is Edinburgh University and the ‘CC’ Cricket Club, but the other initials are more intransigent.) They scored 207 for four, with Hex taking all four wickets for 56. Fettes, left not all that long to bat, scored 105 for three in reply. The next game was against Edinburgh Academy on 23 June; the Academy scored 216 (Prichard two for 71) and when it rained Fettes, remarkably, were 100 without loss. The Old Boys game was on 29 and 30 June. Prichard had strained himself in the house match the day before, having scored an unprecedented 45 in which ‘it was not until close to the end of his stay that he attempted any wild hitting’, and after three overs had to give up the struggle. Despite this the school acquitted itself well, leading on first innings by 288 to 168, with the Old Boys finishing at 127 for four in their second innings. On 3 July the school played Mr Fleming’s Team, losing by 121 against 129 for six, but Hex did not appear and was possibly still injured: and indeed the same seems to have been true when they played Grange on 7 July. At some point this season Fettes played the 91st Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and bowled them out for 25, Hex bowling unchanged with D.Miller and taking for four for 11. The averages for the year, published in both red Lilly and Wisden , show that Hex, still identified as H.V.Prichard, averaged 3.55 with the bat with a total of 32 runs in ten innings, putting him last in the list, but took 46 wickets at 10.06, in which he headed the list. The Scottish Field commented on his bowling against Lasswade that One of the features of the innings was the bowling of H.V.Prichard. Last year this was most effective, and on Saturday he gave every sign that with increased strength he is likely to prove of great service to his team. He kept a good length, got the ball to do a bit from the off, clean bowled Batley, Marshall, Lamb and Tristram, and altogether took 6 wickets for 53 runs. The comment on Hex for the year read: The best bowler we have had for a long time. Fast right hand, with a good breakback on a bowlers’ wicket. At present is hardly steady enough, and he wants experience. Unfortunately he is leaving, but he India, Jersey and Edinburgh