Lives in Cricket No 26 - HV Hesketh-Prichard

Ockley’s second innings, in which they were all out for 18. Hex, said the local paper, ‘trundled in fine form’ to take four for 7. Looking at their articles, the word ‘trundle’ is not as uncomplimentary as it sounds! Clearly though Hex was going to have to earn his stripes in this side. Against Dorking on 3 June the West Sussex County Times reported that ‘runs coming fast, Pritchard was put on in place of Killick. The change at first promised to be disastrous, as 11 runs were made off his first over.’ But he took a wicket in his next and seems to have bowled well enough as Dorking were bowled out for 97 and Horsham replied with 263 for five. The practice was to play through the day even after the first innings ‘result’, but if two innings were not completed it was still regarded as a victory. So in this game Horsham were regarded as winning by 166 runs. Hex continued to play in most games in 1895, but did not always get on to bowl and usually batted at eleven. Up until the middle of July he seldom bowled: he played against Preston Stragglers, for instance, but they were bowled out for 85 by Killick and Etheridge, and Horsham replied with 473 for nine – not a bad afternoon’s work! On 13 July he was in the team and bowled well, taking four for 73 as Mitcham made 298 for seven declared, with 105 from Charles Corden, who had played regularly for Surrey Seconds and later played a few games for Worcestershire. Mitcham then bowled Horsham out for 152. The next game was a return with Ockley and this time he got on earlier: Hex four for 23 and Charles Etheridge five for 25, from ‘fine bowling by both of them’ according to the paper. After this he played and took wickets more regularly. He took three wickets against Aldershot Division, in an odd game where Horsham were left to score 196 in three hours and finished at 107 for one after Lt Harborne began the innings with eleven consecutive maidens. There must have been an agenda here, but it is lost in the mists of time. Then, against St Swithin’s, Hex did not bowl in the first innings when they scored 57, but managed the impressive analysis of 4-4-0-2 as they scored 10 for five, following on. But he was still very much a back-up bowler at this stage, and for example he didn’t get on in two successive ‘prestige’ games as Killick and Cox disposed of Uppingham Rovers for 102 and 109, then Etheridge and Killick bowled out Bluemantles for 37 and 48. Nor did he bowl in the first innings against Littlehampton, when Etheridge took eight and they were out for 71. But come late August he struck form: four for 35 against Mr H. Harben’s XI and five more in the second innings. Mr H. – later Sir Henry – Harben was the president of the Prudential Assurance Company and on purchasing Warnham Lodge, a couple of miles north-west of Horsham, had employed George Cox as a groundsman and established a cricket ground. Then came four for 39 against Dorking, then five for 27 against Incogniti as they struggled to a winning 58 for seven. He played right to the end of the season, taking five for 30 for Under-25 v Over-25, then played for Mr J.Bostock’s XI against Crawley, taking five more. In late September he even 23 Horsham to Haiti