Lives in Cricket No 26 - HV Hesketh-Prichard

45 Kensington Gardens, taking six wickets as the Artists were dismissed for 96 and making 0* when the Allahakbarries reached 220 for four. One of his victims was Albert Chevallier Taylor, later to produce his portrait. On 5 June he came back to Hampshire cricket, and this time played fairly regularly until the end of August, though from what Kate says it seems he found time for other games as well, taking a team down to Farnham to play against Worplesdon who were captained by their president, Frederick Selous, supposedly Rider Haggard’s model for Allan Quatermain. This was to become an annual fixture, played every year until the war. ‘Hesketh,’ says Kate, ‘always used to collect the most interesting and various lot of players, not all for their cricket prowess of course.’ She mentions Oscar Asche, Conan Doyle, E.W.Hornung, the Gathorne-Hardys 26 and various writers, soldiers and actors. Hampshire had improved substantially in 1901, thanks to the batting of Capt J.G. ‘Jungly’ Greig, another Indian-born soldier. Apart from a couple of games in 1898, all his first-class cricket had been for the Europeans in Bombay Presidency matches, but in 1901 he scored in Championship matches 1,125 runs at 41.66. The other difference was Charlie Llewellyn, now qualified to play. Llewellyn, a slow left-arm bowler who could bowl a chinaman – though it wasn’t called that then – took 115 wickets at 23.25, which was not only the best of the season for Hampshire but the best season’s figures yet recorded for the county. He also scored over 700 runs in the Championship and made 216 against the South African tourists, possibly feeling he had something to prove. In 1901 Hampshire finished seventh, but 1902 was not going to be like that. There was still a war on and Greig and Wynyard were away all season. Llewellyn was the only man to make a Championship hundred in 1902. At the beginning of the season the county announced the signing of A.C.MacLaren as assistant treasurer (and so an amateur player). Given his handling of his own financial affairs this must have seemed unwise, but in the end it didn’t happen and Archie stayed with Lancashire. There was no Harry Baldwin this season, as he had retired – though he was to return in 1904 – and Llewellyn would end up bowling twice as much as anyone else. 1902, notoriously, was going to be wet. As in 1900, the county had already played and lost two games, against Derbyshire and Surrey, before Hex made his debut for the season. He had, though, already turned out for the Allahakbarries against the Artists at Kensington, as we have seen. He had played at least one other game to warm up, playing for London County against Devon at Exeter on 30 and 31 May. London County were not stretched, scoring 228 for three declared, bowling Devon out for 73 (Hex four wickets in seven overs) and having them 85 for eight in the follow-on (Hex one wicket), though the game appears to have been shortened by rain. 26 Another family who had doubled their surname quota, in their case adding Gathorne to Hardy in 1878. Portsmouth and Patagonia