Lives in Cricket No 26 - HV Hesketh-Prichard

46 His first day’s play for Hampshire, on 5 June, was unpromising. Worcester were bowled out for 258, with Hex taking one for 31 in 14 overs, but by the close Hampshire were 57 for six with Hex down to come in next. It rained for the next two days, so that was a draw. A week later, on 12 June, Leicestershire came to Southampton. This time the first two days were rained off, but 23 wickets fell on the third day. The Times , never afraid to state the bleeding obvious, said ‘the bowlers met with much success’. Llewellyn bowled through Leicester’s innings, which collapsed from 32 for none to 72 all out; Llewellyn had seven wickers, Hex two. Hampshire made 97 in reply (Hex 2*) and the second Leicestershire innings was at 44 for three, all to Llewellyn, when the end came. So two matches had produced two days of cricket. The next Hampshire game was at Bournemouth against Kent, starting on 23 June. Hex and Llewellyn nipped off in the meantime to turn out for London County against Cambridge University. After there was no play on the first day, Cambridge won by five wickets; of the 15 they lost, Llewellyn took 14, though Hex did pick up the other. At Bournemouth, Colin Blythe and Alec Hearne bowled Hampshire out for 133 (Hex 2*, again) and by the close of the first day Kent were 166 for five. Hex then blew away the middle order, taking four for 41, three bowled and one lbw, and they were out for 188. Unfortunately Hampshire’s second innings was 97 (bowled out by Bradley and Mason, this time presumably with the air of men with one hand tied behind their backs), and they lost by nine wickets even after Hearne was run out in the first over. So the third day was another day off then. Remarkably, after this game Hex rushed off to play a two-day game for Horsham against Albemarle, from Islington – he took five for 39 and six for 23, with Albemarle bowled out for 50 chasing 60 to win. It was three years since he had last turned out for Horsham. He also played one other match for Horsham this year; by deduction from his club figures for the year he took three for 37, but the game remains unidentified. Warwickshire at Edgbaston, starting on 30 June, was another two-day affair, but even worse as Warwickshire won by an innings and 33 runs. This time Hampshire started with 76 and by the close Warwickshire were 264 all out – Hex taking four for 78, three bowled. Hampshire managed 155 second time up. With all this free time, at least, one feels, Hex at least had something else to do when hanging about waiting for play: he could always plot out another story. It must have been a thoroughly miserable life for the half- dozen regular professionals. Paid by the match, probably with an extra £1 for away games which they needed to meet their expenses, and hardly ever seeing a win bonus, many a day must have been spent in the pub nursing the odd pint. On 7 July it was down to Hove to play Sussex. The match clashed with Gentlemen v Players at Lord’s, so Sussex were missing Fry and Ranjitsinhji, and indeed Fred Tate. Poor Fred could not have known that before the Portsmouth and Patagonia