Lives in Cricket No 26 - HV Hesketh-Prichard

50 shown by Hesketh-Prichard’ … ‘[He] bowled extremely well on two or three occasions and more than once proved a valuable assistant to Llewellyn.’ Nine players appeared in eleven or more of Hampshire’s sixteen Championship matches, so there was at least some continuity, but the scratching around that went on for the other places is shown by the fact that twelve players made a single appearance each. Llewellyn took 94 wickets and Hex’s 38 was the next best. He had played twelve matches, which was close to a full county season, even if only two of them ran to three days, and once or twice bowled very effectively. It was probably because he never took his cricket too seriously that he could contemplate coming back again after such a miserable season! Perhaps he felt some solidarity with the toiling professionals, for whom there was no real alternative: to move counties, even had they been wanted, meant spending two years qualifying. After that he was off to Cortachy in Angus for shooting, presumably with the Ogilvys (the Earls of Airlie), and came back to spend Christmas in Jersey with Kate and to get Roving Hearts , a collection of previously published stories, ready for publication. Books, of course, were ongoing, and in December The World (from Coos Bay, Oregon) was noticing Through the Heart of Patagonia , which came out in book form in both Britain and the USA this year: Portsmouth and Patagonia This Hampshire side which finished last in the Championship in 1902. Standing (l to r): H.V.Hesketh-Prichard, C.B.Llewellyn, V.A.Barton, A.S.Webb, W.H.B.Evans. Seated: A.J.L.Hill, E.M.Sprot, C.Robson (capt), D.A.Steele, G.W.Lewis (scorer). On the ground: C.H.Boddington, J.Stone (wk).