Lives in Cricket No 26 - HV Hesketh-Prichard

54 new captain, E.M.Sprot, who was to captain the side until 1914. In typical Hampshire fashion he did lots of other things very well: H.S.Altham says he was ‘about the best dry-fly fisherman in Hampshire and an excellent pianist … he was a first-class billiards player and had won the Army rackets doubles.’ The county also had the distinction of gaining the Archbishop of Canterbury as a vice-president: Randall Davidson had been Bishop of Winchester but was promoted to Canterbury on the death of Archbishop Temple, who thought of cricket as ‘organized loafing’. Hampshire’sfirstmatchof the summer, against Derbyshire at Southampton, starting on 1 June, was won, and by 261 runs at that. Hampshire made 355 (Llewellyn 148) and 321 for six (Hill 150), but it was Hesketh’s match with three for 62 in the first innings and the match winning seven for 47 in 18.4 overs in the second. At lunch on the last day Derbyshire were 69 for one, but collapsed for 143, Hex taking the last three wickets in two overs without conceding a run. The Times enthused about Hill’s batting and remarked that ‘Derbyshire’s batting broke down badly’ in their second innings, but did not mention Hex. 28 Parker says that ‘Major Wynyard, who was his captain at the time, considers this Prichard’s best performance during the years he played cricket with him, for everything was in the batsmen’s favour, and only a naturally great bowler who could also use his head could have got wickets under such conditions.’ This encomium is spoilt only by the fact that Wynyard did not play in this game and was probably not there at all, since he did not play for Hampshire until August, though playing a good deal for MCC, including various first-class matches. Bernard Bosanquet, feeling moved to write a letter on the subject, probably to Cricket , said that ‘I find I was mistaken in thinking that [Hex] had not been asked to play until rather late, as I hear he was repeatedly pressed to play.’ Unfortunately, it was to be the only game all summer that Hampshire won. Llewellyn, who had played in South Africa in the winter, lost form badly this year. After that game Hampshire rested again, and Hex went off to play for London County against Gloucestershire. In the first innings he bowled 16 overs and took one for 68, but in the second he took five for 31 and with Alexander Kermode, an Australian in the process of qualifying for Lancashire, bowled Gloucester out for 61. The Guardian called it ‘highly effective bowling’ and Cricket said ‘Kermode and Hesketh-Pritchard bowled uncommonly well’, for London County to win by seven wickets. This was indeed an achievement as at one point on the first day Gloucestershire had been 277 for none. W.G.Grace made 150 for London County; he was by now 54 years old, but it was not quite his last big innings. On 11 June Hampshire played Leicestershire at Southampton. The visitors made 231 with Hex taking seven for 90: Hampshire got 211 and Leicester were 158 for three when rain brought things to an end after 40 minutes of the third day. The Times , reporting the first day, comments on Hampshire dropping several catches but fails to mention Hex at all. Perhaps his 28 Remarkably neither does the Wisden match report. One of the Gentlemen