Lives in Cricket No 26 - HV Hesketh-Prichard

81 Travel with Ball or Gun On, though, with the cricket. Only the games in Philadelphia were ranked as first-class. The first game of the tour was in New York, where they played All New York on Staten Island. MCC declared at 338 for four, with hundreds for Teddy Wynyard and Lionel Collins, a man who had played no first-class cricket after leaving Oxford in 1899 until he played a few games for MCC in 1907, and several Minor County Championship games for Berkshire. The New York fixture was a two-day match and play was abandoned when it rained twenty minutes into day two, with All New York on 66 for three. Hex had taken one wicket, Simpson-Hayward two. Then on 20 September they turned up at Germantown to play a first-class match with the Gentlemen of Philadelphia. MCC were bowled out for 162 by Herbert ‘Ranji’ Hordern, later an Australian Test leg-spinner, who at this point was in a three-year stint in Philadelphia, studying dentistry at the University of Pennsylvania. The Philadelphians replied with 157, with Schwarz taking eight for 55 and Hex supporting with 14 overs, two for 20. MCC were 64 for three in the second innings, but again the last day was lost to rain. The next game was against eighteen Philadelphia Colts, which was something of a turkey shoot. MCC made 329 with a hundred from Kenneth Goldie of Sussex, and the Colts were then bowled out for 86 and 70. Hex took five for 15 in 15 overs in the first innings, but after that, this was Simpson-Hayward’s sort of day and in the second innings he took thirteen wickets. Hex did not bowl. Then they played the Gentlemen of Philadelphia again, at Haverford starting on 27 September. In their first innings, MCC made 222, Philadelphia 227, Hex one for 40 in 12 overs. MCC went for 124 at the second attempt, with five wickets apiece for Hordern and Bart King: at the end of the third day MCC had been 81 for six. As the game had been so severely curtailed by the rain, the captains agreed to play on until lunchtime next day. Philadelphia needed 120, but Hex gathered himself here and took seven for 20 in 11 overs, including a hat-trick – the only one in his first-class career – the second and third clean bowled as they slid from 27 for two to 30 for seven. In the end the game was left drawn with Philadelphia on 60 for nine. Finally they went on to Ottawa for a two-day match with Canada starting on 2 October. Canada bowled MCC out for 119 but in reply could only manage 94. Hex bowled nine overs and took one for 22, but Schwarz and Simpson-Hayward were too much for them. In their second innings MCC declared at 115 for five and Canada ended struggling at 74 for eight. Hex had bowled five overs and obtained one wicket, with Schwarz and Snooke taking the others. So that was the tour, sadly affected by the weather and with all the serious games drawn. Hex, though, was apparently noted as an after-dinner speaker, which was probably as important as his playing role. Derek Birley, seeking to disparage him, wrote in 1999 that Hex’s ‘finest hour was when MCC asked him to lead a tour of America, where his speeches and his sportsmanship were greatly admired, especially in the Philadelphia