Lives in Cricket No 26 - HV Hesketh-Prichard

93 Married Man What Kate thought about being so written out of this story, who knows. The book was serialised in the USA in the same year, possibly in the Popular Magazine . In August the Evening Independent, published in Massillion, Ohio, was obviously looking to fill some space: Tit-Bits [in London] has recently been publishing some facts about the stature of well known English authors. In one of its articles it says: ‘Of past giants in literature, in two senses of the term, we have Thackeray, who was six feet three inches in height. Coming to the present time, we have Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who is six feet two inches high, but doesn’t look it on account of his stalwart build. Then there is Cutcliffe Hyne, who is six feet three inches in height, while Hesketh Prichard is even a shade taller. Keble Howard runs to six feet one and one half inches in height, while his brother, R.S.Warren Bell, who at once ends and tops our list, is ‘close to six feet five inches’. Some idea of the way local newspapers were produced can be gathered from the fact that exactly the same piece appeared in the Oskaloosa Daily Herald . In September 1908 Hex had to go over the United States. This was to do with the embezzlement of his money by one Gillespie, who was thought to have run away to Spain. Then he went to Canada on ‘some other business’ and spent some time in the woods, hunting caribou again. Kate tells us that Lily ‘had been offered the loan of a house in Litcham, near Fakenham in Norfolk by one of her sisters and she and I went up there … H joined us on about 21 November’ and was able to hire some shooting with the Gathorne-Hardys. They stayed there over Christmas. * * * * * * * After Christmas at Litcham Hex and Lily went to stay at Gorhambury: Michael, their eldest son, was born there on 19 February 1909. Michael was, according to his death certificate born at Ulverston, Lancashire, but the birth was actually registered, rather belatedly, in St Albans in April. In the meantime Prae Wood House was being built for them on the southern side of the Gorhambury estate. In April there was an Authors’ Club dinner chaired and arranged by Hex at which F.S.Jackson was the main speaker after W.G.Grace had been asked and said no. The only match this year on CricketArchive was a one-day match in July for MCC against Egypt and the Soudan at Lord’s: Hex took four for 26 as Egypt and the Soudan were bowled out for 127, and was 0* when MCC declared at 298 for seven, leaving Egypt and the Soudan to reach 92 for six at their second attempt: Hex did not bowl in this innings. With unusual restraint Teddy Wynyard, who probably captained the side, did not bat and so missed a chance to fill his boots. We have no certain evidence of other cricket this year, though there are a number of scores recorded in scrapbooks where the cutting says ‘last Friday and Saturday’ or whatever. It is probable that it was in this year he