Lives in Cricket No 50 - Tom Emmett

113 despite his aversion to sea travel. Too many histories have also painted the period of captaincy by professionals in the 19 th century as one marked only by indulgence and failure, which needed the Hon.M.B.Hawke to rescue the club from the untrustworthy professionals. In fact, Emmett was a capable and respected leader who took his duties very seriously and led the side up the county table. Many looked back favourably on Emmett’s time in charge, and thought he did excellent service in this role. For some, clues to Emmett’s personality were seen in his appearance. Although a man of only average build - 5 foot 8 inches and 10 stone in 1870 (but 12st 2lb in 1878 and into the 1880s) 73 - he was sun tanned due to the amount of time spent outdoors, and had a large nose, which to some made him a figure of fun. His features, especially his nose, became the stuff of jokes. In 1881, Athletic News commented on a series of photographs of players, noting that ‘although they can’t photograph in colours yet, everybody who nose [Emmett] will say that it is as accurate and life-like as it could be under the circumstances.’ Lord Hawke told the story of a good night at Downing College, Cambridge, after which when Emmett put his nose in basin next morning, ‘it made the water fair phizz.’ West recalls occasions when spectators suggested that his red nose was the result of alcohol, something to which Emmett took strong exception. 74 Emmett’s team-mate Ephraim Lockwood also remembered a match at The Oval, when Lockwood’s wife sat in the reserved seats in the pavilion near ‘three gaily-attired society young ladies’. They made fun of the players in loud voices, referring to Emmett as ‘Punch’, Lockwood as ‘Big Feet’ and Billy Bates as ‘the dashing young Yorkshireman’. Their amusement faded though when the three players joined Lockwood’s wife, and the ladies realised their conversation must have been overheard. 75 Tom Emmett also had an effect on most people he met through his behaviour and mannerisms. W.G.Grace wrote that he was an ‘odd’ character and ‘the life and soul of every team of which he was a member.’ 76 He wrote that ‘He had a keen sense of the ludicrous, and could laugh as heartily when he had blundered as anyone’. W.A.Bettesworth, in his tribute to Emmett on his death in 1904, remembered the last time he had seen him was in London, where Emmett was standing in a hansom cab giving ‘explicit instructions’ as to exactly the route to get to his destination to amusement of the driver and a small crowd that gathered. Lord Hawke – who clearly admired Emmett - said that whilst the ‘charm of Emmett may have become legendary…nothing could alter the innate good-nature and humour of the man.’ 77 Others – perhaps feeling overshadowed by him, or fearing his true nature was being misrepresented – suggested there was a lot more to Emmett than met the eye. Luke Greenwood, who played for Yorkshire between 1861 and 1874, commented that, ‘although he was naturally a funny chap, his eccentricity had been grossly exaggerated in the newspapers.’ Emmett liked to play the joker and he spent his career gently winding up fellow players. The Kent bowler, Alec Hearne, remembered a match in the 1880s when Emmett was batting: Personality, performance and popularity