Lives in Cricket No 8 - Ernest Hayes

An interesting episode was the presentation to Astill by Mr E.G.Hayes, the County Club coach, of a horseshoe decorated in club colours. The horseshoe was presented to Mr Hayes when he visited South Africa with “Plum” Warner’s team. It thus acted as a token of good luck a second time. As the two players entered the first-class compartment of the London train Astill held the lucky charm up aloft. Leicestershire finished the season in seventh place in the Championship, their highest position since 1905. Wisden recognised Hayes’ contribution to Leicestershire’s improvement: The influence of good coaching on many of the professionals accounted for a large extent for Leicestershire’s greatly increased run-getting powers. Nearly all the professionals scored more heavily and had higher averages than in 1926 while Shipman, Armstrong and Bradshaw far surpassed their previous doings. Certainly Ernest Hayes could feel satisfied with the progress of his pupils. Shipman became thoroughly sound in defence, and developing good strokes, scored readily all round the wicket. He played two Minor Counties matches, both against Staffordshire, whose sides included his old friend and colleague, Sydney Barnes. At Wolverhampton, Barnes took fourteen wickets; Hayes top-scored with 45 in Leicestershire’s second innings, the only batsman to show any resistance to the great bowler. 1928 He continued as coach to Leicestershire, who finished ninth in the Championship. At the age of 51 he played three Minor Counties matches for the county and some club cricket with Leicester Nomads, the highlight being an innings of 187 not out at Lutterworth in just over two and a half hours out of a total of 245 for 4. 1929 Leicestershire won nine of their twenty-eight Championship matches and finished the season in ninth place, one above Surrey, despite the greater financial and playing resources of his previous club. At the end of the season Hayes was released, not because of Leicestershire 106