Lives in Cricket No 8 - Ernest Hayes

his performance but because of financial exigency. His fate was shared by all the staff except the first eleven and one reserve wicket-keeper. However, he was not job-hunting for long – no time at all in fact. He records: ‘Fortunately as soon as this was known, Surrey my old County who wanted a professional coach wired me to go up to Committee meeting and at once engaged me for 1930.’ A smoking concert to mark Hayes’ departure was organised, not by the County Club, but by Leicester Nomads some of whose members were also Leicester City footballers. Hayes was presented with a case of pipes and cigarette cabinet and Mrs Hayes with a fountain pen. The Lord Mayor presented him with a Westminster chiming clock. In his valedictory address, Hayes said: I put my heart and soul in my work for Leicestershire. Nobody could have taken a greater interest in the club than I have. The committee have never asked me to fill a vacancy in the first eleven without me producing a trained player who has been a credit to them. I am very sorry indeed that finance had to step in, but in my opinion the committee probably started at the wrong end of the stick. If money must be saved it should not be at the expense of the cricketers, because a club must have capable reserves. There are many promising young players with the club and I would have been very glad if I could have stayed and watched their careers. They will still need advice and counsel and, although experienced men like Geary and Astill still can assist them, there should be someone in the position of head-man to whom they can go. Mr J.Duncan was more blunt and direct, stating that the county club were making a great mistake in letting Ernie Hayes go. Leicestershire’s loss was Surrey’s gain. In 1930, the season after he had left, Leicestershire won only four matches and fell to twelfth place in the Championship table. Perhaps the most telling measure of their decline came in the county’s last match of the season, at The Oval, where Hayes was now coach: Surrey won by 268 runs, after declaring in both innings. Leicestershire 107