Lives in Cricket No 8 - Ernest Hayes

Latterly the policy of the executive seems to have rightly been to dispense as much as possible with the services of those who are standing out of the first team for whatever reason, so that the second eleven may be fully representative of the rising young cricketers of the county. In the latest addition to the second team, E.G.Hayes, who comes from Honor Oak C.C., Surrey seems to have a young batsman of more than ordinary promise. . . . Not yet twenty-one, with more experience he should develop into a very useful cricketer. On his first appearance for the Surrey second eleven, an away match, he made 134 against Northamptonshire. A début century at any level of cricket is of statistical significance and memorable for the century-maker, but when the tyro comes to the wicket with the score at 23 for five and has 65 against his name when the opener who has batted through to that point is later run out for 39, he demonstrates a maturity and a shouldering of responsibility that can bode only well for the future. Although benefiting from a fielding or possibly umpiring error, according to a newspaper report in the scrapbook, he seems to have played an otherwise chanceless innings which clearly made an impression on the Northampton faithful: When the hoisting of the 190 took place, Hayes had made 90, the result of some very pretty cricket. Eales bowled from Kingston’s end and that bowler should have been credited with Hayes’ wicket for a catch in the slips, the first mistake yet made during his innings. Hayes, who had been at the wicket for about three and a half hours, hit two 5s, eleven 4s, seven 3s and seventeen 2s and with the exception of the above mistake, played faultless cricket, and he was heartily applauded on reaching the Pavilion. Innings of 41, 38, 21 and 97 followed, prompting C.W.Alcock to write in Cricket at the end of the season: The Honor Oak C.C., so far as one can judge, seems to have this year furnished to Surrey cricket one of the most promising young players who have combined to produce such a brilliant record for the county’s second team. The young cricketer in question is E.G.Hayes, and I shall be much surprised if next season does not find him established in Surrey’s first eleven. . . . As Hayes is just twenty, and is, besides, an excellent field 14 Childhood and Early Cricket