Lives in Cricket No 8 - Ernest Hayes

a simple ‘Esq.’ Surrey had a large staff of professionals: their amateurs were mostly batsmen, so that Hayes was placed in a particularly difficult position. Despite their policy, Surrey finished second in the Championship, largely on the back of professional bowling, especially Tom Richardson who took 238 wickets. Surrey won more matches than any other county. Wisden , without going so far as to criticise Surrey’s selection policy, shared the young professional’s frustration: With a view to strengthening the amateur element in the eleven the Surrey Committee at the beginning of the season gave regular places to Mr H.B.Chinnery and Mr H.D.G.Leveson- Gower. This policy, though we would be the last to find fault with it, told heavily against the young professionals, notably Holland, Hayes and Braund. Not one of these cricketers had anything like a full opportunity of doing himself justice. However, Surrey’s loss was Honor Oak’s gain and Hayes continued to fill his boots in club cricket, scoring 124 not out against Battersea, opening the innings and successfully chasing 212 for 6 declared – having been left an hour and twenty minutes to win – and 145 against Alleyn, a match in which he also took six wickets. It was some consolation that this was his best season so far as a bowler and he records with some pride: ‘I was pleased to get more wickets this season than in previous ones; obtaining 67 at an average of 9 runs apiece. So, altogether, I think I deserved a more regular place in the county side this season.’ 1898 Neither Chinnery nor Leveson Gower, who had been preferred to professionals in 1897, played in the Championship matches for Surrey. Hayes did, though, play in thirteen first-class matches for the county, though without any regularity; he usually batted about eight in the order. However, the frustration increased, as failing yet again to secure a regular first eleven place, Hayes, now 21, wrote in his scrapbook: ‘Again at the start of the season I was left out of the County side and felt very strongly the way they were treating me, and feel now that it affected my cricket for a time.’ A couple of half-centuries for the second eleven, against Northumberland and Northamptonshire persuaded the selectors to give him further opportunities with the senior side, but 22 Surrey Pro