Lives in Cricket No 8 - Ernest Hayes

Chapter Five Under New Management, Test Cricket, and a Purple Passage His work bears the hallmark of class whether he is batting, bowling or fielding. Surrey: 1905 After the uncertainties of the previous season, 1905 was much more satisfactory for both Hayes and his county. Stability returned as Lord Dalmeny filled the previous year’s vacuum in the captaincy: it had originally been the intention that Dalmeny would give way to J.E.Raphael in July, but he was so successful that the arrangement was not carried out. Surrey finished fourth in the Championship, winning fourteen of their 28 fixtures. Hayes wrote of himself: This proved to be a most satisfactory season for not only did our team do much better but I was in good form with both bat and ball and was chosen for Players v Gents at Lord’s and the Oval, the Players v Gents of the South at Hastings and for the rest of England v Champion County at the Oval. Before the end of the season, I also received an invite to join the MCC team in South Africa during the winter months and accepted. His assessment of his own performances was shared by the media who confirmed his status as an all-rounder. The following appeared on the heels of an innings against Warwickshire when he was bowled for 99 by one which turned ‘out of the rough’: Another Surrey cricketer of the indomitable type came within an ace of making a century in the same innings, namely Ernest Hayes. It is rather difficult to name a more typical all-round cricketer than Hayes. I doubt indeed if any other player can do 49