Lives in Cricket No 8 - Ernest Hayes

terribly fast wickets, in the strange glaring sub-tropical light, Englishmen possessing great names at home have often completely failed to reproduce the form which secured an invitation to make the tour. . . . The ordinary man – he who pays his sixpence at the gate to see part of a county match – will tell you that the MCC tour in Australia in 1907-8 will always be remembered for the loss of four matches out of five, and the comparative failure of Ernest Hayes. The interviewer recognises that ‘Hayes made no bones about it, and fully admitted that he had not got ‘going’ upon Colonial soil.’ He says that ‘the umpiring was pretty bad all round, with England the greatest sufferers.’ There were, however, compensations: ‘A bevy of Fremantle girlies went to see the Brattishers 10 play the soccer game’ . . . ‘they criticised the good looks of the visitors, unmindful of the play’ . . . ‘they were unanimous that Hayes was the chief Apollo, with Braund a good second.’ 1908: Benefit Year After the disappointments of the Antipodes, Hayes settled down to another round of county cricket, his tenth season as a regular player, under a new Surrey captain, H.D.G.Leveson Gower. He managed to recover some form, but contended that luck was against him. However the regard in which he was held in the club is perhaps demonstrated by his top table placing next to the captain at a dinner given for the staff by the club’s President, Lord Alverstone: Although in a lot better form than during the Australian trip, yet bad luck seemed to pursue me this season & time after time I was out to some marvellous catch. Still having finished up with 1200 odd runs – 33 wickets and also catching 38 out could not grumble overmuch. 11 My benefit match v Lancashire was a failure in one way as it rained all three days but luckily I was insured for £1,000 & our people granted me another match, North v South at the end of the season but unfortunately the weather was very cold & after paying expenses, I had again to draw £20 off the Insurance Co, so I might easy say that the insurance people gave me my Cricket benefit. Failure in Australia, Success at Home 63 10 sic – ‘Strine’ for Britishers 11 He rather underestimated his catches, taking 45 in the season.