Lives in Cricket No 8 - Ernest Hayes

A short time before when we were due to play a match against Northamptonshire, a certain gentleman, unknown to me, brought a bat to The Oval and said, ‘If you will use this bat in the coming match and score a century with it, I will give you a five-pound note.’ I agreed; the same offer was made to Ernie Hayes and accepted. We both failed in the Northamptonshire match and, when the gentleman made the same offer for the match against Hampshire, I was willing to try again, but Ernie thought that the bat was responsible for his poor score on the previous occasion and would not take on the proposal. Well, I scored the 205 with it, and the strange visitor presented me with ten pounds. Ernie was terribly vexed; he had actually beaten my big score on that day and hit up a splendid 276. That self same type of bat became known as the ‘Force’ bat; it was placed on the market and is a good seller. Notwithstanding that, Hayes was able to mitigate his failure to cash in by endorsing the bat he had used. Later that year an advertisement proclaimed ‘the highest score by Hayes and the biggest hit by Mr J.N.Crawford were made with Stuart Surridge’s PRD 12 bats.’ At Northampton, he carried Surrey to a narrow two-wicket victory, scoring 144 not out from a winning total of 242 for eight. The next highest score was 37 and, having shared an unbroken ninth wicket partnership of 29 with Herbert Strudwick, he perhaps paused to reflect on the progress his career had made since his century on the same ground on his Second Eleven début fourteen years earlier. He was part of the Surrey team which beat the Australians by five runs that season and was the first to 2,000 runs, his consistent good form resulting in an invitation to join the England team in the final Test at The Oval. Previewing the match, one newspaper recalled Hayes’ first-class début and drew a parallel with his ‘first appearance in international cricket’. (In fact, it was not, but ‘away’ Tests in South Africa were clearly not endowed with the same significance as ‘home’ ones against Australia.) The cutting reads: Ernest George Hayes has a peculiar distinction. Born at Peckham 33 years ago, he attracted attention by his high scores for Honor Oak. His début in first-class cricket was against the Failure in Australia, Success at Home 69 12 Patent Rapid Driver.