Lives in Cricket No 8 - Ernest Hayes

Chapter Seven The Golden Age Ends on the Western Front Lions led by donkeys Max Hoffman 1912 A year in which the loss of the Titanic put sport in its proper context was a successful one for Hayes, who had an outstanding season until the weather deteriorated in July and August, but even then he topped the Surrey batting averages by a considerable margin. Surrey were not doing well, but Hayes was. Wisden observed: ‘Surrey’s batting, apart from Hayes, who played splendidly on all sorts of wickets, was not consistent. . . . Hayes . . . has never played better. He was in form when he started play at the end of April, and in form he remained until a sprained wrist kept him out of the closing match.’ He was the second batsman – and first English player – to score 1,000 first-class runs and was an almost automatic selection for the Gentlemen v Players fixtures. Against Gloucestershire, he had the best innings and match bowling figures of his career, following a remarkable 17.5-6-22-8 with five for 79 in the second innings, one of two occasions he had a ten-wicket match that year; at Leyton, batting in his usual position of No.3, he carried his bat through the remainder of the innings and was in a Surrey side which again beat the Australians, this time by a margin of 21 runs. Hayes captained an all-professional Surrey team v Worcestershire in early May at 76