Lives in Cricket No 8 - Ernest Hayes

being declared in August caused the season’s cricket to finish hurriedly, but nearly all the programme had been gone through and Surrey were returned CHAMPION COUNTY. Injuries kept me out of the team for a few matches in August.’ Before that, however, in early May, he had produced an invaluable all round performance in the match against Somerset. Headed ‘The Value of Hayes A Splendid Victory’, it reads: Ernest Hayes carried off nearly all the laurels at Kennington Oval yesterday when thanks largely to his superb all round cricket, Surrey beat the clock by an hour and a half and, incidentally, Somerset by 241 runs. Possessing a lead of 207 runs with eight wickets in hand [The two out were Hayward for 5 and Hobbs for 0], the home county entered upon the concluding stage of the match with a commanding advantage, but still it was necessary to score quickly in order to declare as early as possible. Here it was that Hayes played a great game for his side and after he had knocked up 99 out of 166 runs added in an hour and 25 minutes, Surrey found themselves in a position to apply the closure before lunch. Hayes played a magnificent innings, occupying two hours and a half . . . his 129 included fourteen 4’s, three 3’s and sixteen 2’s. Somerset were left 374 to win. Then . . . directly Wilkinson introduced Hayes to the attack at the pavilion end the game steadily went against the visitors. Hayes soon disposed of Braund and Daniel. . . . Somerset were all out in two hours and a half for 132 runs – a poor performance. . . . Hayes five wickets cost less than seven runs each, so that he has every reason to feel proud of yesterday’s work. His final figures were 14-4-34-5. Two centuries against Yorkshire, one at Bradford and one at Lord’s (whither Surrey had transferred three home fixtures later in the season, as The Oval had been requisitioned by the War Office) demonstrated a liking for White Rose bowling. In the same innings, Hobbs had 202, Hayward 116, the only occasion on which the trio all reached three figures in the same innings. Surrey declared at 549 for 6 and eventually won by an innings and 30 runs. Foreshadowing things to come in the next decade, Hayes umpired again – a match between the second elevens of Leicestershire and Warwickshire at Park Road, Loughborough. It was one of a number 80 The Golden Age Ends on the Western Front