Lives in Cricket No 9 - JH King

dismissed by Pickett. His innings then proved more than the difference between the sides when Pougher and Woodcock routed Essex for 103. In his second innings King was bowled for three by the even more fearsome Kortright, who finished with eight wickets in his best return hitherto – eight for 63. In the last innings of the match King had his first bowl, a brief spell which included his first maiden, finishing with no wicket for ten; but his first catch (of a final total of 339, from the amateur G.F.Higgins) off Fred Geeson (who was still a fast bowler at that stage of his career before the condemnation of his action by the county captains) probably gave him some satisfaction in contributing to his county’s victory by 75 runs. The authorities were clearly encouraged by his performance since he was selected for the next match, at home against Yorkshire. In the first innings he was the last man in a hat-trick by Hirst (caught by the wicket-keeper), who then bowled him for nought in the second. He took no catch and was not needed to bowl, as Dick Pougher, whom King was destined to replace as Leicestershire’s premier all-rounder, took 12 wickets. He played only two further matches, appearing together with Knight for the first time at Sheffield, where he followed a not out two with another duck against Hirst (lbw this time), and suffering two ducks at Edgbaston. Hirst was certainly to prove his bête-noire, dismissing him many times including for ‘spectacles’ again on a ‘hideous’ pitch at Hull in 1907, where King was the middle victim this time of another hat-trick remarkable in that, since the other victims were Wood and Knight, Hirst clean bowled Leicestershire’s three best batsmen in three balls. King never completely fathomed the Yorkshireman, who inflicted further ‘spectacles’ on him in a match against MCC as late as 1912. 4 King’s batting average for the season was thus 2.83, with five ducks in his last six innings, a dismal record even when one considers that two of his four matches were against Yorkshire and that against Essex on a bad wicket. In bowling he had failed to take a wicket for the 62 runs conceded. Was he, despite his natural ability, too nervous, allowing failure to prey upon him? Knight, who far more easily and at a younger age made the transition to first-class cricket, may have had his friend in mind when, on 13 20 Apprenticeship 4 In all Hirst dismissed King 20 times, a figure second only to Rhodes’ 23 times, but, unlike his fellow-Yorkshireman, Hirst bowled very seldom in the last seven years of King’s career.