Lives in Cricket No 9 - JH King

2. As such professional cricketer and coach as aforesaid his duties amongst others shall be those of playing in matches – bowling at practice nets – preparing wickets for matches and practice and generally performing the customary and proper duties of a professional cricketer and groundsman. 3. In consideration of the premises and the said — well and faithfully performing his said duties the said Club agree to pay him the sum of — per week during the period aforesaid. King’s duties included also umpiring in games played by the club’s second team. The professionals did not have much time in which to prepare the pitches before the season commenced, being, in 1896 for instance, required ‘to commence work on 18 April’ before the first home match on 2 May. Despite misgivings, remarkable for the period, among some members, he and his fellow-professional Edwin Smith, when playing themselves, had to enter the field separately from the amateurs, emerging from one side of the ladies’ pavilion, which was later converted into a still-existent stand. The main pavilion of the club, brick-built in 1849, is certainly the oldest on Merseyside and has some claim to be the oldest in the country. During his inaugural season of 1896, King played 25 matches under the captaincy of Cecil Holden between 2 May and 31 August, bowling in all and batting in all but three. Since playing at New Brighton or Rock Ferry in one-day matches was a far cry from facing Hirst at Bramall Lane in a three-day match, success at this level was absolutely essential for any return to higher pastures. He was undoubtedly a success in bowling, ending with 63 wickets at an average of 16.73 with a best return of seven for 18 against Sefton Park and six wickets in an innings thrice, including once against that marvellously named team Hoi Pepneumenoi (which can be translated as ‘The Wise’ and also ‘The Still Breathing’), and once against Manchester C.C. in a match in which King and his fellow Leicestershire colleague Edwin Smith took all ten wickets between them. In batting, however, he continued a tendency to fail to score (six times out of 22 innings), had a highest score of only 32* and an average, bolstered by seven not outs, of only 17.13. In the friendly match against Leicester Ivanhoe, which he may have arranged, he took only one for 57 and did not bat. His county did not see fit to give him any matches; Knight, though, was now beginning to make a name for himself, finishing second in the county batting averages to Pougher. Apprenticeship 23