Lives in Cricket No 9 - JH King

year, the Leicestershire predator mercilessly tormented and then destroyed its prey. In 1914, after the visitor’s dismissal for 223, King was able to reach 55 by the close of the opening day. On the Monday (13 July) he and Harry Whitehead (103) improved their third-wicket partnership to 150 at a steady pace. Then, with the more aggressive Coe (76), he enjoyed an exhilarating partnership of 159 in under two hours before having to shepherd an unproductive tail. His chanceless and undefeated innings, characterized by 33 boundaries all round the wicket, lasted six and a quarter hours and finally reached 227, the highest score of his career and, at the time, bettered for Leicestershire only by Knight’s 229* against the same county in 1903 and, just six weeks previously, by Coe’s belligerent 252* against Northamptonshire. It is even to-day the third highest innings for Leicestershire by a left-hander and, sad commentary on the modern lack of county loyalties, still the third highest Championship score by a Leicestershire-born player. With ‘a chanceless’ 90 and ‘a dazzling’ 71* the previous year, though hampered by a leg-sprain, King had Maturity 89 King’s highest first-class score recorded in Storer Taylor’s neat hand.