100 Years Ago: 6 September 1924

Thrills and records across Scarborough, Hastings and Blackpool

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Day 1

Scarborough: Gentlemen v Players

New Record for Rhodes

PLAYERS 144 (P Holmes 34, W Rhodes 30, W E Astill 21; R C Robertson-Glasgow 2/24, C S Marriott 2/48, G O B Allen 5/40). GENTLEMEN 66/3 (L H Tennyson 21, D R Jardine 15*, A P F Chapman 13*; A S Kennedy 2 wkts).

Wilfred Rhodes set up a new record today that may never be broken.  He scored the 14 runs still necessary to achieve the season’s double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets in first-class cricket for the 15th time, overtaking George Hirst — who is one of the umpires — who did so in 14 seasons.  No doubt Hirst with his well-known generous nature was only delighted for his former team-mate.  Rhodes captained the Players team.  The batsmen and fielders were handicapped all day by a dense white sea fog, which made visibility difficult and ended play early, and it is questionable whether play would have taken place in a county match.  The spectators had a raw deal, unable to see more than white ghostly figures in the distance ― but it was a little better than nothing.  Percy Holmes was the top scorer of the day with 34, while Rhodes achieved his thousand with an innings of 30 after six wickets had gone down for 87.  Five of them were taken for 14 runs by Gubby Allen, whom many call the best young fast bowling prospect in England, from the Trafalgar Square end.  The Gentlemen fielded very well and Frank Gilligan excelled as wicket-keeper.

The Gentlemen also struggled with the light when they batted, and Jack Bryan was first struck a bad blow on the thumb before being bowled by George Macaulay for 2.  Lionel Tennyson made some good hits before being brilliantly caught by Rhodes at short leg, and Douglas Jardine and Percy Chapman survived the day with care.  Dodger Whysall is the Players’ wicket-keeper, in preparation for his tour of Australia, and he did a good job.

Hastings (R.A.F. Club Week): Lord Cowdray’s XI v The Rest

Hardinge and Jeacocke Good Innings

LORD COWDRAY’S XI 314/8 (J B Hobbs 27, H T W Hardinge 94, F E Woolley 36, A Jeacocke 86, G Geary 16*, A Waddington 0*; A E R Gilligan 2/60, M W Tate 5/77). THE REST to bat.

Lord Cowdray’s team is composed of players who are or were members of the Royal Air Force.  Jack Hobbs opened for them and scored 27 out of 35 before he was run out in a misunderstanding with Wally Hardinge.  Frank Woolley played beautifully for 36 in 40, but three men were out for 98, with Hardinge playing a very dogged innings at first.  He livened up when joined by Alfred Jeacocke, who played an aggressive innings as the pair added 168 for the fourth wicket.  When they were separated four more wickets fell quickly as the batsmen attacked the bowling without much success.

Day 3

Blackpool: Lancashire v England XI

One Wicket Short for Lancashire

LANCASHIRE 210 and 198/5 dec (J W H Makepeace 36, C Hallows 112, A W Pewtress 31; J A Newman 3/73). ENGLAND XI 180 and 172/9 (G Brown 23, W R Hammond 48, C P Mead 27, L P Hedges 34, F Barratt 4*, C W L Parker 0*; F B Watson 3/34, R K Tyldesley 4/60, J L Hopwood 2/19). Match drawn. Overnight score was: Lancashire (2) 41/0 (Makepeace 15*, Hallows 24*).

Lancashire’s overnight pair of Harry Makepeace and Charlie Hallows exactly doubled their tally of last night before Makepeace was out for 36 with the score at 82.  Hallows continued on to play a brilliant innings, his fifth century of the season.  The score reached 197 before he was one of three wickets to fall in a heap, trying to push the score along, and then Jack Sharp declared, leaving the England team 229 to win in about two and a half hours.  It proved to be a little too late a declaration, as the last two batsmen, Fred Barratt and Charlie Parker, were in at the close.  Wally Hammond early on had played the brightest innings, while Lionel Hedges stayed almost to the end and almost certainly denied Lancashire victory.  Cecil Parkin took no wickets in the match, Dick Tyldesley and Frank Watson taking almost all the wickets between them.

John Ward is an ACS member and a long-serving Zimbabwean cricket statistician. If you would like to contribute to this newsletter, please either respond to the email in which you received it, or leave a comment below.