Runs aplenty at Leyton
100 Years Ago: Late June 1925
Leyton: Essex v Lancashire
Day 1
Essex enjoyed a strong day on a good batting pitch at Leyton, though a late collapse marred their total. Laurie Eastman, promoted to open in place of the sunstruck John Freeman, gave them a fine start with 75 in two hours, sharing an opening stand of 85 with Jimmy Cutmore, who was dropped early. Lancashire’s bowling and fielding were unimpressive on the dry surface, though Dick Tyldesley bowled well, removing Cutmore and Jack O’Connor before lunch.
Jack Russell and Percy Perrin added 85 for the fourth wicket, followed by a brisk 56 from Johnny Douglas and Whiz Morris. But after Morris fell at 281, Essex lost their last five wickets for just 12 runs, finishing on 293. Lancashire’s openers survived the brief spell before stumps.
Day 2
Lancashire made the most of a perfect batting pitch, piling on runs against an Essex attack lacking George Louden’s pace. All their main batsmen passed 30, with several missing out on bigger scores after getting set. Harry Makepeace and Charlie Hallows opened with 72, followed by steady partnerships throughout. Frank Watson stood out with a flawless century—his third in two weeks—marked by sharp cutting and precise timing. Jack Sharp and Jack Iddon closed the innings with an unbroken 116-run stand in just over an hour, Iddon showing real promise.
Essex’s best bowler was Jack Russell with his gentle off-breaks, while Johnny Douglas, though tireless, was ineffective on the flat pitch. Essex’s openers survived the final 35 minutes, despite a testing spell from Ted McDonald. With careful batting and Douglas’s steadiness, a draw remains within reach on this docile surface.
Day 3
On a perfect batting pitch, Lancashire needed early wickets to push for victory but failed to break through. Laurie Eastman launched a brilliant counterattack, racing to 50 in an hour and dominating Parkin and McDonald with powerful drives. He made 97 in under two hours before being stumped off Tyldesley, ending a 172-run opening stand with Jimmy Cutmore.
Cutmore, after a slow spell and a lucky reprieve on 78, went on to complete a maiden century and remained unbeaten after five hours when the match was drawn. Jack Russell started brightly but retired hurt after a bouncer from McDonald struck his hand. Lancashire’s fielding was lacklustre, and Essex emerged with the greater credit from the match.
Tonbridge Week: Kent v Middlesex
Day 1
Kent were likely disappointed with their batting. Early dismissals of Ashdown (0) and Hardinge (7) to poor strokes put pressure on Seymour and Woolley, who steadied things briefly before both fell when set—Seymour to a sharp run-out by Hearne. At 95 for four, John Knott led a recovery with a determined innings, surviving two chances and supported by the middle order. Charlie Wright added some late hitting, but the total was below expectations. Jack Durston bowled well throughout, finishing with five wickets.
Kent’s debutant pacer George Beslee impressed, dismissing Harry Lee early. But Cuthbertson and Hearne dug in, adding an unbroken 101 by stumps to put their side in a strong position.
Day 2
The key difference between the sides was Patsy Hendren’s monumental innings. After Cuthbertson, Hearne, and Mann fell early, Hendren and Leslie Kidd turned the game with a 154-run stand for the fifth wicket. Kidd made a fluent 72, but from then on it was all Hendren. He scored his third consecutive century—his 234 against Worcestershire among them—eventually making a dominant 211 with 4 sixes and 32 fours, batting over five hours. Only Beton offered support with a 98-run stand. Hendren passed 1,000 runs for the season, his only chance a tough one on 23. Debutant George Beslee was Kent’s best bowler, taking 4 for 80 from 39 overs.
Middlesex nearly doubled Kent’s total, with Hendren alone almost matching it. Kent, trailing by 241, batted cautiously in their second innings. Hardinge fell to a fine ball from Haig, while Ashdown and Seymour saw out the day.
Day 3
The match was effectively decided within half an hour on the final morning, as Durston dismissed Ashdown, Seymour, and Woolley, leaving Kent 77 for four. Haig bowled well, and Durston troubled the batsmen with sharp lift. Once again, John Knott stood out with a fine unbeaten innings—remarkable in just his second match of the season. He shared a defiant 61-run stand with Tich Freeman for the eighth wicket, but it wasn’t enough to prevent an innings defeat. Durston wrapped up the innings, finishing with match figures of 10 for 127.
Leicester: Leicestershire v Warwickshire
Day 1
Leicestershire ran into Harry Howell at his best, as the Warwickshire pacer tore through the top order on a fast pitch, reducing them to 18 for three. John King and Ewart Astill briefly resisted with a 53-run stand, but Howell bowled relentlessly before and after lunch, finishing with 8 for 65 from 28.2 overs.
Warwickshire, however, struggled just as much against Alec Skelding, losing four wickets for 48 in 40 minutes. Wickets continued to fall, with only Willie Quaife offering resistance. At 103 for seven by stumps, Warwickshire risk squandering Howell’s fine effort.
Day 2
As batsmen from both sides began to adjust to the fast pitch, the day produced thrilling, fluctuating cricket. Warwickshire resumed their first innings with a defiant last-wicket stand of 26 between John Fox and Harry Howell, but still trailed by 15 runs.
Leicestershire’s second innings was steadied by Alan Shipman, who impressed with 68 as an experimental opener, sharing a 68-run stand with John King. A collapse followed, but Ewart Astill revived the innings with a sparkling knock, adding 63 for the last wicket with Alec Skelding in just 35 minutes. Howell, after his heroics the day before, posed less threat.
Leicestershire set Warwickshire 245 to win—a tough target on this pitch. But Tiger Smith, back as opener, played a superb post-tea innings, dominating a 96-run stand with Len Bates and finishing the day unbeaten on 81. At 116 for two, Warwickshire are well placed, though with fragile batting, the outcome remains uncertain.
Day 3
Warwickshire pulled off an exciting win at Leicester, chasing 245 with some late drama. Tiger Smith resumed in dominant form, racing to a superb 134 in 2 hours 40 minutes, while Willie Quaife dug in stubbornly. At 181 for three, Smith fell to Haydon Smith, who then removed Santall and Bernard Quaife in quick succession, leaving Warwickshire wobbling at 185 for five.
Freddie Calthorpe counterattacked, and though Quaife finally fell for a gritty 24 in two hours, Calthorpe pressed on. He finished unbeaten on 49, guiding Warwickshire to victory just before lunch—their second win of the season.
Nottingham: Nottinghamshire v Worcestershire
Day 1
Worcestershire struggled early against Fred Barratt and Harold Larwood, losing two wickets for 13 and nearly a third—Richard Williams was dropped before scoring, a costly miss as he went on to make a gritty fifty. He batted over three hours and shared a 51-run stand with Harry Rogers. Larwood was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4 wickets, three bowled. George Gunn, who dropped Williams, injured his thumb and couldn’t bat.
In reply, Nottinghamshire faltered. Ben Lilley opened in Gunn’s place and made 43, but wickets fell around him. Fred Root bowled superbly, taking three early wickets and later breaking a fifth-wicket stand of 50 between Wilf Payton and Willis Walker. At stumps, Nottinghamshire were still behind with only two recognized batsmen left, and Gunn unlikely to return. It was a disappointing batting effort.
Day 2
Nottinghamshire began the day needing 10 runs for a first-innings lead, and despite Fred Root’s fine bowling, Larwood and Walker added 32 in half an hour before the innings ended.
Worcestershire’s second innings started poorly as Richard Williams was bowled by Barratt for 1. Bernard Higgins, dropped five times, made 50 and helped take the score past 100, but from 108 for four, the side collapsed to 110 all out, losing six wickets for just two runs to Larwood and Staples.
Chasing 99 to win, Nottinghamshire took just an hour. Root removed both openers, but Arthur Carr’s brisk 38* sealed victory with a towering six. Root bowled unchanged in both innings, finishing with 8 for 121.
The Oval: Surrey v Cambridge University
Day 1
This match marked the long-awaited return of Andy Ducat to Surrey after a serious arm injury in 1924. He nearly marked it with a century, sharing a 171-run stand with Jack Hobbs, who calmly recorded his 120th hundred in pursuit of W.G. Grace’s record. Ducat was stumped going for a six, and Hobbs followed after reaching his goal. His innings was steady rather than spectacular. No other Surrey batsman passed 30 as the Cambridge bowlers, led by Tom Enthoven and the returning Jack Meyer, worked through the lineup. Cambridge’s fielding was solid throughout.
In reply, Cambridge had just over 30 minutes to bat. Tom Francis fell early to a superb inswinger from Bill Sadler, but K.S. Duleepsinhji settled quickly, scoring freely off loose deliveries, while Eddie Dawson defended solidly.
Day 2
Cambridge struggled on a typically good Oval pitch, with only Duleepsinhji passing 25. Under scrutiny from experts comparing him to his uncle Ranji, Duleep impressed with orthodox strokes, especially on the leg side, before falling for 50 to a fiery Bill Hitch. Stanley Fenley did most of the damage with clever leg-spin and changes of pace.
Surrey, leading by 165, chose not to enforce the follow-on. Hobbs and Ducat added 50 for the second wicket, and Jardine batted well, but wickets fell steadily to a persistent Cambridge attack. Hobbs, in fine form, reached his eighth century in nine matches and remained unbeaten as Surrey closed with a 425-run lead. Sam Jagger took four wickets in seven overs during a late collapse. Hobbs is likely to declare overnight, having scored twin centuries in a match for the second time. Ben Sherwell kept wicket flawlessly, with two sharp stumpings and no byes.
Day 3
Cambridge pulled off a stunning and unexpected victory at the Oval, chasing 426 after Jardine declared Surrey’s innings overnight. Given their poor first innings, a draw seemed the best they could hope for—but they went for the win and achieved it in remarkable style.
The foundation was a superb 160-run opening stand between Eddie Dawson and Tom Francis. Dawson, transformed from a blocker to a fluent strokemaker, went on to add 123 more with Duleepsinhji, who made a brilliant 98. Dawson’s maiden first-class century was the innings of his life. Leonard Crawley followed with a rapid fifty, and though Enthoven struggled, Jack Meyer’s late hitting sealed the win in the 120th over.
Surrey’s bowling lacked bite, and without Percy Fender to exploit a worn patch, they couldn’t contain the run flow. Jardine, acting captain and a former Oxford man, had set a target he thought unassailable—only to watch Cambridge chase it down in one of the highest successful fourth-innings totals ever made in England.
Hove: Sussex v Gloucestershire
Day 1
Gloucestershire produced a slow, dogged batting effort against Sussex. After Percy Mills fell early, Alf Dipper and Harry Smith crawled to 51 by lunch, with Smith taking an hour to reach double figures. Dipper improved after the break, making 70 in two hours before falling to Maurice Tate, who then removed two more quickly, including Wally Hammond for a duck. Only Dipper, Smith, Charlie Parker, and George Dennett contributed meaningfully; the rest managed just 9 runs combined. Smith eventually made 91 in over four hours. Tate wrapped up the tail, finishing with 7 for 66 from 43.1 overs.
Sussex batted for 35 minutes before stumps, but Charlie Parker struck twice, including the key wicket of Ted Bowley, leaving Sussex in early trouble.
Day 2
Sussex’s fragile batting faltered early against the spin of Charlie Parker and George Dennett, slumping to 65 for five. But Jack Holmes and Bert Wensley counterattacked, adding 63 in 40 minutes. Both reached fifties, and with lower-order support, Sussex reached 200, trailing by 51.
In Gloucestershire’s second innings, Alf Dipper and Harry Smith started steadily, but after Dipper’s dismissal, Maurice Tate tore through the middle order. Only George Dennett resisted, batting impressively again, while the rest collapsed from 50 for two to 63 for nine. Dennett and John Bessant added 30 quick runs before Tate ended the innings, claiming his 100th wicket of the season. He finished with 13 for 102 in the match.
Chasing 145, Sussex reached 76 for one by stumps. Ted Bowley, who made a brisk 42, was the only wicket to fall. With 69 still needed and a shaky batting lineup, Sussex face a tense final day.
Day 3
For Sussex with their fragile batting, another 69 runs today with nine wickets left was not something that could be taken for granted, and they did indeed have some difficulties before they finally got home safely after an hour and 40 minutes’ play. The overnight pair of the stopgap opening batsman Tich Cornford — promoted recently from No 11 — and Captain Lionel Isherwood took the score to 97 before Cornford was out, and three more wickets fell before victory was achieved. Isherwood, however, who has done very little with the bat for Sussex this season since switching from Hampshire, now at last showed his real form and saw his new county home to victory in the end with a very good chanceless 44 not out in just over two hours. George Dennett’s bowling caused a lot of trouble and there was some superb fielding from Gloucestershire as they fought hard to turn the match, but it was not enough. Maurice Tate’s bowling spell yesterday was the main factor in the home side’s victory.
Huddersfield: Yorkshire v Glamorgan
Day 1
After a tight match against Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire were not quite at their best in the field or with the ball, with the exception of Abe Waddington. He was back on the ground where he suffered his leg injury two years ago, and he bowled superbly to take seven wickets. Otherwise Glamorgan made the best score they have ever done against Yorkshire, the first time they had passed 200 against them. They were given a good start by Eddie Bates, playing in his old home town, and Cyril Walters, who took the score to 91 before the second wicket fell. Then Waddington broke through and five were down for 102. The later batsmen fought nobly, though, starting with the unrelated Dai and the left-handed Emrys Davies, who put on 73 for the sixth wicket, most of the runs coming from Dai. The last four batsmen in the order also weighed in with double-figure scores, but Waddington got most of them in the end.
Glamorgan’s pleasure in a better batting performance was rather lost, though, by the strong opening of Percy Holmes and Herbert Sutcliffe. Holmes was dropped on 6, but Sutcliffe was in fine free-flowing form from the start with a series of handsome drives, and reached his fifty in only 45 minutes. They were still there at the close with 114 in an hour and a quarter, and had scored almost half the Glamorgan total. It is their fourth century opening partnership of the season. Arthur Dolphin is back in the Yorkshire team for this match after injury.
Day 2
This was a day of slaughter for the unfortunate Glamorgan bowlers, who were hit for 579 runs at more than 4½ an over before a merciful declaration was made. Percy Holmes and Herbert Sutcliffe continued their opening partnership until they had made 221 together when Sutcliffe, again the more fluent of the two, was out after batting for 2¼ hours. Holmes stayed half an hour longer, but it was a lucky innings as he survived four chances in the field. Edgar Oldroyd retired hurt with a bruised thumb, and when the occasional bowler Eddie Bates came on and removed Maurice Leyland and Roy Kilner on either side of lunch, the score was 321 for five. But this was only a brief respite, as Emmott Robinson came in and shared successive big partnerships with Wilfred Rhodes (83), George Macaulay (110) and Abe Waddington (65 unbroken). Macaulay hit fiercely to score 71 in about 55 minutes. Robinson scored his second century of the season in less than two hours without a chance and Yorkshire declared at tea. Glamorgan had tried nine bowlers, and they were handicapped when their captain, Johnnie Clay, had to withdraw from the attack with a side strain.
Then Macaulay and Waddington got stuck into the Glamorgan batsmen, and when six wickets went down for 44 it looked as if the match might be over today. However the steady Dai Davies and the more aggressive Trevor Arnott came together and made a good fighting stand to see out the day. But an innings defeat still looks inevitable as Glamorgan are even now 228 runs behind.
Day 3
It took less than an hour for Yorkshire to wrap up this match against Glamorgan by an innings this morning, but Glamorgan did at least make sure it wasn’t all one-way traffic. The overnight pair of Dai Davies and Trevor Arnott in 25 minutes took their partnership from 105 to 143, a stand of 99, before both were out to consecutive balls from George Macaulay, Arnott being caught at deep square leg and then Davies at forward short leg. Both just fell short of the fifties they deserved. Joe Mercer played one of his aggressive innings for 31 in half an hour before the innings closed, the last two wickets adding 54 runs. Macaulay took all four wickets to fall today. Percy Holmes kept wicket for Yorkshire today as Arthur Dolphin has injured his finger again and will be replaced by Reg Allen again for at least the next match.
Chesterfield: Derbyshire v Worcestershire
Day 1
Worcestershire shaped weakly against some very good bowling from Arthur Morton and James Horsley, slumping to 74 for six wickets with scarcely a stroke played in anger. Three of the first five batsmen failed to score, including Maurice Foster bowled by Horsley first ball. Fred Root and Harry Rogers chose more positive tactics and achieved some greater success, taking the score past 100, but both were out in the twenties, Root to a fine catch by Les Townsend near the boundary.
Derbyshire did no better to start with, and they had five batsmen out for 67, with Root troubling the batsmen sorely with his intelligent and skilful bowling, and he was well backed up by Dick Pearson. Then came the best partnership of the day — not that this is saying much — as Sam Cadman and Jim Hutchinson got together, learned a lesson from Root and Rogers, and added 63 runs without being separated before the close. Tomorrow Derbyshire need just four more runs for the first innings and have five wickets in hand.
Day 2
Derbyshire’s overnight pair of Sam Cadman and Jim Hutchinson continued their match-changing partnership this morning and took their sixth-wicket partnership to 141, more than the entire Worcestershire innings, before they were separated. Even Fred Root could not part them, though he finished the innings with five wickets. The later batsmen made a few useful runs and Derbyshire in the end led by 131 on the first innings, having almost doubled Worcestershire’s score.
Batting again, Worcestershire did better than in their first innings, but probably not well enough. They reached 99 before the third wicket fell, with Charles Tarbox batting well and more positively than he usually does. Maurice Foster was out for 15, Root batted usefully, but eight were out for 168, only 37 ahead. However, Cliff Wilson at No 10 hit out to score 33, and this gave Worcestershire something to bowl at, even though they could set a target of only 78. Cadman was the best of the bowlers, so Derbyshire owed much to his all-round skills today.
Root came steaming in as Derbyshire went in again just before the close, and rocked the home team with two wickets with only 16 runs on the board — the valuable scalps of Garnet Lee for 6 and Les Townsend without scoring. Derbyshire should be able to win tomorrow, but with their fragile batting and Root in the attack, it cannot be taken for granted.
Day 3
Derbyshire achieved their third victory of the season (and second over Worcestershire) by six wickets after less than an hour’s play this morning, without any of the alarms that might have befallen the side with their fragile batting line-up. Guy Jackson was not about to let this chance of victory get away, and he came out to join Joseph Bowden, hitting superbly, especially against the dangerous Fred Root. In 35 minutes he raced to 44 in a partnership of 51, although he was dropped in the covers on 20. Bowden was out when the scores were level, but Eric Sykes came in to glance the next ball to the fine-leg boundary to win the match on his 19th birthday. At the other end with 1 not out was Sam Cadman, whose all-round skills surely made him Derbyshire’s player of the match.
Chelmsford: Essex v Oxford University
Day 1
Essex are breaking new ground by playing first-class cricket in their county town for the first time, and found a good pitch, which will improve Chelmsford’s chances of being awarded a cricket week next season, as they are hoping to do. Essex had a good day with the bat, and were again given a good start by Laurie Eastman. Yesterday Eastman was out for 97; today he made 93. He took two hours to reach 50, but afterwards hit out, only to slow down fatally when reaching the nineties and ended up giving a soft catch.
Four wickets were down for 148, but then Percy Perrin, acting captain of Essex with Johnny Douglas resting, joined John Freeman and the two of them batted out the day with an unbroken partnership worth 192 so far. As their partnership developed they grew more aggressive, and the Essex bowling was little real threat. The only bowlers to cause much concern were the left-arm spinner John Greenstock with his deceptive flight and the accurate James Richardson. Oxford fielded keenly all day. Our crystal ball tells us that in years to come Chelmsford will actually take over from Leyton as the headquarters of Essex cricket ― well, that’s interesting!
Day 2
There was a very entertaining day’s cricket, with Oxford University making a fine fightback. Edward Hewetson and Tom Raikes bowled much better than they did yesterday, when they pitched too short, and bowled Essex out for less than 400. Percy Perrin went in the second over of the day to Raikes after a partnership of exactly 200 with John Freeman, who continued his innings until he was ninth out. None of the later batsmen even reached double figures.
When Oxford replied, Philip Stewart-Brown opened with a confident 47, but the other top-order batsmen did not do so well and five wickets were down for 114. Then the fightback began, with a sixth-wicket partnership of 70 between James Richardson and John Stephenson, and crowned with a dynamic eighth-wicket stand of 124 between Ivor Gilliat and Hewetson in only 50 minutes, which was the time of the powerful Hewetson’s 66. Both raced past 50, and in the end they cut the Essex lead to 55.
Day 3
The match overnight was in a situation that so often leads to a dull draw, with the third innings of the match barely begun. But this did not happen here. Essex were handicapped by the absence of John Freeman who needed a carbuncle removed from his leg, and their top order failed against the bowling of Edward Hewetson and Tom Raikes — although Hewetson did not bowl well; he has real pace, but sprays the ball about a lot and generally bowls too short. Seven wickets out of nine available were down for 73 when Joe Hipkin joined the inexperienced Arthur Barber. Hipkin went in for big hitting, hammering 40 out of 53 for their partnership, and in the end Essex set the University 207 to win in 1¾ hours. Oxford did not field particularly well, and their slip fieldsmen were found wanting, but John Stephenson at mid-off did an excellent job.
All the first five Oxford batsmen reached double figures, except for Claude Taylor, suckered out for 0 by Laurie Eastman, but none scored substantially and Oxford were in danger of defeat with five wickets down for 74 runs. But then Stephenson joined James Richardson and the pair came to the rescue as they had done in the first innings, digging in and playing out the match for a fairly even draw.
Manchester: Lancashire v Hampshire
Day 1
A persistent light drizzle delayed the start of play, which could not begin until just ten minutes before lunch, with the weather still dull and cold. Lancashire then went in first and batted laboriously for most of the time left. John Barnes is captaining Lancashire today as Jack Sharp strained a leg muscle in the Essex match. The Hampshire bowling was very accurate and Harry Makepeace and Charlie Hallows were not about to take risks against it. They put on 74 together before Hallows was caught just as he was trying to open out. Ernest Tyldesley was not in good form today and the spectators grew restive.
Runs only began to flow freely after tea in the partnership between the in-form Frank Watson and Major Leonard Green, who is taking Sharp’s place in the team. In just over an hour they added 102 for the fifth wicket and were still there at the close, with Watson no doubt having another century in his sights for tomorrow.
Day 2
Hampshire’s recent revival seemed to be all forgotten at Old Trafford, where they had a dismal day against Lancashire and seem to be doomed to heavy defeat barring plenty of rain. Lancashire continued their first innings this morning, with Frank Watson missing out on another century when he was bowled by Captain Tom Jameson for 91, trying to turn a straight ball to leg. Jameson (above) with his leg-breaks was the surprise package of the Hampshire bowling, as with Alec Kennedy and Jack Newman able to make no impact, he broke through and took five of the six remaining Lancashire wickets. Some useful tail-end scores enabled the home county to total 400, and Jameson finished with seven wickets, taking his best first-class figures. In contrast, Alec Kennedy bowled as superbly as ever, but could manage only the wicket of Harry Makepeace yesterday.
Hampshire walked into disaster when they batted against the fine bowling of Cecil Parkin and Ted McDonald. Four wickets went down for 41 runs, but this sort of situation so often brings out the best in Major Lionel Tennyson. He joined Philip Mead at the wicket and immediately launched into some powerful hitting, at one stage scoring 18 off an over from Parkin. He scored 44 out of 57 for the fifth wicket, all the more remarkable as he has a broken finger on his right hand which is protected with steel casing. After he left Tom Jameson played a useful innings, while Mead was last out.
Hampshire, 234 behind, had to follow on, and this time their start was even worse, as the first three batsmen were all out on 10, and Alec Bowell went at 23. Then there was a repeat performance of the first innings, with Mead holding firm while Tennyson excelled even his first-innings heroics with a powerful fifty in half an hour. The two were still together at the close, but need almost a miracle if they are to avoid defeat tomorrow.
Day 3
Although this match was over just before lunch, Lancashire did make rather heavy weather of it and failed to make it an innings victory, as they would have expected. Lionel Tennyson continued to hit for a while before Ted McDonald obtained his revenge for rather a pasting yesterday with a delivery that skidded through low and fast, sending two of his stumps flying. When Mead followed him back to the pavilion at 138 for six, an innings defeat was likely, but the next four batsmen all made useful scores that in the end just saved that indignity with the last pair together. Lancashire needed 6 runs to win; Tennyson took the ball himself, and in the space of one over had George Duckworth caught at the wicket for 1 with 5 on the board, and was then hit for the winning boundary by John Barnes.
Northampton: Northamptonshire v Glamorgan
Day 1
A fast pitch seemed to disconcert the batsmen of both sides. Northamptonshire made an appalling start, losing their first four batsmen for 7 runs, three of the wickets falling to the superb bowling of Jack Mercer. Vallance Jupp and Fanny Walden fought back to take the score to 42 for six, before the captain Maurice Fitzroy came in to play aggressively in support of Walden, as they added 46 together. Useful runs from Ben Bellamy helped Walden add 30 for the ninth wicket, but Mercer was always dangerous. Walden finished his innings with a runner, having revived a strain.
Glamorgan started much better than the home side, but finished much worse. The score reached 43 before the second wicket fell, but Albert Thomas and Jupp ran through the middle order. Only Trevor Arnott could stand against him for long, with an aggressive 29, and only the last pair managed to take the score past 100. Thomas bowled superbly to take six wickets for only 24 runs.
Northamptonshire went in a second time for just under an hour with a lead of 28, and handled things rather better this time, with Claud Woolley playing soundly and the score reaching 56 with two men out.
Day 2
A recent report stated that the Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is on the verge of bankruptcy, and unless a sum of £3000 can be raised very quickly, this will be the county’s final season in the County Championship. If that disaster should take place, at least it can be said at times that they went out with all the guns they have blazing, as the team has turned in a much better performance this season, and there were some amazing performances against Glamorgan today. Things went normally to start with, Claud Woolley playing a dedicated anchor innings of 47 in over two hours, and with some good batting from Albert Thomas the eighth wicket fell at 216, a healthy but not unbeatable advantage of 244. But then the script began to get unbelievable. In short, the last three batsmen in the order each scored over 80 runs and the last two wickets added 241 runs. Philip Wright started it off with a fine attacking innings as he took on the tiring bowlers to hit 90, his highest first-class score, in an hour and a half, adding 93 for the ninth wicket with Ben Bellamy. Then the last man, slogger John Murdin, joined Bellamy and this last pair added an almost incredible 148 runs for the last wicket, with Murdin passing 50 for the first time, and he was on the verge of a century when Bellamy finally lost his wicket.
The exhausted Glamorgan team were now faced with scoring 486 for victory. Thomas and Vallance Jupp found little resistance, and by the close Glamorgan had staggered to 53 for five wickets after about 70 minutes’ batting. Nothing can be more certain than heavy defeat tomorrow if the rain keeps away.
Day 3
There was no way Glamorgan could escape a heavy defeat at the hands of Northamptonshire, but, after eight wickets were down for 91 in their second innings, Cyril Walters and Frank Ryan put up a fight that enabled the team to lose with dignity. They added 87 for the ninth wicket in an hour, Ryan hitting boldly but with good strokes, while Walters confirmed the class he has always been known to possess. Albert Thomas finally dismissed them both to complete Northamptonshire’s fourth victory of the season in eight matches just before lunch.
Nottingham: Nottinghamshire v Middlesex
Day 1
The pitch was in good condition, so the collapse of the batting on both sides today was quite inexplicable. Wilf Payton was the only batsman who even reached a score of 30, and his 78 was responsible for giving Nottinghamshire a lead of 40, with both teams’ first innings completed today. Nigel Haig took three quick wickets with 39 runs on the board when Nottinghamshire batted first, but Willis Walker stood firm for an hour while Payton batted well, and they took the score to 107 before the fourth wicket fell. Then a middle-order collapse occurred, mainly to Jack Durston, that had eight wickets down for 120. Payton was last man out, continuing to bat well with passive support for the final two batsmen. He was in for 1¾ hours and hit no fewer than 15 fours.
Middlesex also failed badly with the bat against Fred Barratt and Sam Staples, their best partnership being 31 for the fifth wicket between Clarence Bruce and Leslie Kidd, the only two batsmen to pass 20. Nottinghamshire will begin their second innings tomorrow morning with a lead of 40. They are, however, disarmed for this match — George Gunn is missing with a thumb injury, so for the first time for 29 years Nottinghamshire take the field without a Gunn in the team; the wicket-keeper Ben Lilley was promoted to open the innings in his place.
Day 2
Nottinghamshire batted in their second innings today as if the failures of yesterday had never existed. Their opening pair of Dodger Whysall and Ben Lilley showed excellent form as they put on 83 for the first wicket in only 45 minutes, and when Arthur Carr came in the run rate hottened up, as would be expected. Whysall was more aggressive and fluent than he often is, scoring 82 in 1¾ hours, while Carr batted for only just over two hours, being dropped twice. Wilf Payton came in and continued the excellent form he had shown in the first innings, he too taking only just over two hours for his century, and he put on 155 for the fourth wicket with Carr. The later batsmen did little, as they also chased after quick runs, and the declaration came when Nottinghamshire had extended their lead to over 500, with Payton still not out after three hours at the crease.
The exact target for Middlesex was 502, and they did not begin well. The opening pair of Greville Stevens and Harry Lee made 46 for the first wicket, but three wickets fell for 60 before the close. Jack Hearne, Middlesex’s greatest hope for a long strong fight tomorrow, was caught in the slips off the last ball of the day, leaving Middlesex in an almost hopeless position.
Day 3
In recent weeks, since the improvement in the weather, there have been several remarkable feats achieved on the first-class cricket field, and today saw one of the most remarkable of all, as Middlesex chased down a victory target of over 500 against a good bowling attack to beat Nottinghamshire by four wickets. This came after their first four wickets fell for only 66 runs, and required a double-century and two single centuries. Only twice before in first-class cricket has a team scored over 500 to win a match: in 1896 Cambridge University scored 507 for seven to beat M.C.C. at Lord’s, and in 1900 the Players scored 502 for eight to defeat the Gentlemen, also at Lord’s.
Hendren went in at the start of play this morning to accompany the night-watchman, Ernest North, who was soon out, bringing in Clarence Bruce. At 66 for four Middlesex appeared to be doomed. It was Bruce who actually started the counterattack, hitting out boldly to score 103 in just over an hour and a half out of a partnership of 154 with Hendren. Bruce reached his fifty in 35 minutes, while Hendren took 95 over his. Bruce was twice dropped before reaching 40, though. The value of his innings seems to have been rather under-appreciated in the light of what followed. He and Leslie Kidd were both out just before lunch, after which Frank Mann joined Hendren at 231 for six. Afterwards a third chance went down, as Mann was dropped at backward point on 4. Had even one of these chances been held, Middlesex could scarcely have won the match, so it can be said that it was their poor catching that cost Nottinghamshire the match in the end.
Mann, usually a powerful hitter, wisely played a safe game, though hitting the loose balls well, in support of Hendren, who began to open up more. Hendren gave just one very difficult chance to slip when he had made 161, and otherwise played a faultless innings for 5¼ hours. Mann batted for 3¼ hours in a partnership with Hendren that eventually realized 271 runs and remained unbroken. Whether by accident or arrangement, it conveniently happened that Hendren was able to pass 200 and Mann reach his century just before Middlesex attained a wonderful victory with 20 minutes to spare. Hendren has now scored 869 runs in his last six innings, including three double-centuries.
The Oval: Surrey v Somerset
Day 1
Somerset are without Archie Young for this match, due to a freak accident; he was walking in a London street when a sheet of lead fell off a building, hitting and injuring him. John Daniell is injured, so Jack White takes over the captaincy and had, on the whole, a good day. And Somerset do welcome back their swing bowler Bill Greswell, home for a few weeks on leave from Ceylon. Somerset’s early batting was shaky against bowling that was not particularly good on a pitch that was particularly good, and he had to come in at No 4 and hit a determined 61 in just over two hours. The only other batsman to reach 20 was George Hunt, who hit powerfully to score 27 in 25 minutes.
There was a huge crowd of over 15,000 for this match, which took the authorities completely by surprise, and poor planning meant that a portion of the crowd spilled over the boundary; the solitary policeman could not control them all, so the boundary had to be taken in about 20 yards for a while just to keep the game going, which did not please Somerset. The spectators mainly wanted to see Jack Hobbs, who almost failed them when on 8 he edged a catch to White in the slips, which went down to a great roar from the crowd. White responded in the best way he knew, with a superb spell of bowling that kept Hearne and Andy Sandham quiet, and eventually dismissed Sandham for 31 of an opening partnership of 76. Hobbs was also missed at the wicket when 23, but after that looked ominously secure and by the close was looking set for yet another century.
Day 2
Another century, his 122nd, by Jack Hobbs was almost inevitable, and he took a calm half-hour this morning to move from his overnight 80 to three figures, before as usual deciding it was now somebody else’s turn. It is his third consecutive century and his ninth of the season. Two more batsmen climbed in to reach three figures. Tom Shepherd came in to join Andy Ducat and a third-wicket partnership of 180 developed. Ducat batted remarkably well for a man who has been out of first-class cricket for over a year, and with Surrey’s strong batting line-up he perhaps was uncertain of regaining a regular place in the team. His fine innings today should have settled that question, replacing it with another: which player will be left out now for Ducat? Douglas Jardine was unavailable for this match, so there was no problem this time. Alfred Jeacocke is perhaps the most likely candidate to step down, as he has been short of runs recently and was out without scoring today. Tom Shepherd also scored a very good century today, the highest of the three. The later Surrey batsmen hit out and got out as they went after quick runs. Despite the big total Somerset’s ground fielding was superb, although they missed several chances, Jack White three of them in the innings. Bill Greswell toiled hard and was rewarded with five wickets.
Cecil Case and Algy Bligh made a dogged opening stand of 60 for Somerset when they went in again. Case took an hour to reach double figures and two hours for 32, which included an all-run five and an all-run six. All Somerset can realistically hope for tomorrow is to avoid an innings defeat.
Day 3
The only outstanding performance of the final day’s play, which ended before lunch, was the fine bowling of Bill Hitch. For the last couple of seasons Hitch has generally looked like an old nag on its way out, but refusing to go, often dropped from the team and looking no more than a shadow of his old bounding, charismatic self. Today he regained much of his old form, working up a real pace, bowling a fine length and making the ball come back off the pitch. There is life in the old dog yet at the age of 39. He began when the score had moved to 106, bowling out Jack White and Randall Johnson in his fourth over. He went on to take seven of the eight wickets that fell today, a revitalized paceman. The only batsmen who could face him for long were Esmé Hayward, the overnight batsman who batted soundly to be ninth out, having scored 36 in 2½ hours, and George Hunt, who as usual made some good aggressive strokes in his innings when others were pushing and prodding. Finally Hitch had Jim Bridges caught at the wicket by Bert Strudwick to end the match in a big victory for Surrey.
Hove: Sussex v Cambridge University
Day 1
Cambridge University were obviously extremely confident after their victory over Surrey, but they did not let it go to their heads. The captain, Cecil Bennett, ordered attacking batsmanship and his team carried it out to great effect against a Sussex attack whose weaknesses were clearly exposed in the absence of Maurice Tate, who is very wisely being rested. Eddie Dawson and Tom Francis opened with a partnership of 75, and Dawson went on to play even better than he had done at the Oval, scoring 140 in three hours. Bennett himself played a brilliant innings of 88 in an hour and a quarter. They quite overshadowed K S Duleepsinhji, out for 26, and the object of keen interest by the spectators as he will qualify for Sussex next season. The most brilliant hitting came from Lionel Crawley, who hammered 60 in less than half an hour, while Tom Enthoven also attacked to great effect as the Sussex bowling was put to the sword. It took Cambridge just five hours to score 543. George Cox was perhaps the best of the ineffective Sussex bowlers.
As if this was not enough, Sussex suffered further disasters when they went in to bat for the last 27 minutes of the day. Ted Bowley was bowled without scoring by a swinging delivery from Enthoven, and four wickets went down for 21, with Lionel Isherwood and Bert Wensley also failing to score.
Day 2
Sussex had a long uphill fight today, but look almost certain to lose to Cambridge University tomorrow. They lost wickets steadily this morning until nine men were out for 124. But there followed a fine and unexpected last-wicket partnership, which again showed that the Sussex tail is scarcely any worse than its head. Jim Parks at No 10 played a fine innings, helped by Reg Hollingdale, and by playing good positive cricket they added 84 for the last wicket, but were still unable to save the follow-on, as Tom Enthoven removed Parks with the second new ball.
Sussex were 335 behind, and after his good first innings Parks was sent in to open with Bowley. He shaped impressively in an opening partnership of 76, well enough to suggest that Sussex might well persevere with him as they struggle to find a regular partner for Bowley. After he was out for 37 Lionel Isherwood also played well to add 108 with Bowley, but the recovery was spoiled for Sussex just before the close, when four wickets fell for 13 runs, including Bowley in the last over of the day. They are still 107 behind, and with only four wickets left they will do well to stave off an innings defeat.
Day 3
Sussex began the day needing to score 107 more runs to save the innings defeat, with four wickets left. They immediately lost the new man Reg Hollingdale, brilliantly stumped by Ben Sherwell, and Bert Wensley soon afterwards. The debutant Leonard Newbery hung in well, though a little insecure outside his off stump, but Colonel Arthur Watson took on the bowlers in his usual aggressive style. He hammered 11 fours to score 75 in 68 minutes, and with Newbery put on 110 for the ninth wicket to save the innings defeat. Newbery’s unbeaten innings lasted two hours, and Sussex at least could force the University to bat a second time to score the 24 runs needed for victory. Watson, who rarely bowls, was given his chance, and he caught and bowled Sherwell for 5 before the runs were scored.
Birmingham: Warwickshire v Kent
Day 1
This was Freddie Calthorpe’s day at Edgbaston, as his fine all-round performance gave Warwickshire the edge over Kent, who were tumbled out for 42 in the first innings. It was quite a remarkable day’s play, for there was nothing badly wrong with the pitch, just with the batsmen. Tiger Smith, restored to his place as opening batsman, scored 24 confidently and took the score to 41 before the third wicket fell. Then Charlie Wright broke through, moving the ball away quickly off the pitch and making it fly, and within a few overs six were out for 43. At this point Calthorpe took charge and counterattacked the bowling, finding some help from Reg Santall and Bob Wyatt. Calthorpe scored 41 out of 47 in 40 minutes for the ninth wicket with Wyatt before he was out and the innings closed for 137; Calthorpe scored just over half of these in 95 minutes.
If the Warwickshire batting was poor, Kent excelled them in incompetence. Calthorpe bowled brilliantly and Harry Howell very well, and Kent’s first five wickets went down for 21. Frank Woolley was unlucky to play on to Calthorpe for 10. The carnage continued, and in 70 minutes Kent were all out for 42, with Calthorpe and Howell bowling unchanged. Again the batting was inexplicably feeble, and Kent found no equivalent of Calthorpe to rescue them.
Warwickshire went in again with an unexpected lead of 95, and lost two wickets quickly. Smith however stood firm with another fine innings, and although he was out just before the close, Willie Quaife hung in and took Warwickshire to a good lead of 183 by the close, with six wickets in hand. Calthorpe finished his otherwise wonderful day with a duck in the second innings.
Day 2
Warwickshire began the day with a lead of 183 runs and six wickets still in hand. But 88 for four soon became 116 for seven, at which point Reg Santall joined Arthur Croom and a fine eighth-wicket partnership developed. In 1¼ hours they put on 112 runs and when the innings closed Kent were left to score 342 for victory — exactly 300 more than they had scored in their first innings.
Harry Howell made the ball lift sharply when Kent began their innings, and soon a bad hit on the elbow caused Bill Ashdown to retire hurt after scoring a single. But generally Howell and Calthorpe did not bowl as well as they had done in the first innings, their other bowlers were quite innocuous, and Wally Hardinge settled in well against them. Although James Seymour was out at 55, Frank Woolley came in and played rather an uncharacteristic innings. He cut out most of his brilliant drives and played safely, taking no chances, for the good of his team, and was actually outshone by Hardinge, who played a superb chanceless innings, scoring 114 in just under three hours. Their second-wicket partnership took the score to 230, when Hardinge was out and Kent were on top. Woolley now began to play his usual game, and with superb strokeplay almost took Kent home, being caught at the wicket with only four more runs needed, after batting for 2¾ hours. It was a very remarkable match.
Hull Week: Yorkshire v Leicestershire
Day 1
Leicestershire, handicapped by the absence of George Geary who has had a recurrence of his elbow injury, also had the misfortune to lose the toss and have to field out another major opening partnership by Percy Holmes and Herbert Sutcliffe. Having put on 221 for the first wicket against Glamorgan in their last match, the pair this time made it into 272, in three hours and 40 minutes before Sutcliffe was out. This is their fifth century opening partnership of the season, and their 33rd in all. Neither batsman gave a chance. Sutcliffe scored the faster of the two for most of their partnership, although Holmes overtook him just before the former was out.
Holmes batted for 4½ hours and was batting in very dominant fashion, as he had done against Middlesex at Lord’s. He was on the verge of a double-century when he was run out going for a risky single not long before the close. The Leicestershire fielding was very good and saved many runs during the day.
Day 2
Yorkshire continued to dominate this match in every way, and by the close Leicestershire were on the verge of an innings defeat, still 176 runs behind and with only three wickets left. Yorkshire took their overnight score to 451 for the loss of Edgar Oldroyd’s wicket and, since they are not playing Lancashire, they declared. The best bowling figures for Leicestershire were one wicket for 78 runs by Haydon Smith. Oldroyd, trying to play himself back into form, took over two hours for his 44.
Emmott Robinson and George Macaulay were soon destroying the Leicestershire batting, and seven wickets went down for 43. John King was resisting well, the only batsman able to handle Macaulay, until he was run out for 16. Smith fought back, as he often does, to make 23 and boost the eventual Leicestershire score to 85. Robinson and Macaulay bowled throughout the innings, 20 overs each, and Macaulay’s six wickets included five bowled out.
Leicestershire put up a better struggle in the follow-on, with all the first seven batsmen reaching double figures, but only one reached 30. The star bowlers of the first innings were largely rested, and the brunt of the attack was this time borne by Abe Waddington and Roy Kilner. They took wickets steadily, although Les Berry played a very promising innings of 26, handling Waddington well. The strongest resistance came from the captain, Major Gus Fowke, who reached an unbeaten fifty just before the close. However, he survived a chance to Oldroyd in the deep early on, or the match would almost certainly have been over today. He and Tommy Sidwell did well to put on 76 for the sixth wicket. Only plenty of rain can surely save Leicestershire, not impossible as today the sunny weather disappeared and it was a cold, dull and windy day.
Day 3
It was a virtually hopeless task for Leicestershire as play resumed today, as following on they were still 176 runs behind Yorkshire and had only three wickets left. Play lasted only 20 minutes. The overnight pair of Major Gus Fowke and Sydney Coulson took the score from 190 to 206 for seven wickets, but then Roy Kilner abruptly brought the match to an end by taking three wickets in four balls. Fowke was caught by Edgar Oldroyd off the second ball of an over from a lofted on-drive, and Frank Bale edged the next delivery to the wicket-keeper Reg Allen. Alec Skelding blocked the hat-trick ball, but was bowled by the next to end the innings, with Coulson unbeaten on 10. Fowke’s gallant 58 lasted an hour and 40 minutes. This is Yorkshire’s tenth victory in the County Championship this year, and the sixth to have been by an innings.