More nostalgia from years gone by.

Posted by Tony Hutton

Resisting the chance  to comment on the performances of the South of England XI (with the token addition of Root and Stokes) in New Zealand and having lost track of the number of outside signings by the Rest of the World XI (formally known as Yorkshire county cricket club), I will once again retreat to a nostalgic trip from the past.

The year 2000 was probably the peak period of my long cricket watching career, with more cricket seen and more grounds visited than ever before, or since. One of the most memorable trips was a southern tour in August which took in a rather special tournament for wandering cricket clubs based around Oxford University with an absolute plethora of fixtures and grounds to visit. After that it was on to our then regular holiday haunt of Lymington in Hampshire with a good deal of club cricket and a final visit to Hampshire's old ground at Northlands Road in Southampton. The trip home by a rather devious route took in further county cricket in Sussex and Essex.

It all started with a couple of Minor Counties games on our way south. Firstly Campbell Park, Milton Keynes where Buckinghamshire were playing Suffolk at this quite modern ground, before travelling on to the delightful Thame ground where Oxfordshire were playing Herefordshire. The highlights at Milton Keynes were a fifty from Derek Randall, seeing out his career with a spell at Suffolk, and a century from Bruce Percy, who played with distinction for both Buckinghamshire and Rawdon in the Aire/Wharfe league.

 Campbell Park, Milton Keynes

Thame cricket club.

Oxfordshire had a very easy ten wicket victory over Herefordshire at Thame thanks mainly to the bowling of veteran paceman Keith Arnold who took fifteen wickets in the match including an incredible 9-19 when Hereford were all out for 80 in their second innings. Arnold was a true Minor Counties legend who played for Oxfordshire for thirty years from 1980 taking well over 600 wickets.

The next three days, with the very necessary help of a detailed street map of  Oxford, were spent touring the many college and neighbouring school grounds for the wonderful millenium festival of wandering cricket teams from far and wide. It got off to a good start with two games on neighbouring grounds at St Edward's School - Incogniti v The Stage on the main ground and The Cryptics v The Butterflies on the other ground interestingly known as 'The Piggeries'. The most famous old boy of the school was Douglas Bader, the RAF fighter pilot and hero of the film 'Reach for the Sky'.

St Edward's School, Oxford.

St Edward's School - The Piggeries.

On next door to Keble College ground in Woodstock Road where The Frogs were playing against a very historic side, The Gentlemen of Philadephia no less, all the way from the USA. No sense of former glories from the visitors as the Frogs won rather comfortably.

St John's College, Oxford.

Still on Woodstock Road for a visit to St John's College ground where South Oxfordshire Amateurs were playing the Gentlemen of Leicestershire in a a high scoring game with two hyphenated Oxfordians stole the show - M. Winfield-Digby and A. Prior-Wandesford. Finally turning off the Woodstock Road onto Marston Ferry road, we came to the Wadham College ground. Here we saw Hampshire Hogs beat De Flamingos by some margin thanks to the third century of the day so far.
This came from Rupert Cox, who played quite a few games for Hampshire county cricket club in his younger days. 109 not out from a total of 249-4 proved a useful winning score.

Wadham College ground.

This long day was rounded off with visits to Oxford University Press, Trinity College and two grounds at Radley College (Bigside and Secondside). The Gentlemen of Yorkshire were playing at Oxford University Press ground, which always recalls the persistent comment of my Lancashire friends, who wonder where they find eleven men from. Radley College public school was a delight with what appeared to be endless cricket grounds going off towards the horizon. This is of course where England captains such as Ted Dexter and Andrew Strauss learned to play the game. Not quite up to that standard today but The Stragglers of Asia  and The Sunday Barbarians certainly added to the day's remarkable entertainment.

Radley College pavilion.

To be continued in the next blog.

More about Frank

posted by John Winn

'While all the other members of the team returned to England, FW Milligan stayed behind'. Thus reads the last sentence on page 466 of the 1900 Wisden and concludes its report on 'Lord Hawke's Team in South Africa', a tour that began in Cape Town on Christmas Eve with a match against 13 of Western Province and concluded in early April with the second of two matches against South Africa at the same venue.

In my last post I made reference to Frank Milligan who played in both the test matches and who was killed when part of Colonel Plumer's force attempting to relieve Mafeking on March 30th 1900. Thus the match at Newlands was Milligan's last match and a remarkable game it was for England despite being  dismissed for 92 in their first innings won the match by 210 runs. Milligan was dismissed for nought in that innings but batting at eight made 38 useful runs in the second knock. He bowled only two overs in the match but made what Wisden describes as 'an extraordinary catch at long on just securing the ball (while) leaning back on the ropes'. South Africa were bowled out for 35 in their second innings.

Milligan's death is reported in the 1901 Wisden but in fewer than ten lines which seems somewhat parsimonious for a cricketer good enough to represent his country and the Gentlemen and play 95 games for Yorkshire. His last first class match in England was at Scarborough in September 1898 against CI Thornton's XI, a match in which he did not shine but the previous week at the same ground he had taken seven for 61 against The Players in a match won by The Gentlemen. His last championship match was at Hove, a game won by Yorkshire by 192 runs. Spectators at the game would have enjoyed an innings of 179 not out by CB Fry and those favouring the white rose much appreciated 150 by JT Brown. Brown was in decent nick at this time for just a week earlier at Queen's Park Chesterfield he made 300 before being out hit wicket. That 300 was part of what was then the record first wicket stand of 554 made with Tunnicliffe who was out for 243.

Coldham's biography of Lord Hawke gives a fuller picture of Milligan as a cricketer. He is described as 'a cricketer in the nineteenth century mould; all bustle and unthinking aggression He bowled fast, batted with abandon and in the field was a bundle of reckless energy, his whole hearted cricket made him an instant favourite among the crowds'. It is a shame that Wisden could not find space to tell us a little more about such an exciting cricketer.

The Third Man

posted by John Winn

Under Births and Deaths of Cricketers the 1926 Wisden lists 13 players with the surname Hearne, many of whom were related. One of the thirteen was Walter Hearne whose obituary appears in that edition. My interest in Walter stems from the match between Yorkshire and Kent played in the city of York in 1890, the last first class match to be held in the city until this summer when Warwickshire came to town.

Regular readers may recall that in previous postings about this match I have commented on the fact that three Kent players arrived too late to bat in their side's first innings. I have posted potted biographies of two of the late arrivals, Stanley Christopherson and William Spottiswoode in earlier postings, Walter Hearne, a man from a very different walk of life, was the third to turn up late. Hearne's career seems to have been plagued by injury and illness and he died at the relatively young age of 61 at Canterbury on April 2nd 1925. His playing career had been cut short by a knee injury and Wisden says that but for that he might have 'played nearly as long for Kent as did his brother JT Hearne for Middlesex'. He had trials for Kent as early as 1887 but it was some years before he gained a regular place in the side. The game at York was one of only two that he played that year and in 1895 he missed a whole season. The cruel end came the following year when batting against Yorkshire at Headingley  and 34 not out, he was forced to retire hurt and that effectively ended his career. For the record Yorkshire won the match by 9 wickets with Lord Hawke unbeaten on 110 in the first innings. Seven wickets in the match for Mr FW Milligan.

 Frank Milligan is an interesting character I have not come across before. Despite having been born in Hampshire he played 95 first class games for Yorkshire and two tests for England on their 1898-99 tour of South Africa. He did not return home after the tour and holding the rank of lieutenant he was killed during the Second Boer War at Ramatlabama near Mafeking in 1900. There are too memorials to him in Bradford. 

Walter Hearne

Hearne was a right arm medium pace bowler whose best season was in 1894 when he took 116 wickets at a cost of 13.34. His playing days behind him Walter became Kent's scorer a position he held until the end of his life. 

Finally I have this last week I have been in touch with David Thorpe who is currently in New Zealand and who has been watching cricket on South Island. David raises the interesting question whether Invercargill at 46 degrees south is the furthest south first class cricket has been played. A glance at the map suggests that it is highly likely. If so what is the furthest north? 

1996 and all that (Part two)

Posted by Tony Hutton

Continuing the nostalgia theme of my previous blog from July 1996, when I toured the West Midlands and Monmouthshire on what might be called a vintage cricketing journey, we re-start proceedings on day five. The first half of the day was spent at the Bulls Head ground, home of Coventry and North Warwickshire, where Warwickshire seconds were playing Kent seconds. This was day two of a three day match and we had missed a hat-trick by Darren Alltree for Warwickshire on the first day. He was a left arm quick bowler who played regular second team cricket but never quite made it as a first team player. Kent, coached by Alan Ealham, recovered from early set backs to win the game with help from another left armer Tim Wren who took five wickets.

Coventry and North Warwickshire.

Later in the day we moved on to Old Hill, just in Staffordshire, where the home side were playing Buckinghamshire in a Minor Counties game. This was a low scoring encounter which Bucks eventually won by five wickets. Old Hill has produced several county cricketers of note, none more famous than Warwickshire and England leg spinner Eric Hollies.

Old Hill cricket club.

Day six was a Nat West Trophy game at New Road between Worcestershire and Hampshire and the hero here was Robin Smith with a wonderful innings of 158, taking the visitors well past 300 in their sixty overs. Worcester never threatened and were bowled out for 203 thanks to Cardigan Connor and Kevin James.

Day seven was a much more light hearted occasion, at yet another new ground, The Bottoms at Pershore, which staged a benefit match for Stephen Rhodes, the Worcestershire wicketkeeper. Back to New Road the following day for another one day Bain Hogg Trophy game with Worcester seconds comfortably beating Glamorgan seconds. Further entertainment was provided on the ground next door where Kings School, Worcester were taking on their old boys' side.

Pershore cricket club.

Saturday then provided us with the chance of visiting four league grounds which were all new to me.
Firstly Stourbridge, which used to host county championship games, and also produced many Worcestershire players over the years. Then onto Barnt Green, a very pleasant spot which became a regular second eleven venue. Then Ombersley, just outside Worcester, who ran up a huge score on a ground which also hosted a few Worcester seconds' games. Finally back into Herefordshire to visit the Full Pitcher (name of the pub adjoining the ground) where Ledbury were taking on Knighton in another close encounter..

For me the highlight of the whole trip came the next day with my first ever visit to Brockhampton, a tiny village between Hereford and Ross on Wye, where Herefordshire were playing Wiltshire in the Minor Counties. What a delightful spot, which remains one of my all time favourite grounds and really sold me on the benefits of  watching Minor Counties cricket. Only time to watch the first day, but pleased to learn Herefordshire eventually won by just one wicket at the end of the game.

Three pictures of Brockhampton in 1996.

Just one more game to add as we headed for home on the Monday, calling in at Seth Somers Park, Halesowen for yet another second eleven game this time between Worcester and Hampshire. This turned out to be a very high scoring three day game with Hampshire winning by just 38 runs. Liam Botham, son of Ian, made two fifties for Hampshire but star of the show for Worcester was Vikram Solanki with 156. Nice to visit again a ground where I once had the pleasure of playing against the great Eric Hollies, well after he retired from county cricket.

Halesowen cricket club.

A wonderful holiday visiting some picturesque grounds in the middle of the beautiful countyside of Worcestershire and Herefordshire. Such happy memories which go some way to forgetting the parlous state in which cricket finds itself today.