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.
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?
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