Remembering Len Hutton

 Posted by Tony Hutton 

Len Hutton (no relation by the way) was a wonderful opening batsman for Yorkshire and England who is still best remembered for making the then highest ever Test match score of 364 for England against Australia at the Oval in 1938, beating the previous record of 334 set by Australia's Don Bradman. He went on to become England's first professional captain, with great success against Australia crowning the later years of his career.

Don Bradman and Len Hutton.

Having grown up in Fulneck, Pudsey mid-way between Leeds and Bradford, his earliest cricket was with the local Bradford League side Pudsey St. Lawrence, where he is still remembered with the Len Hutton gates and items of memorabilia in the club house. He soon came to the attention of Yorkshire County Cricket Club and made his first appearance just before his eighteenth birthday against Cambridge University in 1934. Sadly he ran himself out for a duck, which was also his score when he made his Test debut some three years later.

The final match of the 1938 series against Australia changed his life with all the publicity which went with the record Test match score. Here are the two teams which took part in that memorable game together with the full scorecard.

 Hutton went out to bat on Saturday morning, August 20th, and was out at half past two on the following Tuesday afternoon having batted for thirteen hours and twenty minutes. Sunday of course had been a rest day. There was no time limit on the match and he could afford to take his time on a perfect batting wicket. Only one chance came along when Ben Barnett missed a possible stumping when Hutton had reached forty. For much of the innings he was supported by his county colleague Maurice Leyland, with whom he shared a partnership of 382.

The Australians were handicapped by the loss of one of their opening bowlers just before the game and suffered further injury problems which meant that both Bradman and Fingleton were unable to bat in either innings. This all happened before the days of television, but thirty thousand were at the Oval and millions listened on the radio to hear Bradman's record broken.

Bradman (left) was the first to congratulate Hutton along with Joe Hardstaff the other batsman.

An interesting picture shows Hutton being congratulated by Bill Brown but you wonder what Bradman (extreme right) is saying to his bowler Fleetwood-Smith who finished with figures of 1-298.

Unlikely to be seen again - last player 364.

My own personal memories of Len Hutton were during the late 1940s and early 1950s, when as a young schoolboy I saw the start of his century against South Africa at Headingley in 1947, then 100 not out in my first county match at Huddersfield in 1948. After that the two most un-memorable innings were seeing him run out for nought against Lancashire in 1949 and clean bowled by Ray Lindwall for nought in the 1953 Test at Headingley. I can to this day remember the eerie silence as he walked slowly back to the pavilion on each occasion.

I also remember his outstanding performances during the month of June in 1949 when he scored a record 1294 runs including seven centuries and rather surprisingly three successive ducks. On the 14th June in the second innings of the Headingley Test with New Zealand he was caught Mooney bowled Cave 0, the next day at Worcester he was lbw bowled Reg Perks 0 and the following day in the second innings bowled Perks 0.

In 1951 he completed his one hundredth century against Surrey on yet another memorable day at the Oval, where he also led England to an Ashes victory in 1953 before repeating this feat in Australia.

Hutton's hundredth hundred at the Oval in 1951 applauded by the Surrey team.

Although a successful captain with England, Hutton was never officially appointed captain of Yorkshire. The next picture is quite unique for two reasons, showing Hutton as acting captain and including Joe Lister, later to become the county secretary, in a very rare first class appearance.