England’s Greatest Cricketer Retires

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1063, 29 August 1930, Page 7

England’s Greatest Cricketer Retires

Career of Jack Hobbs Has scored nearly 4,000 runs for England Dr. W. G. Grace's aggregate beaten.

FOK years the name of John Berry Hobbs in cricket lias been a name to conjure with. And now, at the advanced cricket age of 47, the greatest batsman Test cricket lias known from the point of view of length of service and consistency, and the most famous cricketer of his time—perhaps of the century—has laid down the willow in England-Australia series after a reign of over 20 rears. Ten or even fifteen years ago the Surrey and All England batsman had carved out a niche in cricket’s temple of great ones, but his post-war success with the bat. terminated now in a career of unprecedented duration in international cricket lias stamped him as a player second only to the Grand Old Man of the game. Dr. VV. G. Grace. Only one other cricketer, Wilfred Rhodes, has had the, same length of service in Test cricket as Hobbs. Each has played in 41 England-Australia games. He has broken and established more records than any other cricketer the world has known. He has figured in a succession of first wicket test batting partnerships which will probably not be equalled or beaten for years: first with Ton Hayward, the hero of his youth; then with Wilfred Rhodes, a great contemporary cricketer of his prime: and latterly with Herbert Sutcliffe. the rising star of the master’s mellower years. !t has almost been a case of “cricketers may come, and cricketers may go, but Hobbs goes on for ever.” But at last Time has taken its ruthless toll, and Hobbs has to hand on to others the willow wand which he in turn accepted from Hayward . . . Hobbs first saw the light of day on December 16, 18S2 at Cambridge where his father was a cricket professional at Fenner’s—the University city’s famous ground. He says in his memoirs that cricket must have been born in him, and although he never had an hour’s coaching in his life, he soon stood out head and shoulders in i school, club and city cricket. When ’yet only 19, lie entered upon his first professional engagement in 1902. On April 23. 1903, he trod the sacred turf of the famous Kennington Oval, London, for the first time, and perhaps little did ho realise then for the next thirty years or more he would be the Oval’s dominating figure. He played first for the Surrey colts, then for the Surrey Club and Ground and Cambridgeshire. Such was his success that tn 1905 he •went straight into Surrey’s county eleven at the age of 22, and in his very first match for the county scored a century—lss in the second Innings. Great batsman that he was even in his early days, Hobbs was a bowler of more than average ability. On one occasion in his second season with the county he took three wickets .for three runs in four overs against Notts, when the visitors to the Oval had 349 runs on for six wickets. One outstanding cricket critic has said that had Hobbs been stronger physically he would have been a really great bowler, and might have emulated the deeds of the famous W.G. But that belongs to the world of “might have been.” He had to concentrate on batting and fielding, at

both of which he excelled, ln fact, he is generally regarded as being second omy to Australia’s S. E. Gregory as the Finest cover-point fieldsman in cricket history. He has, of course, bowled at 'odd times even in Test cricket. Hobbs made his First tour to Australia in 1907-8 with A. O. Jones’s team. He did not play in the first Test. George Gunn, who had travelled with the team, being played in preference to him. The Surrey man won a place in th,e second Test team, and it was characteristic of the man who has had a habit of rising to the big occasion that he scored 83—in the first innings of his First Test match. England won a thrilling battle, the only one of that series. He played in all the other Tests, and

; [ scored 302 runs at an average of 43.14. I ' That was the tour in which Syd ; j Barnes was responsible for some i ; phenomenal bowling wl\ieh stamped . him as one of the greatest—consid- : ered by some to be the greatest—of all England’s Test bowlers. In 1908 Hobbs made his first trip to South Africa, and in the last Test Rhodes and Hobbs broke I all existing Test records by scoring 211 for the first wicket, Hobbs eventually getting 187—his first • century in international cricket. He averaged 67.33 for the Test i series. J. j Hobbs’s innings against Australia in ' ' the Test matches have been as folv low: IN AUSTRALIA 1 I 1907-S Tour: 83, 28, 26. 23 not out,

57, 0. 72, 12; total. 392 runs; average. 43.14. 1010-11 Tour: 63, 22. 6. 126 not out. IS7, 3. 178. 32. 45; total. G 62; average. **1920-21 Tour: 49. 59. 122. 20. 18. 123 27. 13, 14, 34; total, 505; average. 50.50 1924-25 Tour; 115, 57. 154, 22. 119 27, 66, 0, 13; total, 573; average. 63.66 1928-29 Tour: 49. 11, 40. 20. 49. 74 1, 142. 65; total. 451; average. 50.11. IN ENGLAND 1900 Series: 0. 62 not out. 19. 9. 12 30; total, 132; average. 26.40. 1912 Series: 107. 19. 66. 32; total 224; average, 56.0 There were only three tests arranged for this year and the weather prevented two from being played out. 1921 Series; Unable to bat In tests because of illness. 1926 Series; 19 not out (match abandoned then because of rain). 119, 49 88, 74, 37. 100; total. 486; average Sl.O. 1930 Series; 78. 74. 1. 19 29. 13. 31, 47, 9; total, 301; average, 33.44. In all Australia v. England tests In which he has played he has scored a grand total of 3.736 runs, a* an average of 54.26. This is a record which speaks for itself. It will surely be a long day before the like of it is seen again. It establishes his claim to being cricket's greatest test batsman in length and merit of his career. Hobbs also played many Innings against South Africa both in England and In South Africa. His principle performances in these matches. in chronological order have been: 190910: 187, versus S. A. at Capetown 1924: 211 for England at Lord's Hobbs, in addition, averaged 76.00 in the 1913-14 tour.

He has scored more centuries in first class cricket than any other batsman the game has Known, and at the time of writing had 174 to his -'•'lit. With several years of usefulness left, there is every reason to expect that he will go very far to getting 200 centuries in first class cricket. Another record which he smashed but a fortnight ago, was Dr. W G. Grace’s aggregate of 54.896 runs in first class cricket. That was the last outstanding record that lie had not touched, and having attained those heights he has no more fields to conquer. He is the most prolific batsman first class cricket has known. Much has been written in comparing Hobbs with Dr. Grace. It is sufficient to say that such a comparison, even were it possible, would serve no useful purpose. The two men were almost of diametrically opposite* types. Each belonged to a different age. And Hobbs cannot challenge Grace’s position as the greatest all round cricketer the game has known. This is what the giant of the present says of the giant of the past: “1 never saw him (Grace) when he was at his very greatest, but I have no doubt whatever that he stands out by himself above all other cricketers.’* For a final summing up of Jack Hobbs’s position in cricket one could not do better than quote Herbert Strudwick: “My opinion Is that he is the finest batsman <*h all wickets that ever lived. 1 don’t know of one stroke that he has not got ond does not put into Practice when ever the right ball comes along. The fast wickets of Australia, the matting wickets of Africa, the sticky wickets of Old England, all come alike to lack. 1 have seen him on them all,-and those who have not can look up his records and compare them with other great batsmen. They say that comparisons are odiouh, but the proof of tlie pudding is in the eating, after all.**