Jack Hearne (John William Hearne)
Encyclopedia
John William Hearne (11 February 1891–14 September 1965) was a Middlesex leg-spinning all-rounder
cricket
er who played from 1909 to 1936, and represented England
in 24 Test matches between 1911 and 1926.
A skilful right-handed batsman, Hearne was exceptionally straight and a master at placing the ball into gaps. He was not an aggressive batsman, but his skill allowed him to score at quite an efficient rate against the best bowling. He bowled leg spin
from a very short run-up, but had such speed of action that he was almost medium pace.
He was born on 11 February 1891 in Hillingdon
, and was highly successful in local games even as a teenager, so that Middlesex engaged him soon after his eighteenth birthday in 1909. He was an immediate success with his sharp spin, coming second in the Middlesex averages behind Frank Tarrant
, whilst in 1910, though erratic, he accomplished a sensational performance against Essex, taking 7 wickets for 2 runs in 25 balls. That year, still a teenager, Hearne made two hundred for Middlesex, and in the dry summer of 1911, he went from strength to strength. His major feats that year were 234 against Somerset, 6 for 17 against Essex and nine wickets in nine overs for 40 runs against Surrey, all at Lord's
. In all, he took 102 wickets and scored 1627 runs at an average of 42.81, and was named as a Cricketer of the Year
by Wisden.
In 1911/1912, Hearne toured Australia with one of the strongest England sides ever. He played in all the Tests
, but was utterly hopeless as a bowler on Australian pitches both then and in 1920/1921 and 1924/1925, and it is not really clear why. He had the spin and the pace from the ground to succeed on rock-hard pitches, but he lacked flight and could rarely persist for long enough to be effective in a long struggle. As a batsman, he did very well in the first two Tests, with 114 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
his only Test hundred - but he declined sharply afterwards.
In the following years, Hearne's all-round cricket, along with that of Frank Tarrant
was a remarkable combination only paralleled by George Herbert Hirst
and Wilfred Rhodes
at Yorkshire. Though his opportunities were restricted in 1912, the following two years Hearn accomplished the remarkable feat of scoring 2000 runs and taking 100 wickets in a season, and he went to South Africa in 1913/1914. On the matting wickets, his bowling was much more formidable than in Australia, but with S.F. Barnes
in irresistible form, he was barely needed.
After a disappointing season in 1919, Hearne's all-round play won Middlesex the County Championship in 1920, but, like all English spin bowlers of the time, he was remarkably hopeless on the rock-hard Australian wickets and accomplished little even with the bat. His bowling was affected by injury in 1921, but for the following three years his position as one of the country's premier all-rounders remained intact, with his batting skill on rain-affected wickets having few equals. However, from 1925 his bowling skill declined, though he was good enough as a batsman for England selection in 1926, and he remained a force to be reckoned with in county cricket into the 1930s - despite a major injury when fielding in 1928. In 1929, Hearne hit 285 not out against Essex at Leyton and on a very dusty wicket at Chesterfield in 1933 recalled his former bowling skill by taking 9 for 61, the best figures of his career.
However, from this time Hearne was losing his batting skill as well as his bowling, and his averages in the very favourable summers of 1933 and 1934 suggested his days were numbered. His poor form on the leatherjacket-infested wickets at Lord's in 1935 led to him being dropped during July, and after a short recall, after the opening match of 1936.
Over his career Hearne played in 465 first-class matches and batted in 744 innings (73 not out). He scored 27,612 runs at an average of 41.15, with a highest score of 285 not out. He scored 71 centuries and 115 half-centuries. He took 240 catches. He took 1.438 wickets off 72,082 deliveries at an average of 23.15 with a best bowling analysis of 9 wickets for 61 runs. He took five wickets on 88 occasions and ten wickets in a match 17 times.
After he was released by Middlesex at the end of that year, Hearne became a life member of the MCC
in 1949. He died on 14 September 1965 in West Drayton
.
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played from 1909 to 1936, and represented England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 24 Test matches between 1911 and 1926.
A skilful right-handed batsman, Hearne was exceptionally straight and a master at placing the ball into gaps. He was not an aggressive batsman, but his skill allowed him to score at quite an efficient rate against the best bowling. He bowled leg spin
Leg spin
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch, at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left, that...
from a very short run-up, but had such speed of action that he was almost medium pace.
He was born on 11 February 1891 in Hillingdon
London Borough of Hillingdon
The London Borough of Hillingdon is the westernmost borough in Greater London, England. The borough's population was recorded as 243,006 in the 2001 Census. The borough incorporates the former districts of Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington and Yiewsley and West Drayton in the...
, and was highly successful in local games even as a teenager, so that Middlesex engaged him soon after his eighteenth birthday in 1909. He was an immediate success with his sharp spin, coming second in the Middlesex averages behind Frank Tarrant
Frank Tarrant
Frank Tarrant Frank Tarrant Frank Tarrant (in full Francis Alfred Tarrant (Melbourne, Australia, 11 December 1880 – 29 January 1951 in Melbourne) was an Australian all-rounder who played with great success for Middlesex in the County Championship in the years before World War I.His record is...
, whilst in 1910, though erratic, he accomplished a sensational performance against Essex, taking 7 wickets for 2 runs in 25 balls. That year, still a teenager, Hearne made two hundred for Middlesex, and in the dry summer of 1911, he went from strength to strength. His major feats that year were 234 against Somerset, 6 for 17 against Essex and nine wickets in nine overs for 40 runs against Surrey, all at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
. In all, he took 102 wickets and scored 1627 runs at an average of 42.81, and was named as a Cricketer of the Year
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
The Wisden Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season"...
by Wisden.
In 1911/1912, Hearne toured Australia with one of the strongest England sides ever. He played in all the Tests
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
, but was utterly hopeless as a bowler on Australian pitches both then and in 1920/1921 and 1924/1925, and it is not really clear why. He had the spin and the pace from the ground to succeed on rock-hard pitches, but he lacked flight and could rarely persist for long enough to be effective in a long struggle. As a batsman, he did very well in the first two Tests, with 114 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
his only Test hundred - but he declined sharply afterwards.
In the following years, Hearne's all-round cricket, along with that of Frank Tarrant
Frank Tarrant
Frank Tarrant Frank Tarrant Frank Tarrant (in full Francis Alfred Tarrant (Melbourne, Australia, 11 December 1880 – 29 January 1951 in Melbourne) was an Australian all-rounder who played with great success for Middlesex in the County Championship in the years before World War I.His record is...
was a remarkable combination only paralleled by George Herbert Hirst
George Herbert Hirst
George Herbert Hirst was a professional English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1891 and 1921, with a further appearance in 1929. He played in 24 Test matches for England between 1897 and 1909, touring Australia twice...
and Wilfred Rhodes
Wilfred Rhodes
Wilfred Rhodes was an English professional cricketer who played 58 Test matches for England between 1899 and 1930. In Tests, Rhodes took 127 wickets in and scored 2,325 runs, becoming the first Englishman to complete the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in Test matches...
at Yorkshire. Though his opportunities were restricted in 1912, the following two years Hearn accomplished the remarkable feat of scoring 2000 runs and taking 100 wickets in a season, and he went to South Africa in 1913/1914. On the matting wickets, his bowling was much more formidable than in Australia, but with S.F. Barnes
Sydney Barnes
Sydney Francis Barnes was an English professional cricketer who is generally regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the sport's history...
in irresistible form, he was barely needed.
After a disappointing season in 1919, Hearne's all-round play won Middlesex the County Championship in 1920, but, like all English spin bowlers of the time, he was remarkably hopeless on the rock-hard Australian wickets and accomplished little even with the bat. His bowling was affected by injury in 1921, but for the following three years his position as one of the country's premier all-rounders remained intact, with his batting skill on rain-affected wickets having few equals. However, from 1925 his bowling skill declined, though he was good enough as a batsman for England selection in 1926, and he remained a force to be reckoned with in county cricket into the 1930s - despite a major injury when fielding in 1928. In 1929, Hearne hit 285 not out against Essex at Leyton and on a very dusty wicket at Chesterfield in 1933 recalled his former bowling skill by taking 9 for 61, the best figures of his career.
However, from this time Hearne was losing his batting skill as well as his bowling, and his averages in the very favourable summers of 1933 and 1934 suggested his days were numbered. His poor form on the leatherjacket-infested wickets at Lord's in 1935 led to him being dropped during July, and after a short recall, after the opening match of 1936.
Over his career Hearne played in 465 first-class matches and batted in 744 innings (73 not out). He scored 27,612 runs at an average of 41.15, with a highest score of 285 not out. He scored 71 centuries and 115 half-centuries. He took 240 catches. He took 1.438 wickets off 72,082 deliveries at an average of 23.15 with a best bowling analysis of 9 wickets for 61 runs. He took five wickets on 88 occasions and ten wickets in a match 17 times.
After he was released by Middlesex at the end of that year, Hearne became a life member of the MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
in 1949. He died on 14 September 1965 in West Drayton
West Drayton
West Drayton is a suburban area in the London Borough of Hillingdon in the far west of London, England. Formerly part of the Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District of Middlesex, the district became part of Greater London in 1965....
.