Walter Hearne (15 January 1864 - 2 April 1925) was an English professional cricketer for Kent County Cricket Club towards the end of the 19th century. He played primarily as a bowler but suffered from injuries and his career was cut short as a result. He was the elder brother of the great Middlesex bowler J. T. Hearne who played for England in Test cricket whilst his older brother, Herbert Hearne, also played for Kent. He was a member of the extended Hearne family.

Walter Hearne
Hearne in about 1895
Personal information
Full name
Walter Hearne
Born(1864-01-15)15 January 1864
Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire
Died2 April 1925(1925-04-02) (aged 61)
Canterbury, Kent
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium
RelationsJ.T. Hearne (brother)
Herbert Hearne (brother)
Other family
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1887–1896Kent
FC debut16 May 1887 Kent v MCC
Last FC30 May 1896 Kent v Yorkshire
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 55
Runs scored 553
Batting average 7.57
100s/50s 0/0
Top score 34*
Balls bowled 10.958
Wickets 273
Bowling average 15.93
5 wickets in innings 28
10 wickets in match 10
Best bowling 8/40
Catches/stumpings 23/–
Source: CricInfo, 11 August 2010

Early life and family

edit

Hearne was born at Chalfont St Giles in Buckinghamshire in 1864, the son of William Hearne who was considered a good local cricketer.[1][2] Part of the extended Hearne family, Hearne and his brothers played cricket – he and Herbert for Kent and Jack and oldest brother William for Middlesex, although William only played for the Second XI. Three cousins played Test cricket as did Jack.

Cricket career

edit

Hearne was a medium-paced right-arm bowler who, similar to his brother Jack bowled with great accuracy and a pronounced off-break.[3][4] He made his first-class cricket debut for Kent in 1887, playing six matches in what was described as a "trial" period and did not appear for the county against until 1890 before becoming a regular member of the Kent team only in 1892.[3][5]

Most of Walter Hearne’s first-class cricket was played between 1892 and 1894, although a knee injury limited his appearances during 1893 to just six matches. He took 15 wickets against Lancashire at Old Trafford in 1893 and in 1894 completed a hat-trick against the same side.[3] During the 1894 season he took 116 first-class wickets, 99 of them in county matches, including a series of three matches in July when he took 13/61 against Gloucestershire, 12/72 against Nottinghamshire and 13/98 against Surrey – a total of 38 wickets for 231 runs.[3] His 116 wickets were taken at an average of 13.29 and followed returns of 93 and 46 wickets in the previous two seasons.[6]

At the beginning of the 1895 season Walter Hearne’s knee failed and he was unable to play a first-class match during the season – although he was able to play in few non-first-class matches for MCC.[3][5] He seemed fit at the start of the 1896 season but in his third match against Yorkshire at Leeds his knee "gave way so badly" that he was forced to retire from cricket, surgery proving ineffective.[3][4][6][7][8]

Later life

edit

Hearne took on the role of official scorer for Kent after his retirement, retaining the post for the rest of his life. He scored in each Kent's four County Championship winning sides between 1906 and 1913 and resumed the role after the First World War.[3] He died at Canterbury in Kent in 1925 aged 61, his cousin Alec Hearne taking over the role of scorer.[1][9]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Walter Hearne, CricInfo. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  2. ^ William Hearne Obituaries in 1908, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1909. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Hearne, Walter, Obituaries in 1925, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1926. Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  4. ^ a b Rice T Burnup and other absent friends left Kent out in the cold, CricInfo. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
  5. ^ a b Walter Hearne, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  6. ^ a b A short history of Kent cricket, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1907. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
  7. ^ Pardon S (ed) (1897) Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, p.129
  8. ^ Pardon S (ed) (1898) Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, p.191.
  9. ^ Hearne, Alec, Obituaries in 1952, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1953. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
edit

Walter Hearne at ESPNcricinfo