Wally Hammond: 11 facts about the great England batsman

Wally Hammond, born on June 19, 1903, was one of the greatest batsmen England has produced.

Wally Hammond, born on June 19, 1903, was one of the greatest batsmen England has produced. Had his time not clashed with the legendary Sir Don Bradman, Hammond may well have been the best of his era. Hammond passed away on July 1, 1965 in South Africa. Nishad Pai Vaidya picks 11 facts about the great England batsman.

1.  Sporting background

Hammond’s father was an army official and athleticism seemed to have been in his blood. As a young boy, he shined across sports which included football, athletics and of course cricket. However, it became clear later that cricket was to be his calling with he was called-up by Gloucestershire after he finished school.

2.  Football

Though cricket was to be his central ambition, Hammond did dabble in football. During cricket’s off-season, Hammond played for Bristol Rovers in Division Three. He played for three seasons, but then cricket took over full-time. As a footballer, he was often criticised for not involving in tough tackles.

3.  Banned for a year by Gloucestershire

Hammond made quite an impression in his first few matches for Gloucestershire. However, his birth in Kent meant that he was to be banned for the remainder of the season, at the behest of Lord Harris. This was despite Gloucestershire’s claim that their prodigy had completed the two-year residential criteria.

4.  Getting a taste of both worlds

For a major part of the 20th century, there was this great divide between the professional and the amateur cricketers. As a youngster, his mother allowed him to become a professional. In 1938, Hammond became declared himself an amateur as he was appointed director at a corporate the previous year. As a result, he became England captain the following year, in an era where the honour invariably fell upon amateurs. Wisden notes that Hammond captained the Gentlemen and the Players.

5.  Intense rivalry with Bradman

With 7249 runs in 85 Tests at an average of 58.45 with 22 tons, one would have easily picked Hammond as the greatest batsman of his era. However, his years clashed with that of the great Don Bradman, who eclipsed all those records with an average of 99.94 and 29 Test tons. Hammond had this burning desire to upstage Bradman but was disappointed by the fact that the world’s preferred choice was the Aussie. Gloucestershire players once heard Hammond say, “F*** Bradman!”

6.  Test cricket’s highest score

In 1933, Hammond smashed 336 not out against New Zealand at Auckland, to record the then highest individual score in Test cricket. This beat Don Bradman’s 334, which had become a part of cricketing folklore.

7.  The many alliances with women

To say that Hammond was a colourful personality off the field is an understatement. Simon Briggs noted in The Telegraph, that Hammond was in his way a ‘Hugh Hefner of interwar cricket.’ Hammond had numerous mistresses even when he was married to Dorothy, who was the daughter of a rich textile merchant. That marriage ended terribly as her father’s business went bankrupt and she turned to the bottle. During tours, Hammond was said to have a roving eye. It is also believed that he had contracted a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) on a tour to the Caribbean, which nearly killed him. Eddie Paynter, Hammond’s England teammate, famously said, “Wally, well yes, he liked a shag.”

8.  Move to South Africa

Post his cricket career, Hammond tied the knot with Sybil Ness-Harvey. He then moved to South Africa as his wife was based in Durban. He had a tough life in South Africa as he had to work hard to make a living.

9.  The comeback after wilderness

In 1951, nearly four years after his final Test, Hammond was called-up to play for Gloucestershire. In that comeback game against Somerset, Hammond was a mere shadow of the great player he was and struggled to get bat on ball. The Guardian notes that Horace Hazell, one of the Somerset bowlers, even bowled full-tosses. “When Wally could do nothing with them, I shed private tears,” the bowler said, who admired Hammond in his young days. Hammond could only manage seven runs in that painstaking innings.

10.  Coaching

In his later years, Hammond worked as a cricket coach in a university in South Africa. Barry Richards, who went on to become one of the greats of South African cricket, had honed his skills under Hammond for some time,

11.  Death and Bradman’s support

In 1965, Hammond passed away in South Africa due to a heart-attack. His family were not finally well-to-do, as a result the cricket community got together to launch the Walter Hammond Memorial Fund. His rival, Bradman, wrote on the pamphlet, “During his era Wally Hammond was undoubtedly England’s greatest cricketer. I am very distressed to hear of the need for the Hammond Memorial Appeal Fund and feel sure cricket lovers will generously respond.”

(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Mumbai-based cricket journalist and one of the youngest to cover the three major cricketing events — ICC World Cup, World T20 and under-19 World Cup. He tweets as @nishad_45)

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