Джордж Герберт Хирст: Ағылшын крикетшісінің өмірі мен жетістіктері

English cricketer
the cricketer

George Herbert Hirst (7 September 1871 – 10 May 1954) 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. One of the best all rounders of his time, Hirst was a left arm medium fast bowler and right handed batsman. He played in 24 Test matches for England between 1897 and 1909, touring Australia twice. He completed the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in an English cricket season 14 times, the second most of any cricketer after his contemporary and team mate Wilfred Rhodes. One of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 1901, Hirst scored 36,356 runs and took 2,742 wickets in first class cricket. In Tests, he made 790 runs and captured 59 wickets. Born in Kirkheaton, Hirst first achieved success for Yorkshire as a bowler who could bat a little. Over his first few seasons, his batting improved at the expense of his bowling until he was regarded mainly as a specialist batsman. Around 1900, his bowling re emerged when he discovered a method to make the ball swing in the air after he released it. He was one of the first bowlers to control the swing of the ball, which batsmen found very difficult to counter, making Hirst's bowling far more successful from then on. From 1903 he achieved 11 consecutive doubles. He set records in 1905, when he scored 341 runs in an innings against Leicestershire—still the highest total for Yorkshire as of 2015—and in 1906, when he completed an unprecedented and unrepeated double of 2,000 runs and 200 wickets. In many seasons, he battled injury which reduced his effectiveness, but his bowling remained successful until shortly before the First World War. Hirst played in all England's home Test series between 1899 and 1909, but his record for England was less impressive than his record for Yorkshire, and he may have suffered from playing in Australia where conditions did not suit him. Hirst returned to play for Yorkshire after the war, but became a cricket coach at Eton College in 1920, where he remained until 1938. After making occasional appearances in 1920 and 1921, he retired from regular first class cricket. He maintained his connections with Yorkshire for the rest of his life, coached young players and established an excellent reputation for developing players of all social backgrounds. A popular player, coach, and personality with cricketers and spectators, Hirst died in 1954, aged 82.

Hirst was born on 7 September 1871 in the Brown Cow Inn, Kirkheaton, a village close to Huddersfield. He was the last of 10 children born to James Hirst and his wife Sarah Maria Woolhouse. When his father died in 1880, Hirst lived with his sister Mary Elizabeth Woolhouse and her husband John Berry in Kirkheaton. After leaving school at 10 years of age, Hirst first worked for a hand loom weaver in a local cottage, and then at a dyeing firm. He played rugby football as a full back during winter, His reputation grew; when he was 18 he was a key player in the Kirkheaton team which won the Lumb Challenge Cup of 1889. In the final, watched by players from Yorkshire County Cricket Club, he took five wickets for 23 runs. Days later, invited to take part along with another local player, he appeared for Yorkshire against Cheshire in a non first class match in Huddersfield. He scored six runs in his only innings, and took three wickets in the match. Hirst played only intermittently for Yorkshire over the next couple of seasons, but continued to develop as a cricketer, signing as a professional for Elland Cricket Club for the 1890 season before joining Mirfield in 1891. During that season, he made his first class debut for Yorkshire against Somerset in the County Championship; he scored 15 runs and took two wickets in the game. Yorkshire, needing to fill a vacant place in the team, played Hirst 13 times in first class matches in 1892. He did not pass 30 runs in an innings again and averaged 16.15 with the bat. With the ball, he took 30 wickets at an average of 20.56 with a best performance of six for 16 against Sussex. Wisden later noted that Hirst, until he tired later in the season and was dropped from the team, "bowled up to a certain point with excellent results". He averaged only 15.04 with the bat, In 1894, Hirst scored his maiden first class century against Gloucestershire, hitting an unbeaten 115 out of a partnership of 176 for the ninth wicket. Although this was his only score over fifty, Wisden recorded how his batting often helped his team out of difficult situations. In total, he hit 564 runs at an average of 16.58. Then in the 1895 season, Hirst passed 100 wickets in the season for the first time, securing 150 wickets at an average of 17.06. Against Leicestershire, he took a hat trick. The team was outplayed and lost the Test matches 4–1, hampered by the poor form of the bowlers and ill health among the team, not least from Stoddart himself who missed several matches following the death of his mother. Hirst, suffering from a strained leg for some of the tour, In all the first class matches on the tour, he took only nine wickets at the very expensive average of 75.77. his maiden Test match wicket came in the following Test, but he took only two wickets in the series. Hirst's poor form continued when he returned to England for the 1898 season. Fatigue from continuous cricket and ongoing problems with his leg added to his difficulties and he had a poor season. His only score over fifty was an innings of 130 against Surrey, and he scored 567 runs at an average of 17.71. When he played the tourists in their game against Yorkshire soon after the Test, Hirst took 13 wickets. In 1900, he scored 1,960 runs at an average of 40.83, his best batting record to date, After his achievements in the season, Hirst was selected as one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year. The citation described him as a confident batsman who could be relied upon in difficult batting conditions or when his team were under pressure, but noted how his bowling had suffered as he improved as a batsman. He never discussed how he achieved the effect, limiting his comments to "sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't." he took 183 wickets, the first time since 1897 he had passed 100 wickets, at an average of 16.38. His batting continued to be successful, and he completed his second double with 1,950 runs at 42.39, and appeared in the equivalent fixture in an end of season festival match. Hirst was statistically less successful in 1902, but he nevertheless returned to the Test team. The summer was very wet, resulting in many rain affected pitches, known as sticky wickets, which favoured slower bowlers and made batting difficult. Hirst scored 1,413 runs in the season, at an average of 31.11 with two centuries. In total, Hirst took 83 wickets at an average of 20.33. In the first Test, England scored 376 for nine wickets. Hirst scored 48 and Wisden described his partnership with Johnny Tyldesley of 94 in 80 minutes as the turning point of the innings. In reply, Hirst and Rhodes bowled out Australia for 36 in conditions that the umpires considered reasonable to bat in. Wisden described the two Yorkshiremen as bowling very well. The England side for this match was later described by some critics as the greatest England team in history. Rain prevented the match from being completed and saved Australia from almost certain defeat. The second Test was badly affected by weather and Hirst did not bat or bowl, and in the third Test in Sheffield, lost by England, he scored eight runs and did not take any wickets. However, the England captain, Archie MacLaren, was engaged in a dispute with the team selectors over the composition of his side. He was given only 12 players to choose from for the fourth Test. Fred Tate was one of the twelve and the selectors probably included him as they believed MacLaren could not possibly choose him in the final eleven over another player and so would be forced to field the side they wanted. MacLaren responded by dropping Hirst to play Tate, out of anger towards the selectors. Tate bowled just 16 overs in the game, dropped a vital catch and was the last man out as Australia won the match by three runs, giving them an unassailable lead in the series; later writers claimed that Tate's performance was responsible for losing the match. Hirst was recalled for the final Test and played a vital role. Wisden said that he bowled as well as he had in 1901 as he brought about an early batting collapse. Although Australia recovered, he had figures of five for 77. With Len Braund, Hirst then helped England to avoid the follow on, scoring 43 and according to Wisden "hitting with the utmost freedom". but neither batsman could remember those words being said and not all the runs came in singles. The two Yorkshiremen held their nerve to take England to a one wicket victory. Wisden described Hirst as playing "a great game", noted the coolness of his play under pressure and said that "Hirst's innings was in its way almost as remarkable as Jessop's". Apart from his Test appearances, Hirst also played twice for the Players against the Gentlemen and played for the same side against the Australians. In completing the first of 10 consecutive doubles, he took 128 wickets at an average of 14.94 and scored 1,844 runs at an average of 47.28. Hirst played in two end of season games for the Players against the Gentlemen; his 124 not out in the second match was his only century in the Players versus Gentlemen series. Before the tour, critics claimed Hirst would be unsuccessful, citing his failure during his previous tour. However, Warner later wrote: "Hirst, to say nothing of his batting, bowled excellently throughout the tour, and was of much more value as a bowler than his average would suggest". Wisden was less convinced, and the report on the tour said that, as a bowler, "Hirst, though by no means the failure he had been with Mr Stoddart's team six years before, fell far below his English form." While commenting on his batting record, the Wisden report noted: "The Australian wickets [i. e. pitches] in fine weather are rather too fast to suit the pulling and hook strokes of which he is such a master in England." Hirst used leg theory, bowling at leg stump with fielders close by on the leg side. In his second match of the tour, Hirst scored 92 and used his pull shot more effectively than on other occasions. He followed this with 66 in the third match but did not take many wickets before the first Test. Hirst played in all five Test matches, the first two of which were won by England. In the first game, Hirst took two wickets. In his first innings, he scored a duck and was dropped by Frank Laver before he had scored in the second. He survived to score 60 not out and his partnership with Tom Hayward guided England to victory after wickets had fallen early chasing a target of 194. Hirst scored 11 runs in the second match and took three wickets on a difficult batting pitch, badly affected by rain. Although this performance was not statistically impressive, Warner thought he bowled very well. During the third Test, Hirst took three wickets and, with innings of 58 and 44, England won the crucial fourth match to ensure the series victory. Hirst took two wickets and contributed scores of 25 and 18. and noted that while he was a less effective bowler in Australian conditions than at home, he was often unlucky.

After returning to England, Hirst completed another double in 1904. Although a leg injury reduced the pace and effectiveness of his bowling for much of the season, Most of his eight centuries were either against the strongest counties or in adverse circumstances for the team. In August, Hirst had a benefit match against Lancashire from which he received £3,703,

Yorkshire finished second to Lancashire in the County Championship in 1904 but regained the title in 1905. Even so, he took 110 wickets at 19.94 and passed 2,000 runs for the second time, scoring 2,226 runs at an average of 53.95. On a good pitch for batting, Later that season, he scored another double century, hitting 232 not out against Surrey; only two other players reached double figures in the Yorkshire innings. In the same game, Hirst took five wickets for 43 runs. Hirst's leg injury kept him out of the England side for the first two Test matches against Australia, although he would have been a certain selection had he been fit. He was chosen in the squad for the second match but was left out on fitness grounds. However, Hirst was not particularly successful in the three Tests he played that season, hitting a highest score of 40 not out; as a bowler he never took more than three wickets in an innings. In the series he scored 105 runs at an average of 35.00 and took 6 wickets at 35.33. Cricket writer A. A. Thomson noted that both milestones were unusual individually, and that such all round achievements had only been matched in scope by those of W. G. Grace in the 1870s. No other cricketer has come close to matching this particular double. Hirst reached the 1,000 run–100 wicket double by the end of June, two weeks faster than anyone else in the history of first class cricket. In total he scored 2,385 first class runs at an average of 45.86 and took 208 wickets at 16.50. Battling a knee injury and exhaustion towards the end of the season, it became increasingly difficult for Hirst to perform. He also commented that his injuries only troubled him once the season was over and it "was a triumph of spirit over matter". Even so, he was the second highest wicket taker in the season and came fifth in the bowling averages, As a bowler he took 10 wickets at 18.50;

In the 1909 season, Hirst was less successful. Possibly affected by his heavy workload with bat and ball in previous seasons, his batting disappointed critics. He scored 1,256 runs at 27.30, his lowest batting average since 1898. With the ball, he took 115 wickets at 20.05; his best performances came in the more important matches such as those against Lancashire and Surrey. After England established a first innings lead, Australia were bowled out for 151 in their second innings, with Hirst taking five for 58. The English opening batsmen scored the 105 runs required for victory without being separated. In the series he scored 52 runs at an average of 8.66, with a top score of 31,

Yorkshire had one of their worst seasons to date in 1910, finishing eighth in the County Championship and attracting disapproval from critics. Hirst led the Yorkshire batting and bowling averages and was the third highest wicket taker in the country. He scored 1,840 runs at 32.85 and took 164 wickets at 14.79. Yorkshire continued to struggle in 1911, but Hirst was successful against many of the leading counties, mainly as a bowler. In total, he scored 1,789 runs at 33.12 and took 137 wickets at 20.40. Hirst's form that season was not as good as in previous years, but he batted well before poor weather and a knee injury interrupted his cricket. He hit one century and his performances with the ball were unspectacular. In all he scored 1,133 runs at an average of 25.75 and took 118 wickets at 17.37. His bowling was not as effective and he was no longer Yorkshire's main attacking bowler, as Alonzo Drake and Major Booth headed the averages. Hirst took 101 wickets at 20.13. His batting remained effective and he produced some good performances when his team were in difficult circumstances, although his two centuries were against the weaker bowling attacks of Northamptonshire and Somerset. The outbreak of war brought the season to an early close in August. Hirst played in the Bradford League, and became known among cricketers for accepting minimal fees from financially struggling clubs. When first class cricket restarted in 1919, Hirst resumed playing for Yorkshire. In the first match of the season he hit an aggressive unbeaten 180 against MCC, to secure a draw for the county; he followed this with two more centuries in the first two weeks of the season. Although his form later faltered, he played some substantial innings in difficult circumstances and ended the season with 1,441 runs at an average of 38.94. He bowled infrequently, taking 18 wickets at 29.27. Hirst played three more first class games; in 1921–22 he played two games for the Europeans cricket team in India, and in 1929, aged 58, he made a final appearance for Yorkshire in a Scarborough Festival match against the MCC. He scored just one run before Bill Bowes bowled him; Hirst reportedly commented: "A grand ball that, lad. I couldn't have played that one when I was good." and a Minor Counties match between Yorkshire and Lancashire second teams.

From 1920 to 1938, Hirst was the cricket coach at Eton. The college's most important match was the annual match against Harrow at Lord's, and during Hirst's tenure, the team were unbeaten in the fixture, winning the six matches that produced a definite result and drawing the remainder. Following Hirst's retirement, Eton lost to Harrow in 1939 for the first time since the First World War. In the period of Hirst's coaching, Eton only lost once—in 1920—to Winchester. A combination of Hirst's technical knowledge, playing experience and empathy with young people made him a very successful coach. He taught technical proficiency, but encouraged his pupils to play their natural game. His Times obituary noted "his professional capacity earned him the respect of the boys and his natural good humour and good manners gained him the love of all." While serving as the Eton coach, Hirst also worked with young Yorkshire players during the school holidays, and maintained his coaching connection with the county until shortly before his death. At Yorkshire Hirst worked with young players in the cricket nets at Headingley, took charge of indoor trials during the winter, and travelled with the team as coach on a tour to Jamaica in 1936. Many Yorkshire players, with vastly differing temperaments, came under his influence and improved as players. One of Hirst's most notable achievements as a coach was improving the bowling of George Macaulay to the point where he became a key member of the Yorkshire team. The short terms at Eton allowed him to play matches for Scarborough from 1923 onwards, in July and August for seven seasons. During this period he scored 2,682 runs at an average of 58.3. His highest batting average was 117.2, attained in 1926 and his highest individual innings score was 124 in 1928, scored when he was 58 years old. He took 182 wickets in this time at a strike rate of 13.1. He also coached at the club in the summer months, alongside David Hunter. Bill Bowes, who received coaching by Hirst and went on to play for England, described him as "the finest coach in the world". Len Hutton, another who was coached by Hirst, wrote "I shall always think of George Hirst as the ideal coach. He was a 'natural' one, the guide, the philosopher, and friend of every young fellow who has had a trial under him". Part of Hirst's success at Eton came from his personality and ability to extract the best from people. Bowes noted how his enthusiasm inspired young players, He played a variety of strokes, but he favoured the on drive and particularly the pull and hook shots. The main dangers to the batsmen were the risk of being bowled or hitting the ball with a defensive shot and being caught by specially placed fielders on the leg side. His ability to make the ball swing made him effective on a variety of pitches. E. W. Swanton described his typical style of play as "grafting for victory without heroics". His record as a Test cricketer was less impressive than his figures in county cricket, owing to some extent to playing conditions during his two tours of Australia which reduced the effectiveness of his bowling and batting. Warner noted his wit helped the team in difficult situations during the tour of Australia in 1903–04. Known as "George Herbert", he was admired and affectionately regarded by his contemporaries and by spectators. The two men were never good friends; there may have been a degree of jealousy between them, and Rhodes did not appreciate Hirst's jovial attitude. Rhodes was more tactically astute than Hirst, but Hirst's enthusiasm and personality were more inspirational to the team. Rhodes, when asked about Hirst's ability to swing the ball, replied: "He was very good. But he didn't know how to use it, you know. I had to set the field for him so that he got the best out of it." Wisden said: "Cricket was George Hirst's life".

On 1 January 1896, Hirst married Emma Kilner in Kirkheaton; James, their first child, was born on 6 October of the same year.