59 Facts About Herbie Hewett

Herbert Tremenheere Hewett was an English amateur first-class cricketer who played for Somerset, captaining the county from 1889 to 1893, as well as Oxford University and the Marylebone Cricket Club.

Herbie Hewett was educated at Harrow School, won a blue at Oxford in 1886 and played for Somerset from 1884.

Herbie Hewett remained Somerset captain for a further three seasons, usually opening the batting with Lionel Palairet.

In that season, Herbie Hewett made 1,405 runs at an average of more than 35, and was named as one of the "Five Batsmen of the Year" by Wisden.

Herbie Hewett played first-class cricket for three more years, during which time he scored centuries against both Oxford and Cambridge Universities, appearing for a variety of amateur and representative sides.

Herbie Hewett made only one further first-class appearance: playing for the Marylebone Cricket Club against Oxford University in 1896.

Herbie Hewett practised as a barrister, having been called to the bar at the Inner Temple.

Herbert Tremenheere Hewett was born at Norton Court in Norton Fitzwarren, near Taunton on 25 May 1864, the only son of William Henry and Frances M Hewett.

Herbie Hewett are listed in the census, along with one younger sister, Florance Ethel Herbie Hewett.

Herbie Hewett was initially educated at Hillside, Godalming where he was captain of the cricket and rugby teams.

Herbie Hewett was part of the school's cricket first eleven in 1882 and 1883, and appeared in the annual contest against Eton College in both years, but did little on either occasion, his highest score being six, made in the first-innings in 1882.

Herbie Hewett appeared in the school association football eleven in 1883.

Herbie Hewett made one other appearance in 1884, against Lancashire.

In 1885 Herbie Hewett played in a trial match at Oxford without success.

Herbie Hewett did play in four of Somerset's six first-class matches that summer.

Herbie Hewett passed 50 for Somerset on two more occasions during 1885, and finished the season with 247 runs at a batting average of 35.28, one of seven seasons in which his average was in excess of 30.

Herbie Hewett started the 1886 season well, scoring 151 for his college and 164 not out for Perambulators against Etceteras.

An 1893 write-up in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack said: "early in the season of 1886 [Herbie Hewett] showed signs of the brilliant hitting which has since made him famous".

Herbie Hewett made scores of 49 and 77 in successive matches for Oxford University against Lancashire and gained his blue, scoring 0and7 in the University Match against Cambridge.

Somerset played just six matches in 1886 of which Herbie Hewett played two, top-scoring with 69 against Devon.

Between 1884 and 1888 Herbie Hewett had limited success at the first-class level, establishing a reputation as a useful, if erratic, hard-hitting middle-order batsman.

Herbie Hewett played a lot of club cricket, being a regular for Harrow Wanderers, and scoring 201 not out for Senior Common Room against Christ Church in 1888.

Herbie Hewett scored three half-centuries in the season: two against Warwickshire, and one against Staffordshire.

Herbie Hewett comfortably headed the Somerset batting with an average of 38 in matches against the other second-class counties.

Webbe's XI, Herbie Hewett scored his maiden first-class century, reaching 114 against Cambridge University.

Herbie Hewett top-scored with 65 in the second-innings of Somerset's opening county match of 1890, and two matches later scored 64 during a first-wicket partnership of 115 with Lionel Palairet against Leicestershire.

Herbie Hewett did not pass 100 again that season, but came close during the Scarborough Festival, being bowled for 99 in the second-innings for the Gentlemen of England.

Herbie Hewett led Somerset's batting averages in 1890, during which the club won twelve and tied one of their thirteen matches against county opposition.

Herbie Hewett led his side in their first County Championship match starting on 18 May 1891.

When Surrey travelled to Taunton later that season, most likely expecting an easy win to secure a second consecutive championship, Herbie Hewett top-scored for his team with 55 in the first-innings as Somerset reached 194.

Herbie Hewett had a quiet season with the bat, in addition to his 55 against Surrey he passed 50 on only one other occasion; against Middlesex two weeks later.

Herbie Hewett totalled 514 runs during the season at an average of 19.76; his lowest average when playing eight or more innings in a season.

Herbie Hewett scored 113 against the sixteen man All New York on Staten Island, a match in which he was standing in as captain due to Lord Hawke being ill.

Herbie Hewett reached double figures in each of his six innings, and scored a half-century for the Gentlemen of England against Cambridge.

Herbie Hewett passed 50 on twelve occasions during the season, the most during any season of his career.

In late August, playing Yorkshire, Hewett scored 201 out of a partnership of 346, establishing a record for the first wicket in first-class cricket, surpassing W G Grace and Bransby Cooper's 1869 total of 283.

At the time, The Daily Telegraph reported that the pair remained together for three and half hours, during which Herbie Hewett scored 30 fours.

Herbie Hewett finished the season with 1,047 runs for Somerset, making him the only batsman in England to score 1,000 runs in county matches.

Herbie Hewett began the 1893 season in good form, reaching his half-century in each of his first three matches for the county, including a total of 94 against Oxford University in late May Herbie Hewett missed most of the match against Kent shortly after, returning to Taunton due to the death of his brother-in-law, during which time George Wood replaced him as a substitute.

Herbie Hewett reacted angrily, and argued unsuccessfully against the decision with the Somerset committee.

Herbie Hewett reached 120 runs against Nottinghamshire and against Gloucestershire, on his final appearance for the county, he scored 112 runs in just under two hours; according to James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual, it "was a splendid display".

Herbie Hewett scored 1,092 runs in total during 1893, of which his 669 for Somerset in the championship were scored at an average of 31.85, topping the county's batting charts.

In July 1894, Herbie Hewett made the second of his two appearances for the Gentlemen against the Players.

Batting at number three, Herbie Hewett scored 12 runs out of the Gentlemen's total of 254, before Stanley Jackson and Herbie Hewett's former Somerset colleague, Sammy Woods, bowled the Players out for 108 and 107.

Herbie Hewett appeared 11 times in 1894, scoring 579 runs at an average of 34.05, higher than the previous season.

Woods described Herbie Hewett as being "in splendid form" when he played, and lamented that he was no longer playing for Somerset.

Herbie Hewett continued his form with the bat into 1895, twice scoring centuries for the Gentlemen against the universities, making 109 against Cambridge, and 102 against Oxford.

Herbie Hewett played all three matches of the 1895 Scarborough Festival; he opened the innings for the MCC against Yorkshire, and then captained the South in their loss against the North.

Unlike a couple of years earlier, Herbie Hewett was happy to ignore the puddles in the field and start the match at the scheduled time.

Herbie Hewett did not bother with such threats, and left the field, got changed and departed from the ground, taking no further part in the game.

The tour included three matches against a South African national team which were deemed to be Tests, but by this stage of the tour Herbie Hewett had left South Africa, and he thus completed his cricket career without any Test appearances.

Herbie Hewett played his final first-class match in 1896, scoring 86 for the MCC against Oxford University.

Herbie Hewett continued to play cricket for the Harrow Wanderers, MCC and I Zingari until 1901.

At the time of the 1901 Census, Herbie Hewett was living in Westminster.

Herbie Hewett was listed as head of the household, the only other resident being a servant.

Herbie Hewett practised as a barrister, having trained at the Inner Temple, where he passed at least one exam in 1890.

Herbie Hewett died in Hove, Sussex, on 4March 1921, and his funeral was held in Norton Fitzwarren four days later.

When Herbie Hewett was named as one of the Five Batsmen of the Year by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 1893, the publication described him as "the finest left-handed batsman in England".

Herbie Hewett was a strong leader who was both respected and feared by his colleagues.