151 Facts About Wally Hammond

Walter Reginald Hammond was an English first-class cricketer who played for Gloucestershire in a career that lasted from 1920 to 1951.

Wally Hammond was considered to be the best English batsman of the 1930s by commentators and those with whom he played; they said that he was one of the best slip fielders ever.

Wally Hammond was an effective fast-medium pace bowler and contemporaries believed that if he had been less reluctant to bowl, he could have achieved even more with the ball than he did.

Wally Hammond captained England in 20 of those Tests, winning four, losing three, and drawing 13.

Wally Hammond began to score heavily after his recovery in 1927 and was selected for England.

Wally Hammond dominated county cricket in the 1930s and, despite a mid-decade slump in Test form, was made captain of England in 1938.

Wally Hammond appeared in two more first-class matches in the early 1950s.

Wally Hammond was married twice, divorcing his first wife in acrimonious circumstances, and had a reputation for infidelity.

Wally Hammond was unsuccessful in business dealings and failed to establish a successful career once he retired from cricket.

Wally Hammond moved to South Africa in the 1950s in an attempt to start a business, but this came to nothing.

Wally Hammond spent his early years in Dover, often playing cricket.

Wally Hammond later recalled playing cricket in Malta using improvised equipment, including a soldier's old bat which he believed taught him to strike the ball powerfully.

Wally Hammond did not enjoy an easy relationship with his mother, often staying with friends during holidays in preference to returning home.

At both Portsmouth and Cirencester, Wally Hammond excelled at sports including cricket, football and fives.

Wally Hammond quickly reached the school cricket first eleven, where he outperformed the other players and became captain in his second season; his headmaster, quickly spotting his potential, encouraged him.

Wally Hammond enjoyed less success in the classroom; his marks were usually low, and he preferred to be out playing cricket.

Wally Hammond, who scored a century in his first appearance in adult cricket days after leaving school, played in a trial match for the Gloucestershire Club and Ground, scoring 60 runs, taking two wickets and impressing the local press.

Wally Hammond's mother was initially reluctant, but his eagerness finally convinced her and he signed a professional contract.

Wally Hammond made his first-class debut for Gloucestershire in August 1920.

Wally Hammond spent the winter working on a farm on the Isle of Wight, then moved to Bristol for the start of the 1921 English cricket season.

Gloucestershire gave Wally Hammond an extended run at the start of the 1922 season.

Wally Hammond played five matches without passing 32 runs in an innings at a batting average of under ten.

Wally Hammond had not resided in Gloucestershire long enough to be eligible to play for the team under County Championship rules, and was barred for the rest of the season.

Wally Hammond spent the rest of the summer, which he later described as the most miserable of his life, watching county games, although Gloucestershire continued to pay him in full.

Wally Hammond was criticised in the local press for his role in two defeats shortly before his final appearance.

Conscious of the need to improve after his uncertain start to first-class cricket, Wally Hammond scored his maiden first-class century in the first match of the 1923 season, making 110 and 92 opening the batting against Surrey.

Wally Hammond did not reach three figures again that season, but his performances and batting technique impressed several critics, such as cricket correspondent Neville Cardus, former England and Middlesex captain Plum Warner, and The Times correspondent; Cardus described him as a future England player.

Wally Hammond reached 1,239 runs in 1924, scoring a century against Somerset and reaching fifty against Oxford, Essex and Hampshire.

Wally Hammond finished the season with an average of 30.21 and supplemented his batting with 29 wickets.

Wally Hammond improved on this record in 1925 with 1,818 runs at an average of 34.30 and 68 wickets at an average of just under 30, more than doubling his career aggregate of wickets.

Wally Hammond was not satisfied with his batting form in 1925, but against Lancashire at Old Trafford, he scored 250 not out, repeatedly hooking the short-pitched bowling of Australian Test bowler Ted McDonald.

Rain disrupted much of the cricket, but Wally Hammond enjoyed the experience.

Wally Hammond scored 238 not out in the first representative game against a West Indies side.

Towards the end of the tour, Wally Hammond fell seriously ill; according to him, a mosquito stung him in the groin area, close to a strain he had suffered, causing blood poisoning.

Wally Hammond missed the remaining matches of the tour, and none of the doctors he saw were able to help.

Wally Hammond's condition worsened to the point where the doctors believed he would die; they considered amputating his leg, a suggestion vetoed by his mother out of concern for his career.

Wally Hammond later claimed that his illness remained a mystery to those treating him.

Wally Hammond has suggested that its treatment, which in the days before antibiotics probably involved mercury, adversely affected Hammond's subsequent character and personality, leading to moody and depressive behaviour.

That winter, Wally Hammond coached in South Africa, where it was felt the climate might aid his recovery.

On his return to first-class cricket in the 1927 season, Hammond made an immediate impact, becoming only the second man, after W G Grace, to score 1,000 runs in May, traditionally the first month of the English cricket season.

Wally Hammond scored 99 in the first innings and 187 in the second to ensure the match was drawn.

Wally Hammond again hooked McDonald effectively, at one point hitting five consecutive fours.

Wally Hammond played in the prestigious Gentlemen v Players match at Lord's for the first time, although he neither batted nor bowled, as well as two Test trials.

Wally Hammond showed good batting form, but once George Geary was injured, a strong but not fully representative side found itself short of bowling, forcing Hammond to play as an all-rounder.

Wally Hammond had some good bowling spells, and in the fourth Test he removed both South African openers.

At the Cheltenham festival, in six days, Wally Hammond scored 362 runs, took 11 wickets and held 11 catches.

Wally Hammond followed up with six for 105 as Worcestershire followed on.

Wally Hammond played in a Test trial and in the Gentlemen v Players match at Lord's for the second time, before participating in the three Test matches against the West Indies cricket team.

Wally Hammond was remarkably successful in his first campaign for The Ashes.

Wally Hammond scored 779 runs in five consecutive Test innings, totalling 905 runs at an average of 113.12 in the series, a record passed only by Don Bradman since.

Wally Hammond began the tour with a century and a double century before the Test series.

Wally Hammond scored 251 in a seven-hour innings in the second Test.

Wally Hammond had altered his usual batting style, playing more carefully and avoiding risk as runs were certain to come in the easy Australian batting conditions if a batsman did not get out.

Wally Hammond eliminated the hook shot entirely from his repertoire and rarely played the cut shot.

Wally Hammond married Dorothy Lister almost immediately after returning home, just before the 1929 season began.

Wally Hammond used Hammond's bowling less due to the emergence of Tom Goddard, but Hammond was less dominant with the bat than was expected.

Wally Hammond played in four of the five Tests against South Africa, missing the fourth due to injury; he suffered an injury in the second Test which required him to use a runner.

Wally Hammond ended the series with 352 runs at an average of 58.66.

Wally Hammond scored 306 runs at an average of 34.00, passing fifty just twice.

Wally Hammond batted over five hours for a match-saving 113 in the third Test.

Later in the season, Wally Hammond scored 89 for Gloucestershire in a tied match against the Australians which he described as the most exciting of his career.

Wally Hammond took 30 wickets, including match figures of 12 for 74 against Glamorgan.

Wally Hammond continued to open in the third Test, playing more aggressively for 136 not out, before returning to number three and making 75 in the fourth Test.

In 1931, Wally Hammond increased his first-class wicket total to 47, and scored 1,781 runs at an average of 42.40.

Wally Hammond did not pass fifty in the rest of the series, ending the victorious campaign with 169 runs at an average of 56.33.

In 1932, Wally Hammond was appointed vice-captain of Gloucestershire, but it was noted in Wisden that he sometimes failed to inspire his team.

Wally Hammond himself felt unable, as a new captain, to take the same risks that Lyon had done.

Wally Hammond scored 2,528 runs, including his then highest score of 264, and his first hundred for the Players against the Gentlemen.

Wally Hammond disapproved of Bodyline bowling, believing it to be dangerous, although he understood some of the reasons for its use.

Wally Hammond kept his feelings hidden during the tour, preferring to go along with his captain and the rest of the team.

Wally Hammond scored 203, freely punishing Fleetwood-Smith's bowling and in effect delaying his Test debut for several years.

In England's victory in the first Test, Wally Hammond scored 112, playing powerfully through the off side.

Wally Hammond took two wickets in two balls in the second Australian innings, making the ball move around.

Wally Hammond took three for 23 in the second innings but achieved little with the bat as England lost the match.

Wally Hammond did not pass 20 runs in England's Ashes-securing victory in the fourth Test, attracting criticism from Wisden and others for overcautious batting.

Wally Hammond returned to form in the final Test at Sydney, a ground on which he was often successful, scoring 101 and 75 not out.

However, the weakness of the bowling compared to that faced by Bradman and the importance of Ashes matches meant that Wally Hammond's record was not as prestigious as the Australian's.

Wally Hammond again commented that he would quit rather than face such bowling; soon after his return, he was out.

Wally Hammond played in all five Tests against Australia but his top score was 43; he scored 162 runs at an average of 20.25, and took five wickets at an average of 72.80.

Wally Hammond had a top score of 47 and scored 175 runs at an average of 25.00.

Wally Hammond played well in difficult batting conditions, which he believed were among the worst he ever faced, in the first Test.

Wally Hammond's health remained poor at the start of the 1935 season.

Wally Hammond developed septic tonsillitis which made it difficult for him to breathe, eat and sleep, and ultimately required an operation to remove his tonsils in early 1936.

Wally Hammond's form was indifferent and he believed it was his worst season.

Wally Hammond became the ninth player to reach 100 first-class centuries, emerging from a run of bad form against Somerset.

Wally Hammond did not pass fifty until the third Test, when he scored 63 and 87 not out, ending a run of 22 innings without a fifty, in which time he averaged 23.47 over 14 Tests.

Wally Hammond finished the series with 389 runs at an average of 64.83, but remained unsatisfied with his form.

Wally Hammond had been offered the joint captaincy with Bev Lyon, conditional on his becoming assistant secretary at the club to enable him to play as an amateur, but declined for financial reasons.

Wally Hammond returned to the England side for the second Test, making 167, his first century in 28 innings, scoring quickly throughout.

Wally Hammond continued to score heavily in the third Test, making 217 after being dropped twice early on.

Wally Hammond batted all of the second day, ensuring the match lasted the full three days, to score 317 out of a total of 485.

Wally Hammond was successful with bat and ball, scoring 1,206 runs and taking 21 wickets in all first-class matches in Australia.

In Tests, Wally Hammond scored 468 runs at an average of 58.50 and took 12 wickets at an average of 25.08.

Wally Hammond's tour began with four consecutive first-class hundreds against the state teams, but Wisden reported that he never recaptured this form during the remainder of the tour, owing to the bowling of Bill O'Reilly.

England won the first two Tests, although Wally Hammond did not contribute in the first, making a first ball duck.

One of Wally Hammond's teammates opined that Bradman would not have been dismissed as easily in a similar situation.

The chairman of selectors, Plum Warner, later wrote that there was never any doubt from then that Wally Hammond would be captain.

Wally Hammond was criticised for his handling of bowlers, specifically for not giving enough work to spinners Hedley Verity in the first Test or Doug Wright in the fourth.

Wally Hammond scored 59, giving him 403 runs at an average of 67.16 in the series.

Wisden criticised both sides for slow play, and the almanack's correspondent felt Wally Hammond was reluctant to try to force a win.

Wally Hammond scored three Test centuries, making 181 after a shaky start in the second Test, a quick 120 in the third and 140 in the fifth.

England won the third match, the only one in the series with a result, and Wally Hammond was praised for his use of bowlers.

The final match, in which Wally Hammond lost the toss, having previously won it eight consecutive times, was drawn after ten days' play.

Wally Hammond was credited with nearly forcing a remarkable win, first by promoting Bill Edrich, who had failed thus far in the series but scored 219, and then by playing himself what Wisden described as "one of the finest innings of his career" before rain forced the match to be abandoned.

Wally Hammond tallied two fifties in the series to score 609 runs in total, at an average of 87.00.

Wally Hammond placed at the top of the first-class averages for the seventh successive season, although some critics detected a decline in his abilities.

The impending war overshadowed much of the season; throughout the Tests, Wally Hammond made public appeals for citizens to join the armed forces.

Wally Hammond was posted to a training wing of the Royal Air Force at Hastings in Sussex before he moved with his unit to Torquay.

Wally Hammond had mainly administrative duties, including instructing recruits, for whom he made life hard.

Wally Hammond played some games of cricket in 1940 for various teams before being posted to Cairo in December.

Wally Hammond spent much time in South Africa, where he played cricket and was reunited with Sybil Ness-Harvey.

At the beginning of 1944, Wally Hammond was posted back to England, where he lectured and drilled cadets.

In December 1944, Wally Hammond, suffering from fibrositis, was discharged from the RAFVR on health grounds and returned to work at Marsham Tyres.

Wally Hammond played in six, scoring 592 runs at an average of 59.20 with two centuries.

Wally Hammond batted fifth in the order in the final match, as he would in four of his five remaining Tests.

Wally Hammond was criticised for his field placement and people at home wondered if he had lost control of the team.

Wally Hammond approached the tour as an exercise in goodwill, promising his men an enjoyable time.

Team spirit was good on the outward journey, but Wally Hammond's forthcoming divorce and other domestic concerns caused him to become isolated from the players and increasingly moody.

Wally Hammond had poor relations with the press, who were very critical of his captaincy and reporting details of the dissolution of his marriage.

In that first Test, Wally Hammond played two good innings on a very difficult wicket, but in the series, he did not pass fifty, scoring 168 runs at an average of 21.00 before missing the final Test.

Wally Hammond suffered increasing pain from fibrositis throughout the series, and later admitted that he felt close to a breakdown.

Wally Hammond played his last Test in New Zealand at the end of the tour, scoring 79 in his final innings.

Wally Hammond ended his career with 7,249 Test runs at an average of 58.46.

Wally Hammond decided to retire from all cricket after the tour, not returning for Gloucestershire in 1947.

Wally Hammond remains seventh on the list of highest run scorers in first-class cricket and has the third highest number of centuries, as of 2015.

Balanced and still at the crease, Wally Hammond was known for the power and beauty of his driving through the off side, although he could play any shot.

Wally Hammond was particularly effective on difficult wickets, scoring runs where others struggled to survive.

Wally Hammond's bowling was smooth and effortless, with a classical action.

Wally Hammond could make the ball swing in humid weather, and deliver off-spin when conditions were suitable.

Wally Hammond stood all but motionless, moved late but with uncanny speed, never needing to stretch or strain but plucking the ball from the air like an apple from a tree.

Wally Hammond struck his contemporaries as a sad figure, a loner with few friends in cricket.

Wally Hammond rarely encouraged young players or gave out praise.

Wally Hammond liked to mix with middle-class people, spending money he did not really have, leading to accusations of snobbery.

Wally Hammond once tried hard to injure Dacre by bowling fast at him while he was wicketkeeper.

Wally Hammond felt not only that he had to do well, but that he had to score more than Bradman.

David Foot quotes an unnamed cricketer saying that the two ruling passions of Wally Hammond's life "were his cricket bat and his genitals".

In 1929, Wally Hammond married Dorothy Lister, the daughter of a Yorkshire textile merchant, in a highly publicised ceremony at a parish church in Bingley.

Acquaintances believed Wally Hammond treated her badly, particularly once her father lost nearly everything in the Depression, causing them financial worry.

Wally Hammond remained loyal, but their relations gradually broke down, even after she sailed to South Africa, joining Hammond on tour in 1939 in an attempt to save the marriage.

Wally Hammond's divorce went through, and on his return, he and Sybil married at Kingston Register Office.

Wally Hammond had already changed her name to Hammond by deed poll.

Wally Hammond was used as a sales promotions manager, which mainly involved publicity and meeting customers, although he test-drove cars.

Wally Hammond joined the board of directors and was again used for publicity, but he was never a hard worker or determined salesman.

Wally Hammond wrote for The Star during the 1948 Test series and penned three books with the assistance of a ghostwriter.

In 1951, Wally Hammond resigned from Marsham's; his wife was homesick, leading Wally Hammond to plan a business in South Africa with a partner.

Wally Hammond took a job with Denham Motors in Durban, where he was forced to work much harder than in England.

Wally Hammond lost his job in 1959 when the firm went out of business, and the Hammond family again found themselves in financial trouble.

In 1962, Wally Hammond visited England as part of a drive to recruit new members for Gloucestershire.

Wally Hammond showed some interest in taking over a pub, but nothing came of it.

Wally Hammond scored his final Test century against the West Indies at The Oval in London on 19 August 1939, making a score of 138, and his final Test match was against New Zealand at Lancaster Park in Christchurch on 21 March 1947.

Wally Hammond played in a total of 85 Test matches, and held the record for the most runs in Test cricket at the time, with 7,249 runs.