by Arunabha Sengupta
A world record.
If a Test cricketer writes about a world record he achieved in his autobiography, what do you expect?
And what if, before getting to the specifics, he brags on… I did it as a batsman – no, Victor Trumper, Jack Hobbs, Charlie Macartney – none of them did what I did.
Well, Henry Hordern was a champion googly bowler, but no mean batsman as well. So you read on.
And he goes to explain.
Grade cricket. Losing the toss, Hordern bowled on a beautiful wicket.
3 or 4 for 100 or so. Not figures you expect from a future Test cricketer.
And then he batted. On a perfect wicket.
When his turn came, he faced AJ Hopkins. His second ball. Hordern snicked to the slips for 0.
Towards the end of the innings it rained. And then hot sun turned the drying wicket into a devil. Hordern’s team followed on.
In the second effort, Hordern was clean bowled by Syd Redgrave for 0.
He quickly explains : I admit two duck eggs in a match is not unique, but listen!
And we read on.
The wicket improved. Towards the latter half, a stand was made. A particularly solid stand. So solid that the last two batsmen of the line up went for a drink. Or three. And kept drinking.
Then wickets fell. And there were no last two batsmen. They were AWOL.
The fielding side waited, then discussed. Then they came over to the batting side. “Let him bat once more, it’s okay.” They pointed rather unkindly at Hordern.
Eager to please, he padded up and went in. And scored a duck. Again.
Hordern ends: “I won the battle of Waterloo – I mean created my unbeatable record. Now bring out your Don Bradman!”
Hordern captured 46 wickets in 7 Tests, at 23.36. He scored a Test fifty. He was a fantastic bowler whom Plum Warner included in his World XI.
However, in his delightful 207-page autobiography Googlies, there are exactly four self-effacing pages on his Test career.
The rest are full of such delightful stories.
A gem of a book. A gem of a man. A dentist to boot.
HV Hordern was called ‘Ranji’ because of his swarthy complexion. He was born on Feb 10, 1883.