George Hay (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
George Hay was an English
cricket
er who played for Derbyshire
between 1875 and 1886.
Hay was born at Staveley
and became a professional cricketer playing at Manningham, Bradford
from 1873 to 1875. His debut season for Derbyshire in the 1875 season
saw him play in four county matches, his first, an innings victory over Kent
, in which he took a five-wicket haul in the second innings, chosen ahead of the usual bowling pair of William Mycroft
and William Hickton
. He followed this up with two County matches in the 1876 season
. In 1877 Hay was playing professionally for Eland and played just one first-class match for Derbyshire in the 1875 season
, scoring 31 not out, the highest score of his career thus far.
Hay was back with Derbyshire in the 1878 season
, still beating Hickton to the mantle of second-choice bowler, though now he had to shake competition off from John Platts
, in the same position. Though he never played as often as he did during the 1878 season on any further occasions, Hay's round-arm bowling was at times preferred to John Platts' occasional deceptively-layered pace. In the 1879 season
Hay put in fewer games for Derbyshire as he was playing for Keighley.
In the 1880 season
, Derbyshire's first match of the season was against the touring Australians
, fresh in their existence as a Test nation and with several young players at their disposal. The Derbyshire bowling pair of Mycroft and Hay dealt soundly with the Australians, but then the same treatment was dealt to the Derbyshire team in a second-innings eight-wicket haul by Fred Spofforth
. Hay then played four more non-status games against the Australians - for a scratch Derbyshire team, for Keighley and twice for Wermeth, maintaining his duel with Spofforth who was later to become a Derbyshire captain. Hay appeared in eight county matches for the team during 1880, scoring more runs in this season than in any other of his career. The 1881 season
was nearly as successful a season, Hay playing in six county matches, Derbyshire winning two. From here on, Hay was on the playing staff of MCC
where he played matches against minor counties, while still putting in five games for Derbyshire over the next five years. His two final first-class matches were in teams made up of a variety of players from all the major cricketing counties.
Hay was a right-arm round-arm fast-medium bowler and took 148 first-class wickets at an average of 16.51 and a best performance of 6-16. He was a right-handed batsman and played 94 innings in 55 first class matches with a top score of 49 and an average of 8.57.
Hay umpired one first-class game in 1884 and after his retirement from playing, he took charge of nearly 70 first-class matches between 1887 and 1897, including several in the early years of the County Championship with a finalsingle game in 1902.
Hay also played football, and was a goalkeeper for Staveley, then an important club. It was in a game in January 1889 against Grimsby Town that William Cropper
, Hay's friend and team-mate at Staveley and Derbyshire CCC, collapsed after a collision on the pitch and died in Hay's arms in the dressing room.
Hay died at Staveley at the age of 62.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played for Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
between 1875 and 1886.
Hay was born at Staveley
Staveley, Derbyshire
Staveley is a town within the borough of Chesterfield, in Derbyshire, England. The town is situated alongside the River Rother, adjacent to Eckington to the north, Barlborough to the east, Sutton-cum-Duckmanton civil parish to the south and Brimington to the west.-History:It has traditionally been...
and became a professional cricketer playing at Manningham, Bradford
Manningham, Bradford
Manningham is an area of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, approximately a mile north of the city centre and is seen as the centre of the city's south Asian population.- Geography :...
from 1873 to 1875. His debut season for Derbyshire in the 1875 season
Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1875
Derbyshire Country Cricket Club in 1875 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire played their fifth season. Nottinghamshire had played informal matches aggainst Derbyshire in previous seasons, and joined Lancashire and Kent to make a third County side playing first class matches...
saw him play in four county matches, his first, an innings victory over Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
, in which he took a five-wicket haul in the second innings, chosen ahead of the usual bowling pair of William Mycroft
William Mycroft
William Mycroft was an English cricketer who played first class cricket for Derbyshire and MCC between 1873 and 1886. He was a left-arm fast bowler with a great deal of spin and a dangerous yorker that was often believed to be unfair - which may explain why he was not considered for the earliest...
and William Hickton
William Hickton (cricketer, born 1842)
William Hickton was an English cricketer who played for Lancashire between 1867 and 1871 and for Derbyshire between 1871 and 1878. He was a member of the team that played Derbyshire's first match in May 1871....
. He followed this up with two County matches in the 1876 season
Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1876
Derbyshire Country Cricket Club in 1876 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire played their sixth season.Hampshire replaced Nottinghamshire as the third county to play Derbyshire, together with Lancashire and Kent. Derbyshire also played their first match against an MCC side, which...
. In 1877 Hay was playing professionally for Eland and played just one first-class match for Derbyshire in the 1875 season
Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1875
Derbyshire Country Cricket Club in 1875 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire played their fifth season. Nottinghamshire had played informal matches aggainst Derbyshire in previous seasons, and joined Lancashire and Kent to make a third County side playing first class matches...
, scoring 31 not out, the highest score of his career thus far.
Hay was back with Derbyshire in the 1878 season
Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1878
Derbyshire Country Cricket Club in 1878 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire played their eighth season.Nottinghamshire played Derbyshire again after a two year break, joining Yorkshire Hampshire, Lancashire and Kent as the fifth county to play Derbyshire-1878 season:In 1878,...
, still beating Hickton to the mantle of second-choice bowler, though now he had to shake competition off from John Platts
John Platts
John Thomas Brown Dumelow Platts was an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 1871 and 1884. He was a member of the team that played Derbyshire's first match in May 1871....
, in the same position. Though he never played as often as he did during the 1878 season on any further occasions, Hay's round-arm bowling was at times preferred to John Platts' occasional deceptively-layered pace. In the 1879 season
Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1879
Derbyshire Country Cricket Club in 1879 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire played their ninth season.Of the county sides Derbyshire played in the previous year they had matches against Lancashire, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire. However they did not play Hampshire or Kent...
Hay put in fewer games for Derbyshire as he was playing for Keighley.
In the 1880 season
Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1880
Derbyshire Country Cricket Club in 1880 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire played their tenth season.Derbyshire played Lancashire and Yorkshire who they had played in the previous season...
, Derbyshire's first match of the season was against the touring Australians
Australian cricket team in England in 1880
The Australian cricket team in England in 1880 played nine first-class matches including one Test, which was the first ever played in England. They were captained by W.L. Murdoch...
, fresh in their existence as a Test nation and with several young players at their disposal. The Derbyshire bowling pair of Mycroft and Hay dealt soundly with the Australians, but then the same treatment was dealt to the Derbyshire team in a second-innings eight-wicket haul by Fred Spofforth
Fred Spofforth
Frederick Robert "Fred" Spofforth , also known as "The Demon Bowler", was arguably the Australian cricket team's finest pace bowler of the nineteenth century and was the first bowler to take 50 Test wickets, and the first to take a test hat-trick in 1879...
. Hay then played four more non-status games against the Australians - for a scratch Derbyshire team, for Keighley and twice for Wermeth, maintaining his duel with Spofforth who was later to become a Derbyshire captain. Hay appeared in eight county matches for the team during 1880, scoring more runs in this season than in any other of his career. The 1881 season
Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1881
Derbyshire Country Cricket Club in 1881 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire had been playing for ten years. The team played nine first class matches and won two of them-1881 season:...
was nearly as successful a season, Hay playing in six county matches, Derbyshire winning two. From here on, Hay was on the playing staff of MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
where he played matches against minor counties, while still putting in five games for Derbyshire over the next five years. His two final first-class matches were in teams made up of a variety of players from all the major cricketing counties.
Hay was a right-arm round-arm fast-medium bowler and took 148 first-class wickets at an average of 16.51 and a best performance of 6-16. He was a right-handed batsman and played 94 innings in 55 first class matches with a top score of 49 and an average of 8.57.
Hay umpired one first-class game in 1884 and after his retirement from playing, he took charge of nearly 70 first-class matches between 1887 and 1897, including several in the early years of the County Championship with a finalsingle game in 1902.
Hay also played football, and was a goalkeeper for Staveley, then an important club. It was in a game in January 1889 against Grimsby Town that William Cropper
William Cropper
William Cropper was an English cricketer and football player who played cricket for Derbyshire CCC between 1882 and 1888 and football once for Derby County...
, Hay's friend and team-mate at Staveley and Derbyshire CCC, collapsed after a collision on the pitch and died in Hay's arms in the dressing room.
Hay died at Staveley at the age of 62.