Wally Hammond

English cricketer, regarded as one of the finest batsmen ever.

He was primarily a middle-order batsman and later captained England. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack described him as one of the four best batsmen in the history of cricket.

Quick Facts

Country: England
Full name: Walter Reginald Hammond
Born: 19 June 1903
Birthplace: Dover, Kent, England
Died: 1 July 1965
Place of death: Kloof, Natal, South Africa
Batting: Right-handed
Role: Middle-order batsman

Facts from the source article.

Did You Know?

Hammond was one of the inaugural inductees into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in January 2009.
All but one of his Test centuries were made batting at number three or four; the exception was 136 not out opening against South Africa in 1931.

Early life and career

Hammond was born in Dover, Kent, to William and Marion Hammond; his father was a bombardier in the Royal Garrison Artillery. The family lived in married quarters at Dover Castle, where Walter was born. When he was five, his father was posted to Hong Kong, then to Malta, where Hammond played cricket with improvised equipment. After his father was killed near Amiens in 1918, his mother settled in Southsea and sent him to The Portsmouth Grammar School, then to board at Cirencester Grammar School. At both schools he excelled at sports, including cricket, football and fives. At Cirencester he captained the cricket first eleven in his second season and scored 365 not out in an inter-house match. His academic marks were low, and he preferred playing cricket.

Test cricketer

Hammond made an immediate impact on returning to first-class cricket in 1927, becoming only the second man after W. G. Grace to score 1,000 runs in May. He finished the season with 2,969 runs and 12 centuries, and was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year. He toured South Africa in 1927–28, making his Test debut in the first match of the series, scoring 51 and taking five wickets for 36 runs. His bowling was described by Wisden as a key factor in an England victory. He scored 321 runs at an average of 40.12 in the series and took 15 wickets. The series was drawn 2–2. In the 1928–29 series against Australia he scored 905 runs, then a record aggregate for a Test series. In 1933 he set a record for the highest individual Test innings of 336 not out, surpassed by Len Hutton in 1938.

Amateur cricketer

In the 1938 season, his first as an amateur, Hammond scored 3,011 runs at an average of 75.27. He was elected to life membership of Gloucestershire and membership of the M.C.C. He captained the Gentlemen against the Players at Lord's, having previously led the Players, making him the only person to skipper both teams. He led England against Australia in a drawn series, winning praise for his leadership but criticism for his handling of bowlers. In the second Test he scored 240, briefly a record for an England batsman at home. In the final Test, following his instructions, England amassed a record total of 903 for seven, with Hutton scoring 364. Hammond scored 59 in that match.

Personal life

Hammond struck contemporaries as a sad figure, a loner with few friends in cricket. He rarely encouraged young players and was regarded as moody, private and uncommunicative. He had disputes with Denis Compton and Learie Constantine. His ultimate rivalry was with Don Bradman, who overshadowed him throughout his career. Hammond's strong desire for women was noticed by teammates from early in his career; biographer David Foot believes Hammond had sexual relationships with many women, sometimes several contemporaneously, before and during his first marriage.