County Championship 5th (W8, L3, D17)
Captain George Heane
Fifth in the Championship, the same placing as in 1935, was achieved in spite of a weather affected season with 17 of the 28 Championship matches ending as draws.
The success of the team was mainly due to the exceptionally fine bowling of Larwood and Voce, the former taking 119 (average 12.97) heading the averages of the country, as in several previous years, and the latter 135 wickets (average 19.66).
The batting was inconsistent, only Joe Hardstaff, Walter Keeton and Charlie Harris maintaining their previous form. Hardstaff scored 1,224 runs with an average of 39.48, and Keeton 1,607 runs with an average of 37.37. Harris and Gunn scored over 1,000 runs.
Two members of the Team, Hardstaff and Bill Voce were selected members of the MCC team touring Australasia. The great part played by Voce in securing English victories in the first two Test Matches – he took 17 wickets in those games – was rather offset by the dramatic change in fortune with Australia recovering from 2-0 to win the series, and thus retain the Ashes, by 3-2.
Keeton showed his form in the first innings of the first match versus Sussex, scoring 103 and sharing a 160 run opening partnership with Charlie Harris; the match, at Trent Bridge, was drawn.
Centuries followed in the next game, at home to Gloucestershire – Harris making 135 and Joe Hardstaff 145. Allied to a five-wicket haul for Larwood, this enabled Notts to record their first win, by 10 wickets.
The drawn game against Cambridge University at Fenner’s was notable for the 133 scored by the India test player (and later cricket administrator in Pakistan) Jahangir Khan. This was his highest First-Class score but his fame – or perhaps notoriety – comes from another University match later that summer.
Jahangir was bowling to Tom Pearce of MCC when the bails were observed to have fallen even though the ball had not hit the stumps. A dead sparrow was found next to the wicket and it has always been assumed that the deliver from Jahangir Khan had hilled the bird in flight. The sparrow was preserved and stuffed and now sits in the museum at Lord’s.
Nothing so dramatic happened in the home games against Hampshire and Surrey, each of which was drawn, but Notts suffered their first defeat away to Middlesex at Lord’s.
Despite Larwood’s match haul of eleven wickets, Nottinghamshire subsided to 41 all out in their second innings, Jim Smith and Laurie Gray sharing the wickets. In the Middlesex side was a young batter who made what was then his highest First-Class score of just 14 but it was not long before Denis Compton showed his true worth.
Notts won a low-scoring game against Essex despite making just 77 in their first innings as Stan Nichols took 9-32, his career-best figures. Essex fared little better, making 171 and 106 to leave Notts chasing 201 to win which they made with losing a wicket – Keeton 115no, Harris 85no.
Rain meant that only 101 overs were possible across the three days of the home game with the India tourists but Notts fortunes revived thereafter with a run of five unbeaten matches, four of those victories.
Notts again survived a poor first innings – just 78 this time against Kent to rally and forced a 56-run win, thanks mainly to Larwood and Voce who shared all the Kent second innings wickets.
They then went to Old Trafford and beat Lancashire by five wickets and returned to Trent Bridge for an even more emphatic win over Warwickshire. Led by 121 from Joe Hardstaff and 124 from wicket keeper Ben Lilley – his best-ever First-Class knock – they compiled 435 then bowled the visitors out for 98 and 236 to win by an innings and 101 runs.
Yet another first innings collapse – this time 74 made against Sussex at Hove – was redeemed by a second innings revival and Notts secured a draw.
Bill Voce took ten wickets in the game against Hampshire at Basingstoke to help secure another comfortable innings victory.
There followed a sequence of six drawn matches: against Yorkshire home and away, similarly Northants home and away, Middlesex and Glamorgan at Trent Bridge.
The latter game was notable for an unbroken double century second wicket stand between Charlie Harris (111) and Joe Knowles (104). The game versus Yorkshire at home saw the Nottinghamshire First XI debut of Cecil Maxwell, deputising for Joe Hardstaff who had been selected for the ‘Players’.
Maxwell had played First-Class cricket for Sir Julien Cahn’s XI prior to his county debut – including an extraordinary knock at West Park against Leicestershire in 1935. He made 268,
which was not just his only First-Clas century but remains the highest score ever made by a number eight batter, almost ninety years later.
Nottinghamshire broke the run of draws by beating eventual champions Derbyshire (their own County title) by six wickets at Ilkeston. Larwood and Voce with fourteen wickets in the match were largely responsible for the six-wicket win.
In the fixture against Kent at Trent Bridge, both Harold Larwood and Bill Voce took their 100th wicket of the season but could not prevent yet another drawn game.
Nottinghamshire’s final victory of the summer came at The Oval, Surrey losing by 45 runs with the pace duo again claiming the bulk of the wickets.
Drawn games with Leicestershire (twice), Derbyshire, Lancashire and Warwickshire continued the dominant theme of the year. Notts then lost away to Essex, by 34 runs. For once Larwood and Voce found themselves out-bowled – by Ken Farnes, who had played tests for England in the post-Bodyline series; his match figures were 9-134.
The trek from Clacton to Cardiff brought another draw before Notts moved on again, for the shorter journey to Gloucester. In the last game of the Championship, Notts were on the end of a Wally Hammond masterclass as he made 317 out of 485, more than enough to see the home side to a victory by an innings and 70 runs. Hammond’s innings is the highest individual score made against Notts in a county match.
In January 1936, the death was announced of Charles William Wright, aged 73. He had played cricket for Notts in the late 19th C and was closely associated with the management of the Club for 45 years; as a member of the Committee from 1891 to 1896, as Trustee from 1900 to 1936, and Hon Treasurer from 1911 to 1935.
As captain of Notts in the game at Gravesend in 1890, Wright made history as the first cricketer to declare an innings closed (157 for 7) for Notts.
John Collis Snaith, who died at Hampstead in December 1936, had made numerous appearances for Notts Second Eleven and in 1900 played twice for the County, against MCC and the West Indians, making 18 and 21 runs and taking 4 wickets for 79.
He was a well-known novelist; his Willow the King is considered to be among the best novels dealing with cricket. He maintained a keen interest in Nottinghamshire cricket, particularly when living on Bridgford Road, close to the ground.
Apart from his writings, he is now best remembered as a member of JM Barrie’s nomadic team, the Allahakbarries and of the Authors XI.
During the year, John Carlin, who became official scorer for the Club after the death of Harry Coxon in 1929, completed 50 years association with first-class cricket.
Carlin first appeared for the County Eleven in 1887 and played in 72 matches. He was an excellent wicketkeeper and a sound batter, having an average of 18.66. Subsequently he was for many years engaged on the Groundstaff at Lords and regularly played for M. C. C. and ground during that period.
Scorecards and stats can be seen here
February 2025