Wally Hardinge facts for kids

Harold Thomas William Hardinge (born 25 February 1886 – died 8 May 1965), known as Wally Hardinge, was an amazing English athlete. He was a professional sportsman who played both cricket and football for England!

Wally's cricket career lasted a long time, from 1902 to 1933. During this time, he played for Kent County Cricket Club. He even played one Test match for the England national team. People said he was one of the best opening batsmen in England for many years.

He also played football at the highest level from 1905 to 1921. He played for famous clubs like Newcastle United, Sheffield United, and Arsenal. Just like in cricket, he played one international match for the England football team. After he stopped playing sports, he even briefly managed Tottenham Hotspur.

Early Life and Beginnings

Wally Hardinge was born in 1886 in Greenwich, which is in Kent, England. His father, William, was a seaman, and his mother was Ellen.

Wally started his cricket training early. When he was 13, he was coached by Captain William McCanlis at Kent's special training ground, the Tonbridge Nursery.

Cricket Career Highlights

Wally Hardinge had a very long cricket career, playing for 32 years! He started playing first-class cricket when he was just 16 years old.

Early Days at Kent

Wally made his first-class debut for Kent in August 1902. He played against Lancashire at Tonbridge. At 16, he was the youngest player to debut for Kent until 2006, and he's still the second youngest ever!

By 1907, he was a regular player for Kent. He was part of the Kent teams that won the County Championship four times between 1906 and 1913. In 1915, he was even named one of Wisden's five Cricketers of the Year.

A Top Batsman

Wally was known as a "reliable opening batsman." He became one of the most important players for Kent by 1911. He scored over 1,000 runs in a season 18 times! Five times, he scored more than 2,000 runs in a season. His best year was 1928, when he was 42 years old. He scored an amazing 2,446 runs, averaging almost 60 runs per innings.

He was also great at scoring centuries (100 runs or more). In 1913, he scored centuries in four games in a row! Four times in his career, he scored centuries in both innings of a single match. In 1921, he became only the third cricketer ever to score a double-century (200 runs) and a century in the same match. The only others to do this before him were C. B. Fry and Warwick Armstrong.

Playing for England

Wally played just one Test match for England. This happened in 1921 against Australia at Headingley. He scored 25 runs and 5 runs in his two innings. Even though he played well, he wasn't chosen for the England team again.

Records and Achievements

As of 2017, Wally Hardinge is 46th on the list of all-time runs scored in first-class cricket. He is also Kent's second-highest run-scorer ever, right after his teammate Frank Woolley. He's also second in the number of games played for Kent, with 606 appearances. He even played 101 County Championship games in a row between 1924 and 1928!

His 2,446 runs in 1928 is the third-highest total in Kent's history for a single season. His highest score of 263 not out is still the ninth-highest score in Kent's first-class history.

Bowling and Fielding Skills

When he first started, people thought Wally would be a better bowler than a batsman. He bowled slow left-arm spin. He took 371 wickets in his career, even though Kent had other great spin bowlers like Colin Blythe and Tich Freeman.

In 1929, he took six wickets for only nine runs on a tricky pitch at the Nevill Ground in Tunbridge Wells. His best bowling performance was 7 wickets for 64 runs against the Marylebone Cricket Club at Lord's in 1932. Wisden magazine also called him one of the "finest outfields in the world," meaning he was excellent at fielding.

Wally also played in six special matches called Gentlemen v Players, where professional players (Players) played against amateur players (Gentlemen). He scored 127 runs for the Players at The Oval in 1921. He played his last first-class match for Kent in 1933, when he was 47 years old.

Football Career Highlights

Wally Hardinge was also a talented footballer. He played as an inside forward during the cricket off-season.

Club Football

Before becoming a professional, he played for amateur clubs like Eltham, Tonbridge, and Maidstone United in Kent. In 1905, he signed with Newcastle United. He was mostly a reserve player there for two and a half years.

In 1907, he moved to Sheffield United for £350. This is where he really shined! He played 152 games in six seasons and scored 46 goals. He became known as one of the trickiest inside forwards in the game.

In the summer of 1913, Wally moved back south to play for Woolwich Arsenal. They had just moved to their new Highbury ground. He played for Arsenal before and after World War I. He played 55 games and scored 14 goals for Arsenal's first team before he stopped playing professional football in 1921.

International Football

While playing for Sheffield United, Wally earned one England cap (played one international match). This was in 1910 against Scotland at Hampden Park during the 1909–10 British Home Championship.

Military Service in World War I

During World War I, Wally Hardinge served his country as a Special Constable and as a mechanic in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.

He joined the Royal Naval Armoured Car Division in 1915. Later, he moved to the Royal Naval Air Service as an air mechanic. He worked at Crystal Palace and Blandford and was promoted to Chief Petty Officer in 1915. In 1918, the Royal Naval Air Service joined with the Royal Flying Corps to form the new Royal Air Force. Wally then became a sergeant major in the RAF. He was discharged from service in 1920.

Life After Playing Sports

After his amazing career as a sportsman, Wally Hardinge continued to be involved in sports.

He worked for John Wisden & Co, a famous cricket company, for a while. He also coached Leicestershire for a short time. He was an instructor for schoolboys in Kent for FA, leaving that job in 1935.

In the 1930s, he coached the reserve team for Tottenham Hotspur. For a brief period in 1935, he even became the caretaker manager for Tottenham Hotspur's first team after the previous manager left.

Wally Hardinge passed away in Cambridge in 1965 at the age of 79 after a long illness.