Harold Thomas William Hardinge (25 February 1886 – 8 May 1965),

CricInfo ESPN cricinfo (formerly known as Cricinfo or CricInfo) is a sports news website exclusively for the game of cricket. The site features news, articles, live coverage of cricket matches (including liveblogs and scorecards), and ''StatsGuru'', a ...

. Retrieved 2008-12-29. known as Wally Hardinge, was an English professional sportsman who played both cricket and

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

for England. His professional cricket career lasted from 1902 to 1933 during which he played

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...

for

Kent County Cricket Club Kent County Cricket Club is one of the eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Kent. A club representing the county was first founded in 1842 but Ke ...

and made one Test match appearance for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. He was described as being "for years ... one of the leading opening batsmen in England".''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...

'', issue 46617, 1933-12-02, p.5. He played football at the top domestic level between 1905 and 1921 for

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East En ...

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

and

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostl ...

and also made a single international appearance for

in that sport. He briefly managed

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

after he retired as a sportsman.

Early life

Hardinge was born in 1886 at

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. He was the son of William and Ellen Hardinge, his father being a seaman.Lewis P (2013) ''For Kent and Country'', pp.186–189. Brighton: Reveille Press.

Cricket career

In a

career lasting 32 years from the age of 16,Wally Hardinge: Kent Cricket legend, Newcastle United and Arsenal forward
Kent County Cricket Club, 2016-02-25. Retrieved 2016-02-25. Hardinge scored 33,519 runs and made 75 centuries. He was coached by Captain

William McCanlis Captain William McCanlis (30 October 1840 – 19 November 1925) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club between 1862 and 1877 and later became known for his role in coaching young cricketers at the cou ...

at Kent's

Tonbridge Nursery The Angel Ground was a sports ground at Tonbridge in the English county of Kent. It was used as a venue for first-class cricket by Kent County Cricket Club between 1869 and 1939 and then for association football by Tonbridge Angels F.C., until ...

from the age of 13 and made his debut for the County in August 1902 against

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...

Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling, it had an estimated population ...

at the age of 16.Harold Hardinge – Cricketer of the Year 1915
''

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...

'', 1915. Retrieved 2016-04-06.First-class matches played by Wally Hardinge
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-04-06. He was the youngest player to make their first-class debut for Kent until 2006 and is still the second youngest debutant for the county.School pupil breaks 104-year Kent record
''

Kent Online KM Media Group is a multimedia company in the county of Kent, England which originated as the publisher of the Kent Messenger. The Group now produces local newspapers, radio stations and websites throughout the county. Iliffe Media acquired KM ...

'', 2006-05-17. Retrieved 2017-11-20. He became a regular in the side in 1907 when he was capped by the County.Wally Hardinge
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-04-06. He played in the four Kent

County Championship The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It b ...

winning sides of the period between

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

and 1913 and was named as one of

Wisden ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...

's five

Cricketers of the Year The ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming ...

in 1915.Wilde S (2013) "1915 Five cricketers of the year" in ''Wisden Cricketers of the Year: A Celebration of Cricket's Greatest Players'', pp.80–82.
Available online
Hardinge was considered a "reliable opening batsman" who became "one of the mainstays of the Kent eleven" by 1911. He passed 1,000 runs for a season 18 times and scored more than 2,000 runs five times, his best season being 1928 when, at 42 years of age, he scored 2,446 runs at an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...

of just under 60 runs per innings.Hardinge, Harold Thomas William – Obituary
''

'', 1966. Retrieved 2016-04-06. He scored centuries in four consecutive innings in 1913 and four times scored centuries in both innings of a match. In 1921, he became only the third cricketer, after

C. B. Fry Charles Burgess Fry (25 April 1872 – 7 September 1956) was an English sportsman, teacher, writer, editor and publisher, who is best remembered for his career as a cricketer. John Arlott described him with the words: "Charles Fry could b ...

and

Warwick Armstrong Warwick Windridge Armstrong (22 May 1879 – 13 July 1947) was an Australian cricketer who played 50 Test matches between 1902 and 1921. An all-rounder, he captained Australia in ten Test matches between 1920 and 1921, and was undefeated, winn ...

, to score a double-century and a century in the same match. His one appearance in

Test cricket Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last f ...

came against Armstrong's touring Australian side in 1921 at

Headingley Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingley ...

in a match where

Jack Hobbs Sir John Berry Hobbs (16 December 1882– 21 December 1963), always known as Jack Hobbs, was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches between 1908 and 1930. Known as "The Mast ...

had to withdraw on the opening day because of

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a r ...

. Hardinge scored 25 and 5 and was not picked again, although he did play twice in war-time matches for an England side against the Dominions in 1918.Williamson
Wally Hardinge

. Retrieved 2016-04-05. He was refused leave of absence to tour Australia in 1928–29 by his employer and had been unable to tour with England whilst he was playing professional football. As of 2017 his runs total puts him 46th on the all-time list of runs scored in first-class cricket.Most runs in career

. Retrieved 2016-04-06. He is Kent's second leading run scorer after his contemporary

Frank Woolley Frank Edward Woolley (27 May 1887 – 18 October 1978) was an English professional cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club between 1906 and 1938 and for the England cricket team. A genuine all-rounder, Woolley was a left-handed batsman ...

and second, also to Woolley, in the County's all time appearances list with 606,'Players records' in ''Kent County Cricket Club Annual 2017'', pp.212–216. Canterbury:

.'Batting records' in ''Kent County Cricket Club Annual 2017'', pp.183–196. Canterbury:

. including a run of 101 consecutive

appearances between 1924 and 1928.Geraint Jones reaches impressive County Championship milestone

, 2012-09-03. Retrieved 2016-04-10. His 1928 run aggregate is the third highest in Kent's history and his highest score of 263 not out remains the ninth highest in the County's first-class history. In his early career Hardinge was considered a more promising bowler than batsman. He bowled slow left arm spinners well enough to take 371 career wickets in a Kent side which featured great spin bowlers such as

Colin Blythe Colin Blythe (30 May 1879 – 8 November 1917), also known as Charlie Blythe, was an English professional cricketer who played Test cricket for the England cricket team during the early part of the 20th century. Blythe was a Wisden Cricketer of ...

and

Tich Freeman Alfred Percy "Tich" Freeman (17 May 1888 – 28 January 1965) was an English first-class cricketer. A leg spin bowler for Kent County Cricket Club and England, he is the only man to take 300 wickets in an English season, and is the second most ...

as well as Woolley and Bill Fairservice. He took six wickets for nine runs on a turning pitch at the Nevill Ground in

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. T ...

in 1929 and had a career best return of 7/64 against the

Marylebone Cricket Club Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influe ...

Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England ...

in 1932. He was described by

as one of the "finest outfields in the world". As well as playing for Kent, Hardinge played in six Gentlemen v Players matches, scoring 127 at

The Oval The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...

in 1921 for the Players.First-class batting and fielding for each team by Wally Hardinge
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-04-06. He made first-class appearances for a number of other teams, including the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

, and made his final first-class appearance for Kent in 1933 aged 47.

Football career

As a footballer, Hardinge played as an

inside forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

during the cricket off-season. He played for amateur clubs Eltham, Tonbridge and

Maidstone United Maidstone United Football Club is a professional football club based in Maidstone, Kent, England. The team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league system. The current club filled the void left by the ol ...

in Kent before signing for

in 1905.Wally Hardinge
Football and the First World War. Retrieved 2016-04-06. After two and a half years there, mainly as a reserve, he moved to

in 1907 for a fee of £350. There he flourished, playing 152 games in six seasons and scoring 46 goals, becoming one of the trickiest inside forwards in the game. Whilst at

Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramall family of file and graver manufacturers. ...

he won one

cap in 1910 against

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

Hampden Park Hampden Park (Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden''), often referred to as Hampden, is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The -capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland. It is the no ...

in the 1909–10 British Home Championship. In the summer of 1913 Hardinge returned to the south, signing for Woolwich Arsenal (who had just moved into their new

Highbury Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads. The manor house was sit ...

ground, and would drop the "Woolwich" from their name a year later), and played there either side of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. He made 70 wartime appearances for the team whilst serving as a mechanic during the war and played for an England side against Scotland in an RAF International match in 1919. He retired as a professional footballer in 1921, having played 55 times and scored 14 goals for the Gunners' first team.Wally Hardinge
Arsenal Football Club. Retrieved 2016-04-06.

Military service

Hardinge served as a Special Constable and in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

and

as a mechanic in

. He joined the

Royal Naval Armoured Car Division The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

in 1915 before transferring to the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

as an air mechanic at

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...

and Blandford, being promoted to

Chief Petty Officer A chief petty officer (CPO) is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards. Canada "Chief petty officer" refers to two ranks in the Royal Canadian Navy. A chief petty officer 2nd class (CPO2) (''premier maître de deuxiè ...

in 1915. In 1918 the RNAS was merged with the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

and Hardinge transferred again to the newly formed Royal Air Force with the rank of

Sergeant Major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in th ...

, first with the Cadet Brigade headquarters at

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

and then at the Armament School. He transferred to the RAF Reserve in January 1919 and was discharged in 1920.

After retirement

Whilst playing cricket Hardinge worked for

John Wisden & Co ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...

, although his employment with the company ended when he finished his cricketing career in 1934, and for the Cement Marketing Board. For a short time he coached

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire ...

. He was an FA instructor for Kent Secondary Schoolboys, leaving the post in 1935.Wally Hardinge
England Football Online. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
England Football Online. Retrieved 2017-10-02. He had a spell as a coach of

's reserve team in the 1930s and for a short period became caretaker manager of the first team in 1935 after the departure of Percy Smith. Hardinge died at

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

in 1965 at the age of 79 after a long illness.Mr. H. T. W. Hardinge, ''

'', issue 56318, 1965-05-11, p.14.

References

External links

*
England football profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hardinge, Wally 1886 births 1965 deaths Footballers from Greenwich Cricketers from Greater London English cricketers English cricketers of 1919 to 1945 Kent cricketers England Test cricketers Royal Air Force cricketers Wisden Cricketers of the Year Players cricketers English footballers Association football forwards England international footballers Maidstone United F.C. players Arsenal F.C. players Newcastle United F.C. players Sheffield United F.C. players Tottenham Hotspur F.C. non-playing staff Tottenham Hotspur F.C. managers North v South cricketers L. G. Robinson's XI cricketers English football managers Royal Naval Air Service personnel of World War I Royal Navy sailors Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Royal Air Force airmen