Eddie Hemmings (cricketer)
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Edward Ernest Hemmings (born 20 February 1949) is a former English
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
er, who played in 16
Test matches Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to: * Test cricket * Test match (indoor cricket) * Test match (rugby union) * Test match (rugby league) * Test match (association football) ...
and 33
One Day International A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World C ...
s for the
England cricket team The England cricket team represents England and Wales in international cricket. Since 1997, it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club (the MCC) since 1903. Engla ...
between 1982 and 1991. He made his England debut relatively late in his career, at the age of 33, having predominantly represented
Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...
in the
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 bec ...
. His chance came when several England players announced their intention to go on a rebel cricket tour to South Africa.


Life and career

Originally operating as a
seam bowler Seam bowling is a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation when the ball bounces. Practitioners are known as ''seam bowlers'' or seamers. Seam bowling is generally classed ...
for
Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...
, Hemmings changed to bowling
off-spin Off spin is a type of finger spin bowling in cricket. A bowler who uses this technique is called an off spinner. Off spinners are right-handed spin bowlers who use their fingers to spin the ball. Their normal delivery is an off break, which spi ...
for Nottinghamshire, which led to Test match appearances from the age of 33. England test teams at that time used to have one spinner, usually an off spinner since
Ray Illingworth Raymond Illingworth CBE (8 June 1932 – 25 December 2021) was an English cricketer, cricket commentator and administrator. , he was one of only nine players to have taken 2,000 wickets and made 20,000 runs in first-class cricket.Arnold, Peter ...
's appointment as captain in 1969. Illingworth was himself an off spinner. When Illingworth was sacked,
Tony Greig Anthony William Greig (6 October 194629 December 2012) was a South African-born Test cricket captain turned commentator. Greig qualified to play for the England cricket team by virtue of his Scottish parentage. He was a tall () all-rounder w ...
briefly filled this role until he was removed in 1977. For a brief time, the baton was handed to
Geoff Miller Geoffrey Miller, (born 8 September 1952) is an English former cricketer, who played in 34 Test matches and 25 One Day Internationals for the England cricket team between 1976 and 1984. He played for Derbyshire from 1973 to 1986, captaining t ...
and then
John Emburey John Ernest Emburey (born 20 August 1952) is a former English first-class cricketer who played for Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Western Province, Berkshire and England. According to cricket writer Colin Bateman, Emburey's participation in two S ...
filled the role from his debut in 1978 largely uncontested until 1982 when Emburey was banned for joining the South African Breweries tour. This put Hemmings into contention for the off spinner's spot with
Vic Marks Victor James Marks (born 25 June 1955) is an English sports journalist and former professional cricketer. An off spin bowler, Marks played in six Test matches and thirty four One Day Internationals for England. His entire county cricket car ...
, both making their
Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
debuts in 1982. Hemmings then toured Australia that winter, teaming up with Miller in several Ashes Tests. He hit his highest Test score of 95 as a nightwatchman in the fifth test at Sydney, also taking six wickets in the match. Seven and a half years later he would make his other Test half century (51) against
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
during a last wicket stand with
Devon Malcolm Devon Eugene Malcolm (born 22 February 1963) is a former English cricketer. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Malcolm played in 40 Test matches and 30 One Day Internationals for the England cricket team. At his best, he was the unquestionably the f ...
. At Brisbane during the 1982-3 Ashes series, Hemmings was mocked for his ample girth in an incident in which a group of home supporters smuggled a pig into the ground and release it onto the outfield, having scrawled "Eddie" onto one flank and "Botham" onto the other. (Team-mate
Ian Botham Ian Terence Botham, Baron Botham, (born 24 November 1955) is an English cricket commentator, member of the House of Lords, a former cricketer who has been chairman of Durham County Cricket Club since 2017 and charity fundraiser. Hailed as one ...
had also begun to fill out around the waist at this stage of his career.) A change in England selection policy after this tour saw the spin department filled by left armers such as
Phil Edmonds Philippe-Henri Edmonds (born 8 March 1951) is a former cricketer who represented England at international level and Middlesex at county level. After retiring he became a successful, albeit controversial, corporate executive. Edmonds played mo ...
and Nick Cook in 1983. For the arrival of the
West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
in 1984,
Pat Pocock Patrick Ian Pocock (born 24 September 1946) is a Welsh former cricketer, who played in 25 Test matches and one One Day International for the England cricket team between 1968 and 1985. The cricket correspondent Colin Bateman opined, "The sel ...
was preferred as the England off spinner. With Emburey's ban lifted in 1985, Hemmings was again forced onto the sidelines in the test arena. By 1987 Emburey was not taking as many wickets as expected, and while Emburey kept his place in the team as a masterly containing bowler, Hemmings had a good season, helping Nottinghamshire to a noted double of the
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 bec ...
and the
NatWest Bank Trophy The Friends Provident Trophy was a one-day cricket competition in the United Kingdom. It was one of the four tournaments in which the eighteen first-class cricket, first-class counties competed each season. They were joined by teams from Scott ...
. A televised
man of the match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...
-winning performance in the NatWest quarter-final victory against
Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
helped to raise his profile. Hemmings was then recalled to the England squad in the World Cup in 1987 in India and Pakistan, and played alongside Emburey in a number of key fixtures. Hemmings was instrumental in the crucial group-stage win against the West Indies at
Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi Language, Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Rajasthan. , the city had a pop ...
, especially by dismissing the feared West Indies captain
Viv Richards Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards (born 7 March 1952) is an Antiguan retired cricketer who represented the West Indies cricket team between 1974 and 1991. Batting generally at number three in a dominant West Indies side, Richards is widely ...
. One of the finest moments of Hemmings' ODI career would then come in the semifinals of the tournament where he took 4/52 to curtail India's chase. Hemmings' spell would account for the key wickets of
Mohammad Azharuddin Mohammad Azharuddin (born 8 February 1963) is an Indian politician and a former international cricketer and former captain of India national cricket team. He is the working president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee and was the Memb ...
,
Kapil Dev Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj (Pronunciation: əpiːl deːʋ born 6 January 1959) is an Indian former cricketer. He was a fast-medium bowler and a hard-hitting middle-order batsman, and was named by ''Wisden'' as the Indian Cricketer of the Centu ...
and
Ravi Shastri Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri (born 27 May 1962) is the former head coach of the India national cricket team, a cricket commentator and former captain of Indian Cricket Team. As a player, he played for the India national cricket team between 19 ...
. Hemmings would also go on to play in the final, which England lost, taking the best bowling figures for any England bowler in the match. Hemmings also appeared in three Tests that winter, taking his then best Test figures at Sydney (the ground on which he took more of his test wickets than anywhere else), but then lost his place in the side. Earlier that winter he was a bystander in one of the most notorious incidents in Test cricket; he was attempting to deliver the ball when an unseemly row ensued between England captain
Mike Gatting Michael William Gatting (born 6 June 1957) is an English former cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Middlesex (1975–1998; captain 1983–1997) and for England from 1977 to 1995, captaining the national side in twenty-three Test ma ...
and umpire Shakoor Rana. In
county cricket Inter-county cricket matches are known to have been played since the early 18th century, involving teams that are representative of the historic counties of England and Wales. Since the late 19th century, there have been two county championship ...
, Hemmings was a useful lower-order batsman, who had made his only first-class century in 1982, a week before his Test debut, making 127 not out (batting at no.9) against
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
. Requiring four runs off the last ball of the
Benson & Hedges Cup The Benson & Hedges Cup was a one-day cricket competition for first-class counties in England and Wales that was held from 1972 to 2002, one of cricket's longest sponsorship deals. It was the third major one-day competition established in Englan ...
final in 1989, Hemmings (by now aged 40) struck a boundary off
John Lever John Kenneth Lever (born 24 February 1949) is an English former international cricketer who played Test and One Day International cricket for England. Lever was a left-arm fast-medium bowler who predominantly swung the ball into right-handed ...
of
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
to ensure victory for Nottinghamshire. Soon after this win he was reinstated in the England side for the 5th Ashes Test match of the same year at Trent Bridge, thanks in part to the fact that several players had just announced their decision to go on a rebel tour to South Africa, including off-spinner
John Emburey John Ernest Emburey (born 20 August 1952) is a former English first-class cricketer who played for Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Western Province, Berkshire and England. According to cricket writer Colin Bateman, Emburey's participation in two S ...
. Hemmings took no wickets but had some consolation with the bat, second top-scoring on his home County ground in both England innings. The Australian test attack, impatient to clinch another victory and used to prevailing during a summer in which they regularly humiliated England, was so frustrated by Hemmings' batting that there was a small on field altercation with Australian fast bowler Geoff Lawson just before tea on the fourth day of that match. Hemmings had hit Lawson for several fours in a completely lost cause, the game being well and truly lost for England by this point. Selected as part of
Graham Gooch Graham Alan Gooch, (born 23 July 1953) is a former English first-class cricketer who captained Essex and England. He was one of the most successful international batsmen of his generation, and through a career spanning from 1973 until 2000, h ...
's touring squad that winter, Hemmings played in one day internationals only – often being the most economical bowler. Hemmings was England's first choice off spinner throughout 1990 as the hot weather demanded England adjust their policy of 4 fast bowlers – which had largely worked during the Caribbean tour. During the first test against India at Lord's in 1990, Hemmings was famously hit for four consecutive sixes by
Kapil Dev Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj (Pronunciation: əpiːl deːʋ born 6 January 1959) is an Indian former cricketer. He was a fast-medium bowler and a hard-hitting middle-order batsman, and was named by ''Wisden'' as the Indian Cricketer of the Centu ...
from the last four balls of his over. This 24 was the exact amount required for India to avoid the follow on – they were nine wickets down at the time and Kapil Dev did not want to expose
Narendra Hirwani Narendra Deepchand Hirwani (born 18 October 1968) is a leg spin bowler who played for India. He is mainly remembered for his success on his Test debut. Early days Hirwani came from a well-off family in Gorakhpur. He belongs to the sindhi Hindu ...
to
Angus Fraser Angus Robert Charles Fraser (born 8 August 1965) is an English cricket administrator. He served as the managing director of Middlesex Cricket between 2009 and 2021, before assuming a new role heading the club's academy He is also a former E ...
's next over, as Fraser had Hirwani lbw first ball. (England still won the match.) Hemmings had had a happier match in the previous Test against
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
in which (now aged 41) he took his only Test
five-wicket haul In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer") occurs when a bowler takes five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded by critics as a notable achievement, equivalent to a century from a batsman. Takin ...
, figures of 6/58. Hemmings toured Australia with the full England side in 1990–91 that winter, playing in one test match – his last test match – at Sydney and again featuring as a containing bowler in most of the one day games. England did not make the finals of the World Series Cup. Hemmings last played for England during the short one day international series in New Zealand which followed the Ashes tour. All in all, Hemmings was probably the second best off-spinner in England from around 1982–1991 and was largely unfortunate that his best years coincided with John Emburey's. He was perhaps underused in
one day international cricket A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of over (cricket), overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cr ...
, especially given his success in the 1987 world cup and his proficiency in the format; as of 2022 he stands 31st on the list of all-time wicket-takers in
List A cricket List A cricket is a classification of the limited-overs (one-day) form of the sport of cricket, with games lasting up to eight hours. List A cricket includes One Day International (ODI) matches and various domestic competitions in which the numbe ...
. There were other contenders for the one place in the England team during the same time such as Geoff Miller, Vic Marks and Pat Pocock. However broadly speaking England selectors preferred their off spinners to be able to bat which explains why Geoff Miller, who had a superior first-class record as a batter, was often selected. Before retiring from first-class cricket at the age of 46, he also played for
Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
. In his last season he helped the county to inflict a rare innings defeat on the touring West Indies, taking 4/33. Hemmings holds the record for the most runs conceded by a bowler when taking all ten wickets in an innings – 49.3-14-175-10 for the International XI against a West Indies XI at
Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inter ...
in 1982–83. He now runs a village shop in
West Butterwick West Butterwick is a village and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England. It lies in the Isle of Axholme, approximately north-east from Epworth and 4 miles north from Owston Ferry, on the western bank of the River Trent opposite its ne ...
,
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
. He has also worked as a talent scout for the ECB. His niece, Beth Morgan, was also an
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 b ...
Test cricketer.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hemmings, Eddie 1949 births Living people England Test cricketers England One Day International cricketers English cricketers Nottinghamshire cricketers Sussex cricketers Warwickshire cricketers Sportspeople from Leamington Spa Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Cricketers who have taken ten wickets in an innings D. H. Robins' XI cricketers Cricketers at the 1987 Cricket World Cup