Hampshire Cricket's Fathers & Sons

To mark Father's Day, Dave Allen, Hampshire Cricket's historian, profiles all the fathers and sons to represent Hampshire Cricket

Hampshire County Cricket Club was formed in September 1863 playing the first match the following year. From 1864-1885 their matches were sometimes considered first-class and sometimes second-class. One of the key figures in their early history was Edward Ede, who appeared in their inaugural first-class match and had a key role in the running of the club. His son EMC Ede played in 14 matches for Hampshire from 1902-1906.

In total Hampshire played 74 first-class matches from 1864-1885, 11 in that last year, after which, having won just two and lost the other nine, they were stripped of first-class status until 1895, when they entered the County Championship.

In that disappointing 1885 season they gave two matches to Edward Barrett who was almost 40, but he contributed just 22 runs (HS 13*) and took 0-48. That might be the end of his story except that he had a six-year-old son EIM, also Edward, Barrett Jr who made his debut for Hampshire in 1896 and from then until 1925, whenever his soldiering permitted it, he played in 80 matches for Hampshire, averaging over 32.57 with six centuries. He was also an England rugby international.

Hampshire Cricket's Fathers & Sons

1) Also known as Hervey-Bathurst – Sir FHH is pre-the County Cricket Club.

2) CB, S & CA Fry the only three generations

3) Also played List A

4) Also played List A & T20

In 1895 AJL (Ledger) Hill appeared in Hampshire’s first Championship match and he too played beyond the First World War. He was, like Barrett, an amateur, but as a businessman could take more time for cricket and in 161 county matches he had a batting average of 30.58 and took 199 wickets at roughly the same average. In addition, in the winter of 1895/6, he toured South Africa with Lord Hawke’s XI and played three times against a South African XI which were later designated Test Matches. After he retired he was a Committee Member and also President, while his son, AEL Hill played 18 matches for Hampshire through the 1920s, albeit with considerably less success.

A number of Hampshire fathers and sons played for the county a century or more ago. In addition to the Hills and Barretts, there was the great professional opening bat Alec Bowell from Oxford, who played alongside Mead, Brown, Kennedy and Newman, scoring 25 centuries from 1902-1927. His son Norman was on the staff in the 1920s and played two matches in 1924 and then one for Northants in 1925 but with little success. He was a killed while a prisoner-of-war by the Japanese in 1943. Septimus Brutton played once in the very weak Hampshire side of 1904, but his son, CP, was a more regular member of the Hampshire side in the 1920s, captaining them occasionally. AH Evans played three first-class matches for Hampshire in 1885, while his sons AJ (1908-1920) and R duB Evans (1912) both played for the county.

Charles Gunner played one match for Hampshire, in 1878 and neither batted nor bowled; his son John Hugh Gunner played six matches for Hampshire in 1906 & 1907 but tragically as Captain J Gunner, was the last of three brothers to die on active service in the First World War. The most illustrious family and the only one with three generations was the great all-round sportsman CB Fry (pictured below), one of three Hampshire players to captain England, his son Stephen who played from 1922-1931 and was another occasional amateur captain, and in turn, his son, CA Fry, who came from Oxford University in 1960 to play a few matches as a batsman. He was the first of four sons of Hampshire cricketers who have played for the county post-war. 

The second was Bob Herman, son of ‘Lofty’, and like him an opening bowler. Bob (pictured below) was born in Southampton but the family moved to London so he played first for Middlesex, returning to Hampshire in 1972 and playing a key role in Hampshire’s second Championship title, and their unlucky second place in 1974. Unlike some fathers and sons, both played a key role in the county’s history and so too did the next pair Tim and Chris Tremlett.

Tim was one of the finest county seamers to play for Hampshire, while England international Chris, despite problems with injuries and a move to Surrey, is probably the finest Hampshire-born pace bowler in our history.

The last pair are Paul Terry, Test cricketer, opening batsman and coach, and his son Sean (pictured below) who scored five half-centuries in a brief 11 match first-class career for Hampshire in the past decade, and also played some matches for Ireland.