Hammond, Wally
Birth Date
19th June 1903
Birthplace
Dover, Kent
Biographical Text
Wally Hammond, arguably the best-known English cricketer between the wars, made a number of appearances for Bristol Rovers against Exeter City in the early 1920s. He was one of several leading cricket players of his era to have faced the Grecians on the football field.
Aged just eighteen, Wally Hammond played at inside-right for Bristol Rovers in a 3-1 home defeat against Exeter City in April 1922. He later scored in the 3-3 draw between the two clubs on Christmas Day 1922 as well as appearing in a number of reserve fixtures between the Westcountry rivals.
The Grecian Archive is indebted to Glyn Aubrey, grandson of Eli Bullock (who played for the Grecians in 1921/22), for pointing out how his grandfather came up against two ultimately famous England cricketers on successive Saturdays in April 1922. First there was the young unknown Wally Hammond playing against City for Bristol Rovers. Then there was the older, better-known Patsy Hendren, a Brentford regular for many years, who had already made his test debut when he donned Brentford's colours for the Easter Saturday fixture against the Grecians. Given both Hammond's inexperience and how Hendren's career flourished during his thirties and forties, few may have predicted that the two men were to play alongside each other in many test matches until Hendren's final England appearance in 1935.
Another England colleague of Hammond's - including their time together on the 1932/33 Bodyline tour of Australia - was wicketkeeper-batsman Les Ames who appeared for Clapton Orient against Exeter City in 1930.
From a military background, Wally Hammond had moved with his family between Kent, Hong Kong, Malta and Hampshire before being sent to boarding school in Cirencester. Excelling in cricket, his head teacher recommended him to Gloucestershire for whom he made his first-class debut in August 1920. Registering as a professional, his residential right to play for the county was questioned and he did not stake a regular place until 1923. In the meantime, as a talented all-round sports player eager to make a living from his ability, he signed for Bristol Rovers at the start of the 1921/22 season and proceeded to make fourteen league appearances over the following three seasons.
Aged just eighteen, Wally Hammond played at inside-right for Bristol Rovers in a 3-1 home defeat against Exeter City in April 1922. He later scored in the 3-3 draw between the two clubs on Christmas Day 1922 as well as appearing in a number of reserve fixtures between the Westcountry rivals.
The Grecian Archive is indebted to Glyn Aubrey, grandson of Eli Bullock (who played for the Grecians in 1921/22), for pointing out how his grandfather came up against two ultimately famous England cricketers on successive Saturdays in April 1922. First there was the young unknown Wally Hammond playing against City for Bristol Rovers. Then there was the older, better-known Patsy Hendren, a Brentford regular for many years, who had already made his test debut when he donned Brentford's colours for the Easter Saturday fixture against the Grecians. Given both Hammond's inexperience and how Hendren's career flourished during his thirties and forties, few may have predicted that the two men were to play alongside each other in many test matches until Hendren's final England appearance in 1935.
Another England colleague of Hammond's - including their time together on the 1932/33 Bodyline tour of Australia - was wicketkeeper-batsman Les Ames who appeared for Clapton Orient against Exeter City in 1930.
From a military background, Wally Hammond had moved with his family between Kent, Hong Kong, Malta and Hampshire before being sent to boarding school in Cirencester. Excelling in cricket, his head teacher recommended him to Gloucestershire for whom he made his first-class debut in August 1920. Registering as a professional, his residential right to play for the county was questioned and he did not stake a regular place until 1923. In the meantime, as a talented all-round sports player eager to make a living from his ability, he signed for Bristol Rovers at the start of the 1921/22 season and proceeded to make fourteen league appearances over the following three seasons.
Concentrating on cricket as soon as he was able, Wally was soon spoken of as a future England player but - after serious illness had forced him to miss the 1926 season - he did not make his international debut until the first test of England's 1927/28 tour of South Africa. Thereafter he was to total eighty-five test appearances scoring 7,249 runs (the highest aggregate in tests until 1970) and taking 83 wickets. Later converting to amateur status, he captained England on twenty occasions through until 1946/47.
An often colourful figure off the field, Wally Hammond effectively retired from cricket after England's disappointing 1946/47 tour of Australia and died in South Africa at the age of sixty-two in July 1965.
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