Ashes Scorecards
This is the page where we tell the story of an Ashes Scorecard from the past and look at how
Hampshire also got on against the Australians during the Tour when that Test was played.
Your donations of any Hampshire or Ashes items are always extremely gratefully received. We are very keen to enlarge our England v Australia scorecard and book collection and the current plan is to display all our Ashes items in the Archive Room in 2027.
1938
The 1938 Ashes finished 1-1 in the final games played in this great rivalry before World War 2. Australia retained the Ashes in a five match rain-affected series which became four, since not a ball was bowled in the Fourth Test at Old Trafford between July 8 and 12th. England, therefore, went to the Oval 1-0 down after Australia had won the Third Test at Headingley by 5 wickets. Before the first two drawn Tests at Nottingham and Lord's, Hampshire's game against the Australian tourists also saw no play (to rain) on Day One on 25th May. Sir Donald Bradman, on reaching 124 in his unbeaten 145, went past 1,000 first-class runs with four days to spare before the end of May. The game finished as a draw with neither side batting a second time. In reply to Hampshire's 157, Australia made 320 for 1 declared. Later that summer, in the Final Test at the Oval records were smashed. We feature that game below, where some of these records have lasted famously well into the 21st Century.
This scorecard (photograph below) for the final Test in the 1938 series was donated to HCH by Hampshire supporter Ian Lovell. When David Ackland, from HCH, let Ian know that we would be delighted to add the card to our Ashes Scorecard collection, he replied
"Hi David, many thanks for your report. I am more than happy to donate the scorecard. My Dad would be thrilled that it is with his county. My second Christian name is Lionel, named after that Honourable G"
Our sincere thanks in return, Ian.
For information regarding the aforementioned Lionel, this refers to The 3rd Lord Hon. Lionel Hallam Tennyson, who was the grandson of the famous Victorian poet and a great character who played 347 first class games for Hampshire For 323 of these, he was the captain. He was also England's captain for the last three Tests in the 1921 home Ashes series. His Test best was 74* in the second innings at Lord's that year and the last of his 9 Test appearances came in the final game in 1921 at the Oval, when a certain CP Mead made 182* in England's first innings.
Ashes Test 143
1938 Fourth Test, Oval, August 20,22, 23 and 24th
Toss: Won by England
Result: England won by an innings and 79 runs
Having just lost the Third Test in Leeds by 5 wickets - where Bradman was the only centurion in the game - it meant England went one 1-0 down in the four match series, going into this last match at the Oval. Victory would not bring back the Ashes, but it would level the series 1-1. England went on to break all sorts of records in this historic game which they eventually won by an astonishing innings and 579 runs. This scorecard completed in pencil shows Len Hutton’s world record individual score of 364 in England’s mammoth 903-7 declared. Fellow Yorkshireman, Maurice Leyland was run out for 187, while Nottinghamshire’s Joe Hardstaff was left 169 not out when the declaration finally came. Australia replied with just 203 and 123, although neither Sir Don Bradman nor Jack Singleton batted in either innings, having both been injured in England's first innings. Hutton ended the series with 473 runs at an average of 118.25, while Bradman made 434 at 108.5.
After batting for over 12 hours, Hutton square-cuts a four off Fleetwood-Smith to reach 335 and pass Bradman's England - Australia record of 334. Hutton and Leyland added 382 for the second wicket. England's 903-7 remained a Test highest team score, until Sri Lanka surpassed that with 952-6 at Colombo in 1997.
