By Satish Sekar © Satish Sekar (April 10^th 2025)

A Second Chance

Lionel Charles Hamilton (LCH) Palairet is a legend of Somerset’s cricket – deservedly – he held the individual record for the highest his county, Somerset, 292 against Hampshire from 1896 until it was broken by Harold Gimblett in 1948. However, Palairet’s England career is another matter altogether. He had accumulated a meagre 23 runs, albeit with two catches, on his Test Match début in Manchester in 1902.

He got a second chance at the Oval in August 1902, but Australia had already won the series as they took a 2-0 lead to the Oval. Australia scored 324 all out in their first innings – Hugh Trumble top-scored with an unbeaten 64. Yorkshire’s George Hirst[1] was the most successful bowler claiming 5 for 77 from 29 overs. England responded with 183 all out – Hirst top-scored with 43, caught and bowled by Trumble who took 8 for 65 from his 31 overs. Palairet was bowled by Trumble for 20.

Australia made 121 all out in their second innings Clem Hill top-scored with 35 and Bill Lockwood took 5 for 45 from his 20 overs, setting England a target of 263 to win. Hirst made 58 not out in the second innings – Gloucestershire’s Gilbert Jessop led England’s chase, making 104, caught by Monty Noble. Jessop was the only victim that future Australian captain Warwick Armstrong took in the match – he didn’t bowl in the first innings. Trumble and Jack Saunders took four wickets each.

This is the famous Test Match where Wilfred Rhodes joined Hirst with England requiring 15 to win and Australia requiring one wicket. Hirst is alleged to have told Rhodes not to worry, they’d get them in singles – a lovely tale that the scorecard disproves, as included in Rhodes’ of 6 not out is a four.

The Last Chance – Another Failure

Palairet’s last innings for England was another failure – he was bowled by Saunders for 6. But for Somerset, Lionel Palairet, who died in 1933, aged 62, remains one of their greatest ever legends. It would take just over 52 years for his record to be broken – Harold Gimblett became the first Somerset batsman to hit a tripe century, 310 against Sussex in August 1948.

Like Palairet, Gimblett didn’t do much for England.

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[1] Hirst’s career was incredible. He played for Yorkshire from 1889-1929 and for England from 1897-1909. Hirst achieved the feat of taking 100 wickets and scoring 1000 runs in 14 seasons – only Rhodes bettered that, managing it 16 times – and was the first to take 200 wickets and score 2000 runs in a season (1906).

In the 1902 season Rhodes and Hirst dismantled Australia, dismissing them for just 36 runs in the First Test Match at Edgbaston. Rhodes took 7 for 17 and Hirst 3 for 15. Victor Trumper was the only Australian batsman to make double figures, 18. England had made 376 for 9 declared. Both Hirst, 48, and Rhodes, 38, were among 5 England batsmen to score more than the Australians on their own, but that did not include England’s top three in the order – Archie MacLaren, Charles Fry and Kumar Sri Ranjitsinhji made a measly 22 between them. Australia avoided defeat, making 46 for 2 in their second innings.

In May 1905 Hirst put Leicestershire to the sword, even though Leicestershire scored 419 all out in their first innings at their Aylestone Road ground – actually, only nine wickets fell as John King retired hurt without scoring. Cecil John Burditt Wood carried his bat with an unbeaten 160 and Samuel Coe hit an even hundred – he was one of William Ringrose’s five wickets in the first innings. Rhodes took the other four.

Yorkshire made 515 all out in their first innings. Hirst dominated the innings with 341 – it remains the highest score ever made by a batsman for Yorkshire in county cricket. Hirst was eventually caught by Harry Whitehead off the bowling of Reginald Crawford. Leicestershire salvaged a draw by making 121 for 7 even though no batsman made 30.