Born On This Day: 26th December

Dennis Baldry was born in Acton, Middlesex in 1931 and is now our oldest surviving player.

He was an entertaining right-hand batsman and occasionally useful medium-pace bowler. He played 2nd XI cricket for his native county from 1950, made his first-class debut in 1953 and then appeared more regularly between 1955-1958. He moved to Hampshire and on 6 May 1959, he made his Hampshire debut v Glamorgan at Portsmouth scoring 151 and becoming the second Hampshire player to pass three figures on first-class debut for the county, and the first in a Championship match.

Dennis Baldry enjoyed probably the most prolific start of any Hampshire cricketer. After a quiet match v Gloucestershire he returned to Lord’s and scored 123 v MCC, in his fourth match v Kent at Southampton he scored 62, took two wickets and was awarded his county cap, next at Old Trafford, coming on second change, he recorded his best bowling figures: 28-7-76-7, followed by 3-28 at Edgbaston (and 75 runs in the match). It seemed that Hampshire had found a new number four, and Baldry finished that season with 1,605 runs at 29.72, including three centuries and 30 wickets (31.13).

He would enjoy further successes over the next three seasons, but less consistently. As Hampshire moved towards the Championship title in 1961 he lost his place in late summer to Mike Barnard but his best score of that season, 84* was a key innings in late May at Headingley, when Hampshire, going well, met the reigning Champions Yorkshire, who had won their first three Championship matches. The home side posted 279, Trueman took three quick wickets and Baldry arrived with Hampshire 45-5. He and Sainsbury added 109 and despite another collapse, he remained firm and took Hampshire to a position where they were able to draw the match quite easily.

He played another important innings, described in the Hampshire Handbook as “brilliant”, v Nottinghamshire at Southampton, when his 61* enabled Ingleby-Mackenzie to declare and Hampshire won by 15 runs with just three minutes to spare – the last wicket, a direct throw run out by Baldry. There was a third half-century at Hove and 4-41 at Leyton. Although not present on the great day, Dennis had contributed at key moments to the eventual great triumph of 1 September 1961.

In the last innings of 1962, he arrived with Hampshire 80-5, facing defeat v Surrey, until another century partnership with Sainsbury secured the draw. Baldry was dismissed just ten runs short of 100 and although he would not know it then, also ten runs short of having opened and closed his county career with a century.

He took work locally during the winter but as he was preparing to return for pre-season training, he was offered a permanent post, and at 31 he retired from first-class cricket. There would be one further match however, Hampshire’s first-ever in the knock-out cup when, with Derek Shackleton injured he was called up to play v Derbyshire and is always delighted to point out that as an amateur on the day, his expenses exceeded his daily wages of the previous season. Hampshire lost that match narrowly but he took 4-70 in his 15 permitted overs. He played club cricket in the Southampton area for many years.

Also today: Brigadier-General Herbert Studd (1898)