Dave Allen: Hampshire At Canterbury

For supporters of a certain age, matches against Kent bring back fond memories of Bank Holidays. For about thirty years from the mid-1930s we met them at Southampton every year at Whitsun and would go to Canterbury for the return fixture in August.

In those years the August Bank Holiday was always the first Monday in the month but it shifted experimentally to the final week in 1965, confirmed by an Act of Parliament in 1971. Once it moved, our matches, and other local traditions like the ‘Roses’ games, Sussex v Middlesex and Gloucestershire v Somerset disappeared.

We enjoyed some interesting Bank Holiday meetings over that period, not least in 1952. The first game at Southampton suffered from poor weather on the Saturday and we struggled to the close on 125-9 (Rayment 37). Shackleton & Cannings added 10 more on the Monday morning but then did rather more, bowling out Kent in 17.1 overs for just 32 – and that only thanks to a last-wicket partnership of 14, with opener Peter Hearn carrying his bat for 12*. We batted again and on a difficult pitch declared on 144-8 (Gray 61*) leaving Kent more than a day to 248. That is unimaginable today, but for the second time Shackleton & Cannings bowled unchanged and Kent, 91 all out, lost by 156 runs. Shackleton had match figures of 12-67 and Cannings 8-55.

The return was also rain-affected, and Hampshire struggled once more to 138 with Rayment again top-scoring with 37 (Doug Wright 5-33), Kent declared four down and just 12 ahead, and in turn, we declared on 216-3 (Rogers 91) setting a target of 205 in what would be 45 overs. Kent started well, reaching 123-2 and 148-3 (Cowdrey run out 49) but then lost six wickets for 15 runs, until the last pair hung on and saved the game at 175-9.