From The Archive: Hampshire's Captains

Words by Dave Allen.

Is there an omen in the confirmation that James Vince has been appointed Hampshire’s captain for the eighth season? While four men have been Hampshire’s official captain for longer periods the other two who enjoyed spells of eight seasons were Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie and Richard Gilliat - the two men who have so far led Hampshire to the County Championship title (1961 & 1973).

In his last three seasons in charge Ingleby-Mackenzie led the side in just six of the first knock-out cup matches (1963-1965) and after retiring came back for three more as the wicketkeeper/batsman in 1966, while Richard Gilliat led the side in the knock-out cups and the Sunday League, as did Mark Nicholas, the one modern captain who, with 12 seasons (1984-1995) is ahead of James Vince for the long-service medal. But while Ingleby-Mackenzie, Gilliat and Nicholas all led in what we now call red and white ball matches, only James has also had to work out the T20 – and since last year the Hundred. Since he was also the only one of those four to win international honours (in all three formats) he might be considered the most versatile of all Hampshire’s captains.

It is not just the formats that have changed but also the increasingly complex schedules and the role of the captain. Hampshire joined the County Championship in 1895 and two of their earlier captains head the long-service list, Edward Sprot (1903-1914 when war intervened) and when cricket resumed, Lionel Tennyson from 1919-1932, although in the last couple of years he was not always available and a number of men deputised.

Whenever possible the deputies, like the first-choice men would be amateurs, able to lead the side with no concerns about sustaining a professional career and in theory able to lead in a disinterested manner. But by the 1930s, growing economic pressures made it harder for these public school ‘graduates’ to find the time to devote to a full season and after Tennyson (Eton, Cambridge & the Guards) four amateurs, Lowndes, Moore, Paris and Taylor came and went in six seasons.

Sprot’s 12-season spell is equalled by Nicholas – who like James actually took over half-way through the season (replacing respectively Nick Pocock, 1980-1984, and Jimmy Adams, 2012-2015) – and Desmond Eagar who immediately after the next war solved the ‘amateur’ imperative in the new way; Hampshire employed him across the year as the club’s secretary so that he could captain and play as an ‘amateur’. In 1958, he handed over to Ingleby-Mackenzie who was still captain in the 1962 after which the distinction between amateurs and professionals (‘Gentlemen’ and ‘Players’) was abolished.

Strictly speaking then, the first professional cricketer appointed captain by Hampshire was Roy Marshall (1966-1970) and he was followed by Richard Gilliat (Charterhouse and Oxford) who often seemed like an old-fashioned amateur – and was also Assistant Secretary to Eagar.

Others who had a few years include England cricketers Teddy Wynyard (1896-1899), John Stephenson (1996-1997), Robin Smith (1998-2002), ‘Dimi’ Mascarenhas (2008-2010) and two ‘one season wonders’, John Crawley (2203) and Dominic Cork (2011). Russell Bencraft led us only in our first Championship season (plus three years before 1895) but then pretty much ran the club for many years, while we have twice appointed wicketkeepers, Charles Robson (1900-1902) and Bob Stephenson (1979).

There have been some notable deputies including David Gower in the Nat West Final of 1991 and Sean Udal, the first Hampshire-born captain to lift a trophy – at Lord’s in 2005 – when he stood-in for our only overseas official club captain. I suspect you don’t need me to tell you that he was the great Shane Warne (2004-2007). 

THE TABLE:

From 1895 (Championship Seasons)

Lionel Tennyson         14 seasons      1919-1932

Edward Sprot              12 seasons      1903-1914

Desmond Eagar          12 seasons      1946-1957

Mark Nicholas             12 seasons      1984*-1995

Colin I-Mackenzie       8 seasons        1958-1965

Richard Gilliat             8 seasons        1971-1978

James Vince               8 seasons        2015*-2022 (George Bailey in Championship in 2017)

Roy Marshall               5 seasons        1966-1970

Nick Pocock                5 seasons        1980-1984*

Robin Smith                5 seasons        1998-2002

Teddy Wynyard           4 seasons        1896-1899

Shane Warne              4 seasons        2004-2007

Jimmy Adams             4 seasons       2012-2015*

Charles Robson          3 seasons        1900-1902

Dimi Mascarenhas      3 seasons        2008-2010

Geoffrey Lowndes       2 seasons        1934-1935

Dick Moore                  2 seasons        1936-1937

John Stephenson        2 seasons        1996-1997

One season each:

Russell Bencraft         1895, plus 3 from 1880-1882

Cecil Paris                   1938

George Taylor             1939

Bob Stephenson         1979

John Crawley              2003

Dominic Cork              2011

Pre-1895 (not all first-class)

George Ede (1864-1869); Clement Booth (1875-1878); Arthur Wood (1879 & 1883-1885); Francis Lacey (1888-1889)

*Nicholas replaced Pocock and Vince replaced Adams part-way through season