On This Day: Matthew Hayden Adds To His Hampshire Run Haul

Hampshire Cricket's historian Dave Allen takes a look back on timely memorable moments in his ‘On This Day’ series.

Matthew Hayden (136*) - Derbyshire v Hampshire, County Championship: 4th - 7th June 1997

The Australians toured England in 1997 but chose not to select Matthew Hayden who instead spent that one summer with Hampshire – and a phenomenal summer it was.

He topped the first-class averages at almost 55 per innings, and scored 654 runs at 43.6 in the Axa Life League – plus 326 runs in the two knock out competitions.

In total he scored almost two-and-a-half thousand runs and as May ended his innings of 235 & 119 against Warwickshire at Southampton were the highest aggregate in one match by any Hampshire player.

On the Sunday against the same opponents he scored another century, then in the next match, on 7 June, the fourth day against Derbyshire at Chesterfield, his 136* took Hampshire to victory by seven wickets when they chased down a target of 310 in just the 56th over – and that after Derbyshire had posted 523 on the first two days!