Jack Hobbs: the master who scored the most first-class runs

In the world of cricket he was known simply as “The Master”. England’s Jack Hobbs scored more runs and more centuries in first-class cricket than anyone has done to this day: 61,760 runs and 199 centuries, according to ESPNcricinfo. In Test cricket, too, he scored 5,410 runs in 61 matches at an average of 56.94, with 15 centuries¹. Most remarkably, half of his total centuries came after the age of 40².

Early life and start in cricket

John Berry Hobbs was born on 16 December 1882 in Cambridge, England. According to Wisden’s obituary, he was the eldest of 12 children. His father worked at Fenner’s ground at Cambridge University and later became groundsman and umpire at Jesus College. As a boy, Jack played with the college staff, using a tennis ball, a single stump in place of a bat and a gravel pitch. According to Wisden, that thin stump taught him the importance of a straight bat, and he never had formal coaching².

In England, domestic cricket is played between “county” teams, that is, sides representing different regions. Hobbs’s boyhood hero, the Surrey batsman Tom Hayward, saw him bat and arranged a trial for him at Surrey. He joined Surrey in April 1903. He made his first-class debut on 24 April 1905. The opposing side, the Gentlemen of England, were captained by W.G. Grace, who watched him score 18 and 88 and said the lad would make a good player. In his first County Championship match he scored 155, after which he was awarded his Surrey county cap².

Test cricket: mastering matting pitches and the googly

Hobbs’s Test career began against Australia in Melbourne on 1 January 1908. He scored 83 in the first innings and 28 in the second. The Test series between England and Australia is known as the Ashes. Hobbs played 41 of his Tests against that opponent and scored 12 centuries¹.

The 1909-10 tour of South Africa was a major test of his skill. The pitches there were laid on matting rather than grass, and the hosts had several skilled googly bowlers. According to Wisden, Hobbs scored 539 runs in that series at an average of 67.37, twice the average of England’s next best batsmen². His 187 in Cape Town on 11 March 1910 was his first Test century¹.

On the 1911-12 tour of Australia, he scored 126 not out in Melbourne, 187 in Adelaide and 178 in Melbourne¹. During the First World War he served as an air mechanic in the Royal Flying Corps².

After the war: a new, mature Hobbs

When cricket resumed after the war, Hobbs was in his 37th year. According to Wisden, his batting had less of the aggression of youth and more composure, and he became a classical batsman. In this period his opening partnerships with Herbert Sutcliffe of Yorkshire became part of cricket legend².

His 211 against South Africa at Lord’s in June 1924 is his highest Test score. In December of the same year, during an innings of 115 in Sydney, he became the batsman with the most runs and the most centuries in Test cricket². On that tour he also scored 154 in Melbourne and 119 in Adelaide¹.

1925 was his golden year. In August, he scored centuries in both innings of a match against Somerset at Taunton, first equalling and then breaking Grace’s record of 126 first-class centuries. That season he scored 3,024 runs, with 16 centuries. The following year, in his 44th year, his 316 not out against Middlesex at Lord’s became his highest first-class score².

In the decisive Test at The Oval in August 1926, on a difficult, rain-affected pitch, Hobbs added 172 with Sutcliffe and scored 100 himself. According to ESPNcricinfo, that performance won the Ashes back for England¹².

On 8 March 1929 in Melbourne he scored 142, his last Test century. He was 46 years old at the time and is still the oldest player to score a Test century³. In the same match he became the first batsman to complete 5,000 Test runs². His last Test began at The Oval on 16 August 1930, in which he scored 47 and 9¹.

Statistics

Source: ESPNcricinfo Statsguru¹. The figures are for his international career.

Legacy and memorials

Hobbs retired after the 1934 season. His 116 against Lancashire at Old Trafford in May 1934 was his last first-class century. There are two counts of his first-class figures. Wisden’s older obituary lists 61,237 runs and 197 centuries. After two centuries from a private tour of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) were later classed as first-class, ESPNcricinfo gives 61,760 runs and 199 centuries².

In 1953 he was knighted, the first professional cricketer to receive the honour. In 2000 Wisden named him among the five greatest cricketers of the century², and in 2009 the ICC inducted him into the Cricket Hall of Fame³.

He died in Hove on 21 December 1963. The “Hobbs Gate” at The Oval in London still recalls his memory. According to his contemporary Wilfred Rhodes, he was the greatest batsman of his time².