Elias Henry Hendren 1889-1962

Elias ('Patsy') Hendren was largely a self taught cricketer. He laid the foundations of a great and wonderfully comprehensive career as a boy on Turnham Green where, in recognition of his services as a fielder, he was allowed to practise with the local club. On graduating to Lord's his early days were moderately suc- cessful, his outstanding talent being his speed and sureness of hand in the deep field. It was on the resumption of cricket in 1919 that he really established himself in county cricket. His batting and fielding ensured his selection for the tour of Aus- tralia the following year but, for some years, a totally unac- countable nervousness seemed to assail him in Test Matches. In consequence it was not until the latter half of the twenties that he did himself full justice in this highest class. Thereafter his record was consistently magnificient.

Hendren was a shortish, solidly built man of immense strength. He stood at the wicket with a slight crouch, a sharply protruding rump proclaiming his resolution. The speed of foot, which made him a fine footballer, served him well against slow bowlers and he was unexcelled amongst English batsmen against speed. With his power of fore-arm and wrist he was the finest hooker of the short ball in this country. For this stroke he would position himself just inside the line of the ball, which he thus could place pre- cisely over a wide arc. He always hooked square rather than to the less controllable and more dangerous area of fine leg. All the other strokes he had at his command, reinforced by a strong and orthodox defence. His record in plain figures makes extraor- dinary reading. He made 170 centuries, a number only exceeded by Sir Jack Hobbs. He scored 57611 runs, an aggre- gate again only bettered by the "Master" and by Frank Woolley. It is a happy re- flection that each of the three leading mak- ers of runs should have been such very attractive batsmen, each in his own highly individual and strongly contrasting style. In the cast total of runs achieved by this great trio there can be very few obtained by dull or inelegant play. Apart from his great ability as a player, Hendren was a most outstanding personality in his own right. With his slightly comical cast of countenance, twinkling and friendly eye, Hendren had an une- qualled for endearing himself to every crowd wherever he went. On his appearance the I Z. Tent at Canterbury and the Hill at Sydney would in their somewhat differing ways spontaneously and equally express their affection. In the West Indies his per- sonality, his tremendous batting and a talent for innocent and really comical buffoonery evoked a response nigh to delerium. He made a duck in his first match for Middlesex, and a duck in his last, a memory which gave him as much pleasure as that of his 170 centuries.

====> MORE Extract from Cardus' essay "Patsy", from "Good Days" (1934)

Hendren's first-class career ran from 1907-38, so he was likely in his early 40s or so when this was written.

"... He was baptized Elias and the crowds would have none of it; they were right, too, for he is Patsy not only by name but also by nature. His smile says Patsy; sometimes it is so enormous that it hides the little man; ne fine day he will be given out smile before wicket. He represents democracy at Lord's in the same way that Lord Aberdare and his forward drive represented the aristo- cracy of the pavilion and the Long Room. He is the idol of the Tavern - that rich part of Lord's where East End is West End and West End is East... I have seen men leave their drinks at the bar of the Tavern when Patsy has just come in to bat. I don't know where he played his cricket as a boy, but I like to think it was on a rough common amongst dirty-faced happy ur- chins, the wicket-keeper using a coat, one bat for the lot of them. To this day Patsy always runs his first run hugging his bat in his two arms as though afraid to let it go from his pos- session. To give up your bat was out when I was very young. And Patsy has never grown up, and never will... "