Now! Then! 2025! - Yorkshire On This Day

Excerpt

Nearly a century-and-a-half ago one Edward Hawke achieved so splendid a victory over the French that he presently got command of an expedition fitted out to act against the French coast; and having hoisted his flag aboard the Royal George, he led his fleet in pursuit of the enemy, whom he signally defeated off Bellisle. He was the worthy beginning of the barony to which Martin Bladen Hawke, seventh baron, succeeded nearly five years ago. He was born two-and-thirty years ago, and in due course went to Eton, where he began to justify himself of his motto – ‘Strike’ – hitting up runs at cricket with increasing vigour. He went on to Magdalene College, Cambridge, and continued to hit them up. He is now Captain of the 3rd Battalion of the Princess of Wales’s Own Yorkshire Regiment, as well as Captain of the Yorkshire County Cricket Eleven, for which he has done great things, being the only amateur player who has regularly captained the county eleven; and this he has done for ten years. And though, owing to an injury to his hand, he did not accomplish much for his county last year, he yet most creditably managed a team in America in the autumn; sparing no trouble to make his own men comfortable nor to teach the Americans cricket. And he is now about to take another team to India; for he is always full of keen love for the game, and though not so sure a run-getter as are some of his fellows, yet his zeal for, and his knowledge of, it make him an excellent and popular captain. He is a member of the Carlton and of the Bachelors’, and a good-looking, pleasant, modest fellow; and though he is not as yet a great statesman he is a good Conservative. He is a light-hearted bachelor.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Abbreviations

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Via Derek Hodgson’s history of the club (Hodgson 1989).

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Original

Nearly a century-and-a-half ago one Edward Hawke, Rear-Admiral of the White, achieved so splendid a victory over the French that he presently got command of an expedition fitted out to act against the French coast; and having hoisted his flag aboard the Royal George, he led his fleet in pursuit of the enemy, whom he signally defeated off Bellisle, thereby making himself very memorable in our naval annals, and still more so in those of the French. He was the worthy beginning of the Barony to which Martin Bladen Hawke, seventh Baron, succeeded nearly five years ago. He was born two-and-thirty years ago, and in due course went to Eton, where he began to justify himself of his motto — (which is ‘Strike’) — better and more wholesomely than ever did labour-monger; hitting up runs at cricket with increasing vigour. He went on to Magdalene College, Cambridge, and continued to hit them up. He is now Captain of the 3rd Battalion of the Princess of Wales’s Own Yorkshire Regiment, as well as Captain of the Yorkshire County Cricket Eleven; for which he has done great things, being the only amateur player who has regularly captained the County Eleven; and this he has done for ten years. And though, owing to an injury to his hand, he did not accomplish much for his county last year, he yet most creditably managed a team in America in the autumn; sparing no trouble to make his own men comfortable nor to teach the Americans cricket. And he is now about to take another team to India; for he is always full of keen love for the game, and though not so sure a run-getter as are some of his fellows, yet his zeal for, and his knowledge of, it make him an excellent and popular captain.

He is a member of the Carlton and of the Bachelors’, and a good-looking, pleasant, modest fellow; and though he is not as yet a great statesman he is a good Conservative.

He is a light-hearted bachelor.

347 words.

Tags

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• 1st Baron Hawke (1) ·
• Amateur sports (4) ·
• Amateur status in first-class cricket (1) ·
• Battle of Quiberon Bay (1) ·
• Cambridge (5) ·
• Conservative Party (1834-) (24) ·
• County Championship (1) ·
• Cricket in England (1) ·
• Cricket (10) ·
• Edward Hawke (1) ·
• Eton College (2) ·
• First-class cricket (4) ·
• France (32) ·
• Green Howards (1) ·
• Hawke, Martin (1860-1938) (1), 7th Baron Hawke, generally known as Lord Hawke, Lincolnshire-born amateur cricketer for Cambridge, Yorkshire and England, active 1881-1911, seat at Wighill House, Tadcaster ·
• History of Yorkshire County Cricket Club (1883–1918) (1) ·
• Professional sports (2) ·
• Seven Years’ War (4) ·
• University of Cambridge (5) ·
• Vanity Fair (British magazine) (2) ·
• Yorkshire County Cricket Club (2) ·

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