County Championship 5th (8W, 7D, 5L, 1A)
Captain Arthur Owen Jones
Fifth place was secured with some outstanding batting performances that helped to mitigate the absence of Albert Hallam and thus the need for another opening bowler.
Twelve Championship hundreds were scored by Notts batters, notably George Gunn, whose tally of six included one in each innings against Yorkshire at Trent Bridge. John Gunn, Arthur Carr and Garnet Lee were the other century-makers.
After the very wet summer of 1912, the omens did not look bright when the regular season opener away to the MCC at Lord’s was abandoned with a ball being bowled.
William Riley and the perennial Topsy Wass despatched a strong Surrey side for just 66 in the first Championship innings of the year – Riley with the remarkable figures of 10-7-5-4! Notts took a healthy first innings lead, despite only making 175, and when Surrey recovered to post 235 (four more wickets for Riley), the home side stuttered but got home by four wickets, ending on 129-6.
Lancashire were soundly beaten at Old Trafford. Wass and Jimmy Iremonger shared all twenty wickets as the home team made 166 and 101, losing by an innings and 24 runs as Notts posted 291, built around 100 from George Gunn.
An evenly balanced match against Sussex went Nottinghamshire’s way by 35 runs – Notts 257 and 211, Sussex 214 and 219.
A first defeat of the season followed, George Dennett of Gloucestershire taking six wickets in each innings to help bowl Notts out for 88 and 241. The home side’s 314, cornerstone of which was Jack Nason’s only First-Class hundred (139), was almost enough on its own and they ticked off the 19 second innings runs required to win by 9 wickets.
Notts returned to winning ways at Loughborough, dismissing Leicestershire for 201 and 192, having made 236 and 228, to win by 71 runs.
George Gunn’s feat of a hundred in each innings – 132 and 109no – was not enough to force a win against Yorkshire for whom David Denton made 148 in their first innings of 471. Notts made 331 and the visitors declared at 112-3; Notts never looked like getting the runs required and the game ended with them on 129-3.
James Horsley, who played just one season, and three games, for Notts before moving to his native county of Derbyshire, made his First-Class debut in this match, taking two wickets and scoring 8 in his only knock.
Lancashire came next to Trent Bridge and went close to avenging their earlier defeat. Led by Ernest Tyldesley, who made 123 (his brother Johnny came agonisingly close to matching him, being bowled by William Riley for 99), the red rose county made 435. Nott’s reply of 214 meant they followed on and they were able to bat out time, finishing on 272-2, John Gunn 107no.
A very tight draw followed away to Hampshire; Hants made 110, Wass 6-45 and Notts took a useful lead, scoring 175. Local legend Phil Mead made a typically bullish 127 out of a second innings of 351. Needing 286 to win, Notts were 279-8, with Wass injured and unable to bat, when stumps were drawn.
The next game certainly was not close. With centuries from Patsy Hendren and the splendidly-named Mordaunt Doll, Middlesex declared at 438-7 and set about clinching victory. Notts made 144 and 209, leaving the home side winners by an innings and 85 runs.
A draw came next at Hove where Notts recovered the situation well. A modest first innings of 209 was bettered by Sussex with 285. In their second innings, Notts amassed 435-6 declared. Highlight was a maiden First-Class hundred for Garnet Lee who went on the make 180, ably supported by John Gunn with 110.
Lee, described by the Committee that year as ‘one of the most promising young professionals in England,’ put on 231 for the third wicket with Gunn. Sussex, needing more than 350 to win, were 220-5 at the close.
The most significant thing about the drawn fixture with eventual champions Kent was the debut of Dr George Ogg Gauld. Dr Gauld – who was to feature in some of the most dramatic events in the years between the Wars – came in as captain because the Committee felt they had to appoint an amateur to the role when AO Jones was unavailable.
Gauld eventually led the sides on 14 occasions, his entire First-Class career. In this match he contributed 20 and 0 and took one wicket as Notts, 266 and 224, beat Kent, 279 and 149 by 62 runs.
His next game in charge was the home match against Derbyshire, who were dismissed for 121 and 70 (Iremonger 6-12) to lose by an innings and 125 after Notts had made 316.
Another comfortable innings victory followed. Gloucestershire made 244 and Notts, bolstered by 167 from George Gunn, posted 530 and then bowled out the visitors for 152 to win by an innings and 134 runs.
On their visit to Dewsbury, Notts were beaten by five wickets. Batting first, the visitors made 285 to which Yorkshire replied with 309. Notts then subsided to 176 all out, leaving the home side to make 153-5 to win the match.
George Gunn posted a career-best score for the second time in the season when he made 170 against Hampshire at Trent Bridge. Even so, on 341 Notts conceded a small first innings lead to their visitors, who made 377 (Lionel Tennyson 111).
A third century of the match – 100 by Phil Mead – enabled Hants to declare at 272-5, setting Notts a challenging 308 to win. The innings closed as a draw with them on 162-2.
In their next match at The Oval, Notts faced an even bigger first innings deficit. After Surrey made 535, Notts could muster just 173 and had to follow on. A second innings revival to 394 (George Gunn 133) was not enough and Surrey clinched a 10-wicket win at 33 without loss.
Time was lost in the away fixture at Canterbury, probably coming to the rescue of the visitors. The first innings almost reached parity – Notts 308, Kent 294 – but Notts were really struggling when time elapsed, finishing the match on 28-5 with the ill-fated Colin Blythe taking 4-14.
Leicestershire’s match at Trent Bridge belonged to Garnet Lee. Just a few weeks after posting his first First-Class hundred, he doubled that – making 200no and partnering Arthur Carr to put on 333 for the second wicket. Carr’s 169 was his maiden First-Class hundred. 507-3 declared was always going to be a tough act to follow and Leicester fell for just 143 and, following on, 238. Notts won by an innings and 126 runs.
A match that was finely balanced on first innings petered out to a draw when Middlesex came to Trent Bridge. Middlesex opened with 260 and then Nottinghamshire made 448, John Gunn with 126. Frank Tarrant and Jack Hearne scored a century apiece (142 and 106) as the visiting side reached 440. Notts then fell apart, reaching 75-4 at close of play.
Despite bowling Derbyshire out for just 30 in their second innings – Wass 6-16, Iremonger 4-10 – Notts lost to their near neighbours by 21 runs. Derbyshire had made 185 first up and dismissed Notts for just 94; thus even that dismal 30 was sufficient to challenge Notts who fell to 100 all out, ending the season with a surprising defeat.
At the end of the season, Wass had just missed out on 100 wickets (a feat he had achieved in seven successive seasons) finishing with 98 and Jimmy Iremonger was not far adrift with 94 victims. Topsy Wass was nearing the end of a magnificent career (he played only one game when cricket resumed after WWI) and was never to reach the 100-wicket milestone again.
January 2024
Scorecards and stats can be seen here