Herbie Hewett - Departure From Somerset

Departure From Somerset

Hewett began the 1893 season in good form, reaching his half-century in each of his first three matches for the county, including a total of 94 against Oxford University in late May. Hewett missed most of the match against Kent shortly after, returning to Taunton due to the death of his brother-in-law, during which time George Wood replaced him as a substitute. In July 1893, the touring Australians played Somerset at Taunton for the first time since 1882, when both the ground and the county team were barely established. After the success of the 1892 season, and because talented, Australian-born Sammy Woods was playing for Somerset, the match was eagerly anticipated. Thousands arrived in Taunton for the match, but after overnight torrential rain, the umpires inspected the pitch at 11:00 and abandoned play for the day. In his history of the county club, Roebuck suggest that they may have been put under pressure by the Australians or by Hewett himself. The Somerset fans and members were angry at the decision, but the Australians packed picnic baskets and after exchanging strong words with the locals, departed for the Quantock Hills. Hewett, along with Woods and Vernon Hill, arranged to play golf in Minehead. The crowd continued to show their dismay at the decision, and eventually the Somerset officials asked the umpires to take another look at the ground. Woods supported this decision in his reminiscences, claiming that "the decision not to play was premature." At 14:00, after their second inspection, the umpires retracted their previous decision and announced that play could start. Hewett reacted angrily, and argued unsuccessfully against the decision with the Somerset committee. The Australian players were recalled from their picnic, and play began at 16:00, although neither team particularly wanted to play. Roebuck recorded that "Hewett, in particular, was in high dudgeon and... he threw away his wicket for 12 runs, having been dropped once." David Foot offered a more tempered opinion, saying simply that Hewett's "mind wasn't on the game." No play was possible on the second day, and on the third, Australia won the match by six wickets. Hewett felt let down by the Somerset committee, who he felt had undermined his authority, prompting him to say that "if a captain can't lead at Taunton, this is no place for him." Although friends thought he was overreacting, he declared that he would resign from the captaincy and the club at the end of the season. Both Foot and Roebuck suggested that Hewett reacted in an over-sensitive and extreme manner, but that his lack of self-control may have limited his long-term captaincy prospects.

In his five further games for Somerset before the end of the season Hewett hit two centuries. He reached 120 runs against Nottinghamshire and against Gloucestershire, on his final appearance for the county, he scored 112 runs in just under two hours; according to James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual, it "was a splendid display". He scored 1,092 runs in total during 1893, of which his 669 for Somerset in the championship were scored at an average of 31.85, topping the county's batting charts. During his five seasons of first-class cricket for Somerset, he played 51 matches and scored 2,592 runs at an average of 30.85.