First-class Cricketer
Identified by the press as a promising player, Hobbs qualified for Surrey by the beginning of the 1905 cricket season. At the time, Surrey needed a opening batsman to partner Tom Hayward. Although Hobbs had rarely opened the batting, when Hayward captained Surrey in their opening game of the season—the regular, amateur Surrey captain was absent—he selected Hobbs and used him in the position. Making his debut on 24 April 1905 against a team representing the "Gentlemen of England", Hobbs scored 18 runs in the first innings and a rapid 88 in the second before rain ensured the match was drawn. The Surrey team and committee were impressed, and when the regular Surrey captain, Lord Dalmeny, assumed control for the following match against Essex, the club's opening County Championship match, Hobbs retained his place and scored 155 runs in around three hours during Surrey's second innings. Lord Dalmeny awarded Hobbs his County Cap as the players left the field. Hobbs scored consistently over the following weeks; he scored another century against Essex and hit 94 runs against the touring Australian cricket team. However, his batting form deserted him for the remainder of the season, owing mainly to fatigue from continuous cricket. To attempt to recapture his form, Surrey tried Hobbs in different positions in the batting order and occasionally left him out of the side, but nothing helped. In all first-class cricket in the season, Hobbs scored 1,317 runs at an average of 25.82, including two centuries and four other scores over fifty. This placed him ninth in the Surrey batting averages. As an occasional medium-paced bowler, he took six wickets. Reviewing Surrey's season, Wisden Cricketer's Almanack singled Hobbs out for attention, praising his early-season form but noted how tiredness had affected him; it suggested that he was the best professional batsman Surrey had found for a long time. The Times noted that, although performing well, Hobbs had fallen short of the standards suggested by his start.
Following a winter of practice, Hobbs displayed greater consistency in 1906. Displaying a wider range of shots, he scored four centuries, including another against Essex, and established an effective opening partnership with Hayward. In total, Hobbs scored 1,913 runs at an average of 40.70 with a highest score of 162, placing him second in the Surrey averages as the county climbed to third place in the County Championship. Wisden praised his improved fielding and commented that he was "one of the best professional bats of the year". After his marriage and honeymoon in the winter of 1906–07, Hobbs made further advances as a batsman in 1907. Unusually frequent rain during the season—Wisden described the season as the wettest ever—meant that pitches often favoured bowlers. After a poor start to the season, Hobbs successfully adapted his batting technique to suit the conditions, and scored consistently well. His performances brought him to the attention of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) selectors, and he was chosen for the Players in the prestigious Gentlemen v Players matches in July, although he was unsuccessful in both games. Hobbs scored a further three centuries in the season, and by the end of the season had scored 2,135 runs, averaging 37.45. He was one of only three men to pass 2,000 runs; he was second to Hayward in the Surrey averages, and eighth in the national averages.
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