Hubert Ashton

MR HUBERT ASHTON was born in Calcutta on the 13th of February, 1898. He played a good deal of cricket at a private school at Blackheath and went in due course to Winchester. While there he gave convincing evidence of his skill as a batsman, having a really remarkable record in 1916. So consistently did he play that though his highest score was 89 not out he had an average of 51. Then the Army claimed him. Hen went out to France as a 2nd lieutenant in the Royal Field Artillery in April 1917 and served till the end of the War, being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and earning a Military Cross. Not till August 1919 was he demobilised . In the following spring he started his career in first class cricket as a freshman at Cambridge. He was highly successful in the early games, and did very well against Essex, but he did not at once make his place in the eleven secure. However, he set all doubts at rest by playing in June against the Free Foresters an innings of 236 not out - up to that time the highest score of the season. He confirmed his form by getting 30 and 74 against Sussex at Brighton and 128 not out against Leveson-Gower's eleven at Eastbourne. In London fortune deserted him. On a wicket ruined by rain he was out without a run in the University match and he did not manage to justify his selection for Gentlemen against Players at Lord's. Thanks to his big innings his average for Cambridge came out at 67. Last season Mr. Ashton played so finely that he might well have been given a place in the England eleven at the Oval in the last of the Test matches. He again did great things for Cambridge playing a beautiful innings of 118 against Oxford and averaging 60 with an aggregate of 728 runs. Quite remarkable was his success against the Australians. He played against them four times and came off in every match. At Cambridge he had to retire hurt with a score of 107 to his credit and it was his partnership with Aubrey Faulkner that turned the fortunes of the memorable match at Eastbourne in which the Australians suffered their first defeat. As a batsman Mr. Ashton is very attractive in style and sound in method, with a good variety of strokes at his command. As he proved in the Australian matches he does not share the modern reluctance to play forward to fast bowling. Apart from his value in batting he is a fine outfield - fast and safe with an excellent return. He succeeds his brother Gilbert as captain at Cambridge this year.