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Harry Surtees ALTHAM

Harry Altham played 24 matches for Hampshire during the five seasons following the First World War, scoring just 713 runs with one century (at Canterbury in 1921) and an average of 22.28. He bowled just three overs and took no wickets. This is hardly the record of a ‘legendary’ cricketer yet the case for Harry Altham rests upon his contribution to Hampshire off the field and, more broadly, to cricket in general. It is a powerful one.

In 1908, Harry Altham played in a remarkable school side at Repton, seven of whom played county cricket and Altham was one of those, making his debut for Surrey. He went up to Oxford and won blues in 1911 and 1912. After graduating he took up a lifelong post, teaching at Winchester, which enabled him to qualify for Hampshire. During the First World War he was a Major in the 60th Rifles and was awarded the DSO and MC.

Then he came back to Winchester and Hampshire. After 1923 he enjoyed a distinguished club career and soon joined the Hampshire Committee, remaining for 40 years. He was President from 1947 until his death in 1965 and greatly enjoyed the title-winning season of 1961.

Harry Altham joined the MCC Committee in 1941, was Treasurer from 1950-1963 and was especially active in the development of systems for improving schools and youth cricket. He helped found the MCC Youth Cricket Association and was the first President of the English Schools Cricket Association.

Harry was an unusual Chairman of England’s Selectors in the mid-1950s in that he had never played Test cricket yet in 1954-5 his Committee chose the team that defended the Ashes in Australia. In addition to all of these achievements, Harry Altham is remembered as one of the finest cricket historians of his generation. In the 1920s he published a History of Cricket in serial form in The Cricketer and it was then published in book form in four editions – jointly with EW Swanton. In 1957 he was one of four authors of the first, and official, history of our county’s Hampshire County Cricket and he wrote regularly for the Handbook and for Wisden. 

He was a great champion of the achievements of the eighteenth century cricketers of Hambledon and a patient, committed coach. As such he honoured the past, contributed marvellously to the present and safeguarded cricket’s future. These are the qualities of a legend.