Len Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. In 1952, he became the first professional cricketer to be appointed permanent captain of England in a Test match at home, and the first anywhere in the 20th Century. Up until then, England captains were all amateurs; professionals were considered to be unsuitable captains because of their perceived social status and alleged difficulties for one professional to lead another. (The only exception was Jack Hobbs, who as a professional was temporarily appointed captain for the second and third days of the Fourth Test in 1926 when the regular captain, Arthur Carr, was taken ill).
Hutton won his first series against India and then led England against Australia in the Ashes, which England had not held since 1934. Amid great interest from the public, England won the series in the final match. Hutton then led England in a controversial tour of the West Indies, where local politics and the behaviour of players led to difficulties. Although the series was drawn and Hutton had great personal success, he faced criticism for the behaviour of his team. When he withdrew from cricket for a time in 1954, he was replaced as captain and influential members of the cricket establishment wanted to replace him as captain for the forthcoming tour of Australia. However, he retained the position and led England to a 3–1 victory that winter, after which he retired owing to ill health and mental exhaustion.
Background From the late nineteenth century, most captains were amateurs. Amateurs were usually from privileged backgrounds, while professionals were mainly from the working classes. Class distinctions pervaded cricket, which was organised and administered by former and current amateurs. They wished to preserve leadership roles for members of the Establishment, in defiance of broader social changes which had reduced their influence in other sports.Birley, pp. 105–6.Ryder, pp. 175, 179.Williams, p. 187. Administrators reasoned that amateurs were better captains as they were free from worries over employment. The Wisden editor believed that "the professional may have difficulty in enforcing discipline. He would naturally hesitate to suggest to his committee that this player or that should be dropped, and so be instrumental in depriving the man in question of some part of his livelihood. Further, feeling that an error of judgment would prejudice his standing with the committee, he might well hesitate to take risks." In 1925, Lord Hawke, then the Yorkshire president, expressing his hope that an amateur would always be available to captain the national side, had made the impromptu comment, "Pray God, no professional shall ever captain England."Gibson, p. 154.
However, in the 1950s, it became difficult to find suitable choices as captain, and the press began to debate the merits of a professional taking the role. When Freddie Brown was a surprise choice as England captain in 1950, the professional Denis Compton was appointed as the vice-captain.Gibson, pp. 179–81.Howat, pp. 91–92. However, as the tour progressed the press noticed that Brown consulted Hutton more frequently than Compton.Gibson, p. 182.
Appointment When Freddie Brown resigned from the captaincy of England at the end of 1951, the selectors were left with a difficult decision. England captains in all home Test matches, and in all 20th-century Tests, had been amateurs. In 1952, none of the amateur county captains were considered to be of a high enough standard to represent England in a Test, or were considered experienced enough to be captain. Norman Yardley was a possibility, as was Denis Compton.Gibson, p. 184. To solve the problem, the selectors chose Hutton, who became the first professional cricketer in the 20th century to captain England in a Test match. The press had anticipated the appointment, and Hutton had expressed a willingness to accept the captaincy, although he was unwilling to become an amateur, as Hammond had done before him.Howat, pp. 105–06. The editor of Wisden expressed his approval, writing: "In breaking with tradition and choosing a professional as captain the Selection Committee made a vital decision in the interests of England, because it should mean that in future no man will be picked as leader unless he is worth a place in the side." E. W. Swanton and the Yorkshire Post also approved of Hutton's appointment.Howat, p. 106. The Times congratulated the selectors on their boldness, acknowledging that the step of a professional appointment would have been inevitable in the near future but could have been postponed. It also noted precedents such as the appointment of Hammond as captain, and expressed the hope that Hutton's batting would not be affected. Hutton publicly stated his delight, but was privately concerned about how the cricket establishment and M.C.C. members would receive him.Howat, pp. 106–07.
Hutton's first series as captain was against India, although England were far too strong for the tourists in this series. Hutton was only named as captain for the first Test, rather than the whole series, to the surprise of many commentators.Howat, p. 107. The Wisden editor approved of his performance as captain, particularly in the improvement in the English fielding. The only reservation was over Hutton's cautious approach. His first Test was before his home crowd of Headingley, and the Wisden correspondent wrote: "For Hutton the match was a personal triumph. Tradition had been broken with his appointment as a professional captain of England and he must have known that the eyes of the world were upon him. He did not falter and his astute leadership earned him many admirers and, perhaps, guided future policy." England won by seven wickets, with Fred Trueman reducing India to none for four wickets on his debut. Hutton himself only scored ten runs in each innings. Hutton was more successful with the bat in the second Test, scoring 150 out of a total of 537, although he made a very slow start and possibly caused the other players to bat slowly. However, Wisden believed that England owed much to Hutton's tactics in the match in forcing a win, although it criticised his caution in letting the match go into a fifth day through slow batting in England's second innings. Following this match, the selectors appointed Hutton captain for the rest of the series. In the final two Tests, Hutton scored 104 and 86 and his bowlers dominated the Indian batsmen; the final Test was ruined by weather, but England won the four match series 3–0.Howat, p. 108. In the series, Hutton scored 399 runs at an average of 79.80.
Ashes victory At the start of the 1953 season, England entered the summer facing a Test series against Australia, who had held the Ashes since 1934, captained by Lindsay Hassett. Critics considered that England had a good chance of regaining the Ashes following their form in 1952, but Australia remained confident, particularly after winning six of their first eight games by an innings (including a victory over Yorkshire).Howat, p. 112. Once the Tests began, Hutton began well with scores of 43 and 60 not out in the drawn first Test. He had gone into the match with a cloud over his fitness following a shoulder injury, but top-scored in both innings. However, England's dismissal for just 144 in their first innings made Hutton doubtful about England's prospects for the series; only 14 wickets for Alec Bedser kept England in the match before rain came.Howat, pp. 112–13. Before the second Test, Hutton scored two fifties against the Australians for Yorkshire, but his fitness again came into question before the Test, this time with fibrositis. His movement was restricted while fielding, and he dropped three catches in Australia's first innings, injuring his thumb in the process.Howat, p. 113. Despite these problems, Hutton scored 145 when he batted in England's first innings, reaching 2,000 Test runs against Australia in the process. He added 168 with Tom Graveney, batting with great freedom. Hutton shared another century stand with Compton, surviving a difficult spell with the new ball. Wisden said that the "sight of England batsmen giving free rein to their strokes brought undisguised delight to many who had bemoaned the lack of aggression in so much Test cricket. The spectacle was glorious to behold." The second innings was a different story, with Hutton dismissed early chasing a winnings total of 343, and it took a long stand between Willie Watson and Trevor Bailey to allow England to escape with a draw after a batting collapse.
At this point in the series, Hutton faced pressure from the press: journalists found fault with his caution, the positions in which he placed fielders and his use of bowlers. However, the selectors were also criticised for continuing to appoint Hutton as captain on a match-by-match basis instead of for the whole series. Hutton believed that they may have been looking unsuccessfully for an alternative captain.Howat, p. 114. Hutton again faced fitness concerns going into the third Test, not declaring himself fit until just before the match. Rain prevented a result; Hutton scored 66, Wisden complementing his strokeplay, and earned praise for securing a psychological advantage in pressuring Australia on a turning pitch in their second innings, even though a result was out of the question. Finding the English spinners very difficult to play, Australia collapsed to 35 for eight before time ran out. After the match, the Australians came under pressure from press who began to search for reasons for the team's perceived poor performances. In contrast, Hutton was appointed captain for the rest of the series, as well as for the forthcoming M.C.C. winter tour of West Indies.Howat, p. 115.
The fourth Test, in front of Hutton's home crowd, was Hutton's least successful of the series. Having been put into bat by Hassett, the first time an Australian captain had fielded first against England since 1909, Hutton was bowled second ball by a Yorker from Lindwall. England never recovered, batting very slowly to score 167 and after the first innings, Australia led by 99 with three days left. Hutton scored only 25 in the second innings but England batted for a long time, assisted by rain, leaving Australia 177 in 115 minutes to win the game. The tourists were winning easily when Hutton asked Bailey to use the negative tactic of leg theory, bowling wide of leg stump to make it hard to score runs, while using a long run-up to waste time. Only twelve overs were bowled in the last 45 minutes, then considered slow, Australia lost a wicket and the tactics resulted in Australia being 30 short of their target when the game ended. Wisden noted that only a defensive policy had prevented England losing. Hutton was criticised for negativity by the Australian press, but Bill Bowes wrote that the gravity of the situation justified Hutton's tactics.Howat, p. 117.