Career
Ernie Hayes was a right-handed batsman, usually batting at Number 3 and strong at driving and pulling, a leg-break bowler and a fine slip fielder. He was a regular in the Surrey side for 15 years up to the First World War, scoring 1,000 runs and more in every season from 1899 to 1914. Hayes" bowling was intermittently useful: in 1905, he took 76 wickets, and in 1912 there were 60, but in other seasons he took very few and was expensive.
As a slip fielder, he took more than 600 catches in all matches.
Hayes" Test match career was not a success. He scored just 69 runs, with a top score of 35.
He also went on the 1907-1908 tour to Australia, but his form was so poor that he was not picked for any of the Tests. Finally, he was recalled for one match against South Africa in the 1912 Triangular Tournament, and scored just four runs.
He was afflicted with a contracture of the fingers of the right hand that made holding a bat difficult: this was attributed to years of fielding at slip to the stinging pace of Tom Richardson and William Lockwood.
He moved to Leicestershire as coach and Second Eleven captain, and was so successful that, in 1926, at the age of 49, he was picked for five first-team matches, scoring 99 against Nottinghamshire in his first game and heading the county"s averages. In all cricket, he scored 27,318 runs with 48 centuries, and took 515 wickets. He was later coach at Surrey.
In 1933 he retired to run a public, the Paxton Arms in West Norwood, being its landlord for 20 years.
