"Chattel Hayes was a remarkable sportsman

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32960, 5 July 1972, Page 10

"Chattel Hayes was a remarkable sportsman

(By

R. T. BRITTENDEN

Hardly any modern cricketers knew W. H. J. Hayes. But most of them were good friends of “Chattel” Hayes, who died on Friday, at the age of 82.

“Chattel” Hayes must fate as one of the most extraordinary sportsmen Canterbury has produced. He was, in his youth, a good boxer, a fine miler, and a highly-rated Rugby five-eighths. But it was as a cricketer that he made his mark — a Canterbury representative at 19, and still very much in the game 60 years later. His was a strange career. He came into the Canterbury team from the Sydenham club in 1909-10 as a batsman, and had no success. Two years later he was tried again, and although he had a score of 55 against Wellington, there were few runs in his other innings. But in 1912-13, he enjoyed particular success. He began with five and 57 against Otago, made some useful runs against South Melbourne, and scored 125 in a Plunket Shield challenge match with Auckland, an innings largely responsible for Canterbury winning the shield. Then he batted once against Otago, for 61 in all, 265 runs in first-class games at 66.25. It was the reliance of Hayes which was really re-

markable. He was a splendid wicket-keeper, a fine fast bowfler, an outstanding fieldsman, and when his batting was not good enough to win a Canterbury place, one of the other assets did, so that he played quite regularly until 1927-28. His senior club career continued for another seven years after that; his retirement from the senior grade opened the way for a long term of service, mainly as a wicket-keeper, in the president’s grade. A remarkably spry and active man, Hayes was still a wicket-keeper at the age of 77. And for 20 years, he

was masseur for the Can-; terbury teams, and for the

Linwood senior Rugby team. His versatility is demonstrated by his career record in senior championship | cricket. He scored about 6500 runs, he took nearly; 200 wickets, and -to go with; his 78 wicket-keeping dismissals were 78 catches in the field. He played for East Christchurch for two sea-1 sons, and in his one season for Linwood made his high- j est score, 208, against West Christchurch, the club with which he became associ-i ated in 1920-21, and with which he stayed for the; rest of his long playing life. “Chattel” Hayes was a famous son of a famous i father. Hayes senior lived to 102. He was very wellknown as a conductor in the early days of the Christchurch tramways, and as a rifle shot — two activities which he managed to combine at times; he carried a gun at the back of the tram and as it trundled; through what were then the wastes of Burwood, practised his marksmanship on the rabbits, with the driver using the bell to signal the appearance of targets. At the age of 90, Jimmy Haves lost an eye. He was still shooting in indoor competition at that time; so he changed to his other shoulder.

"Chattel” Hayes, a man of lively personality, inherited something of his father’s durability.