Cricket career Arthur Holt (sportsman)

playing career

holt had won hampshire county honours @ youth level before embarking on football career, , made first team debut against somerset @ taunton on 8 june 1935. went on make 7 appearances hampshire in 1935 county championship. following season, made 3 appearances, in 1937 made sixteen appearances. in county championship match against surrey @ oval in may, made 78 in first innings, partnering johnny arnold (who had been southampton footballer) in stand of 122 third wicket. in second innings holt scored 64, partnering arthur pothecary in stand of 125 second wicket, hampshire won match 71 runs. holt finished season on total of 586 runs @ average of 23.44.

his first game in following season @ aylestone road, leicester in scored first century in county cricket, making 116 , partnering neil mccorkell in opening stand of 101. in second innings added further 41 runs, match ended in draw.

his other first-class century came @ edgbaston in june 1939, scored 115 against warwickshire, putting on 137 fourth wicket (with johnny arnold). in match claimed wicket match again ended in draw.

he continued appear hampshire after world war ii, making highest season s total of 850 runs in 1946 @ average of 25.00.

his final match hampshire came @ manor sports ground, worthing against sussex in july 1948. in first-class career, played 79 matches hampshire, scoring 2853 runs @ average of 22.46.

coaching career

after retiring playing, joined hampshire s coaching staff @ county ground, southampton, coached colts , credited discovering several fine players.

in 1953, helped john arlott persuade henry horton take county cricket football career @ southampton winding down.

john arlott describes holt in memoirs:

go county ground on day in cricket season – or, matter, on many days outside – , somewhere between indoor school , pavilion meet comfortable, well-fed-looking man going in 1 direction when wants go in several. has rosy face, quizzical in blue eyes , 1 eyebrow goes asks wistfully, out of side of mouth, ave seen so-and-so? coach . arthur holt finds title convenient: saves him embarrassment of telling ground staff boys must call him mister holt , not arthur.