Point guard (PG), also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right players at the right time. Above all, the point guard must totally understand and accept his or her coach's game plan; in this way, the position can be compared to a quarterback in American football.

Point guard characteristics

A point guard, like all player positions in basketball, has specific characteristics that are essential for them to help guide their team to a victory. ''The Basketball Handbook'' by Lee Rose describes a point guard as a coach on the floor, who can handle and distribute the ball to teammates. It also states that the more speed a point guard has, the more likely he will be able to create separation and space off the dribble, which allows the point guard room to work. Point guards should also be vocal floor leaders, and should discuss rule interpretations with officials. A point guard must always know the time on both the shot clock and the game clock, the score, the number of timeouts for both teams, and whom to foul late in the game.

Most current NBA point guards are between 5'11" and 6'4" (1.93 m) or shorter in height. A true point guard's job is to create scoring opportunities for his team. The role includes passing and running the offense: setting up plays on the court, getting the ball to the teammate that he feels is in the best position to score, and dictating the tempo of the game. This also means knowing when and how to instigate a fast break and when and how to initiate the more deliberate sets.

After an opponent scores, it is typically the point guard who brings the ball down court to begin an offensive play. For this reason, passing skills, ball handling, and court vision are pivotal. Point guards are often evaluated more on their assist totals than on their scoring. Another major evaluation factor is Assist-to-Turnover ratio, which indicates the decision-making skills of the player. John Stockton, who is considered one of the greatest point guards of all time, is the NBA's all time leader in assists and steals. Still, a first-rate point guard should also have a reasonably effective jump shot.

If a point guard has more size (height, muscle) compared to the prototypical point guard, it is considered a plus, but size is only secondary to awareness and ball skills. Among the taller players who have enjoyed success at the position is Magic Johnson, who was 6'9"/2.06 m and won the National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award three times in his career. Other point guards who have been named the NBA MVP include Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson (who somewhat foreshadowed Johnson in that he was 6'5"/1.96 m, the size of many forwards in his era), the relatively undersized Steve Nash who is a two-time winner, and Derrick Rose.

Styles of play

Offense

The point guard is almost always positioned on the perimeter of the play, so as to have the best view of the action. This is a necessity because of the point guard's many leadership obligations. Many times, the point guard is referred to by announcers as a "coach on the floor" or a "floor general". In the past, this was particularly true, as several point guards such as Lenny Wilkens served their team as a player-coach. This is not so common anymore, as most coaches are now solely specialized in coaching and are non-players. Some point guards are still given a great deal of leeway in the offense, such as Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns. Former Suns head coach Mike D'Antoni had allowed him to freelance often when leading the Suns' offense, even letting Nash call his own plays at times. Even point guards who are not given this much freedom, however, are still extensions of their coach on the floor and must display good leadership skills.

Along with leadership and a general basketball acumen, ball-handling is a skill of great importance to a point guard. Generally speaking, the point guard is the player in possession of the ball for the most time during a game and is responsible for maintaining possession of the ball for his team in the face of any pressure from the opponents. Point guards must be able to maintain possession of the ball in crowded spaces and in traffic and be able to advance the ball quickly. A point guard that has enough ball-handling skill and quickness to be able to drive to the basket in a half-court set is also very valuable and considered by some to be a must for a successful offense.

After overall ball-handling, passing and scoring are the next most important areas of the game for a point guard. As the primary decision maker for a team, a point guard's passing ability determines how well a point guard is able to put his or her decision into play. It is one thing to be able to recognize the player that is in a tactically advantageous position, but it is another thing entirely to able to deliver the ball to that player. For this reason, a point guard is usually, but not always, more skilled and focused on passing than shooting. However, a good jump shot and the ability to score off a drive to the basket are still valuable skills. A point guard will often use his or her ability to score in order to augment his or her effectiveness as a decision maker and play maker.

In addition to the traditional role of the point guard, modern teams have found new ways to utilize the position. Notably, several modern point guards have used a successful style of post play, a tactic usually practiced by much larger centers and forwards. Working off of the fact that the opposing point guard is in all probability an undersized player with limited strength, several modern point guards have developed games close to the basket that include being able to utilize the drop step, spin move, and fade away jump shot. Former New York Knicks & Indiana Pacers PG Mark Jackson, and Chauncey Billups (now of the New York Knicks) are notable examples of players who frequently use this style of play.

In recent years, the sport's shift from a fundamental style of play to a more flashy, scoring-orientated game has resulted in the proliferation of so-called combo guards at the point guard position. These stronger more athletic point guards players, e.g. Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Deron Williams, Monta Ellis, Gilbert Arenas focus more on scoring as opposed to play making, forgoing assists and ball-movement for higher scoring numbers. Young players who are relatively short (i.e. 6'2" or less) are now developing the scoring aspects of their skill-sets, whereas previously these players would find it difficult to enter the NBA without true point guard skills. These combo point guards can surprise defenses. Instead of passing after bringing up the ball they quickly drive to the basket or step back for an outside shot. There are some disadvantages to this style of play. A point guard is the only position that has the ability to take the ball from one end of the court to the other causing teammates to never touch the ball. This can cause other players to become dis-involved in the offense. Even still, combo guards still require above-average passing skill, but not as much as possessed by "pure" point guards (which is what those in the traditional mold of a point guard are referred to as).

Defense

A point guard primarily defends on the perimeter, just as he primarily plays on the perimeter on offense. On defense, the point guard is tasked with making the opposing point guard as ineffective as possible. A defensive point guard will try to accomplish this with constant pressure on the ball, making it difficult to maintain possession. A defensive point guard will also pressure opponents in passing lanes in an attempt to generate steals and scoring opportunities for his own team.

Another important task for a point guard on the defensive end is to be a help defender. Whenever the player that the point guard is tasked with defending is away from the ball, a point guard will usually allow distance to accumulate from his or her assignment in order to help his or her teammates with their assignments. Walt Frazier, Dennis Johnson, Gary Payton, Magic Johnson, Rajon Rondo and Jason Kidd are often considered among the greatest defensive point guards in NBA history.

See also

Bob Cousy Award – An annual award given to the nation's top NCAA male point guard

Nancy Lieberman Award – The counterpart to the Cousy Award; given to the top NCAA female point guard

References

External links

"Tips for playing the Point Guard Position" from HoopsU.com

FOXSports.com - Best all-time point guards, accessed 2008-02-09

Category:Point guards Category:Basketball positions Category:Basketball terminology

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name	Rajon Rondo
position	Point guard
height ft	6
height in	1
weight lb	171
team	Boston Celtics
number	9
nationality	American
birth date	February 22, 1986
birth place	Louisville, Kentucky
college	Kentucky
high school	Eastern HS (Middletown, Kentucky),Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia)
draft round	1
draft pick	21
draft year	2006
draft team	Phoenix Suns
career start	2006
years1	–present | team1 Boston Celtics
highlights	NBA Champion () 2× NBA All-Star (–) 2× All-Defensive First Team (–) All-Defensive Second Team () NBA All-Rookie Second Team () }}

Rajon Pierre Rondo (born February 22, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Rondo attended Eastern High School and Oak Hill Academy for his high-school basketball career, before receiving a scholarship from the University of Kentucky. He played for two years at Kentucky before declaring for the 2006 NBA Draft, represented by agent Bill Duffy.

During the draft, Rondo was selected 21st overall by the Phoenix Suns, and was subsequently traded to the Boston Celtics, where he made his NBA debut as a rookie during the 2006–07 season. He played a supporting role before he established himself as the starting point guard for the Celtics during the 2007–08 season. That season, Rondo earned his first NBA Championship, playing alongside All-Stars Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. His breakout performance came during the 2009 NBA Playoffs, where he nearly averaged a triple-double, and helped his team take the eventual Eastern-conference champion Orlando Magic a full seven games in the East semi-finals.

Early life

Rondo was born on February 22, 1986 in Louisville, Kentucky to Amber Rondo. He has three siblings: Dymon, William and Anton. He had little contact with his father, who left his family when he was seven years old. To support the family, his mother worked the third shift at Philip Morris USA, a tobacco company. Rondo was first interested in football, before his mother steered him towards basketball because she felt that the sport would be less punishing on his skinny frame. After Rondo became serious about basketball, he attended Louisville's Eastern High School for three years where he played under head coach Doug Bibby. During his junior year at Eastern High School, he averaged 27.9 points, 10.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists which earned him a spot on the All-State honors and was named the 7th Region Player of the Year. He transferred to Virginia's Oak Hill Academy for his senior year where he averaged 21.0 points per game (ppg), 3.0 rebounds per game (rpg) and 12.0 assists per game (apg) and finished the 2003–04 season with a 38–0 record. In his senior year at Oak Hill Academy, Rondo broke Jeff McInnis's single-season school record of 303 assists, while averaging a double-double. There, he included two efforts of 27 assists and a single-game school record of 31, merely four away from the all-time national record. He also had a 55 point game in high-school, second highest all-time in Oak Hill Academy, surpassed only by Calvin Duncan with 61. Rondo was named to the McDonald's All-American Team in 2004 and scored a total of 14 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds in the all-star game. He also participated in the 2004 Jordan Capital Classic game, logging 12 points, 5 assists and 4 steals. He ended his career as Oak Hill Academy's all-time assists leader in a single season with 494 assists, surpassing Jeff McInnis.

College career

Rondo committed to University of Kentucky over hometown University of Louisville. Rondo, along with All-Americans Joe Crawford and Randolph Morris, gave Kentucky the top-rated recruiting class for 2004 according to Rivals.com. Rondo led Kentucky to several wins including clutch-shot victories against the University of Louisville, South Carolina and Central Florida, but Kentucky failed to advance to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament in either Rondo's freshman or sophomore seasons. He was named to the SEC All-Freshmen Team. He set a Kentucky Wildcats record for most steals in single-season, with a total of 87 steals in his freshman year and made at least one steal in every game. He finished his freshman year at Kentucky averaging 8.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.6 steals.

In his sophomore year he had a career high 12 assists against Ole Miss, despite playing just 23 minutes, and 25 points against Louisville. Rondo also set another Kentucky Wildcats record for most rebounds in a game by a guard, with 19 rebounds in an early season loss to Iowa. He was not known for being a shooter, however, going 18–66 from three with a 57.1% FT average. He averaged 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game in his sophomore year. Rondo was also named to the 2005 USA Men's Under-21 World Championship Team, which traveled to Argentina for the FIBA World Championships. He averaged 11.0 ppg and 4.5 apg in the eight-game tournament, garnering much attention from NBA scouts. The USA U-21 team won a gold medal at the Global Games held in Texas in late July.

NBA career

2006 NBA Draft

Following the 2005–06 NCAA season, Rondo announced he would forgo his final two seasons at Kentucky and enter the NBA draft. Rondo was drafted 21st overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2006 NBA Draft. Phoenix then traded him to the Boston Celtics along with Brian Grant for the Cleveland Cavaliers' first-round draft pick in the 2007 NBA Draft and cash considerations. He was the first point guard to be chosen in the draft. In another draft-day deal, the Celtics acquired Sebastian Telfair from the Portland Trail Blazers, finally uniting the backcourt Rick Pitino had envisioned at Louisville. He was signed by the Boston Celtics on July 4, 2006.

Rookie season

During his rookie season in the NBA, Rondo played a supporting role and would split time with Sebastian Telfair and Delonte West. Rondo only started in 25 games that season due to his initial backup role to Telfair. He made his NBA regular season debut on November 1, 2006, in a home loss against the New Orleans Hornets. In his rookie season, he lacked on his jump shot which resulted in him slashing to the basket for a teardrop or layup. While coming off the bench, he managed to score a career-high 23 points against the Toronto Raptors, and record his first career double-double in a road losing effort against the Washington Wizards. In his first career start, he matched his career-high against the Los Angeles Clippers, though the line-ups were constantly being shuffled between Telfair and Rondo at the point guard. After officially becoming a starter, he began to receive more playing time (career-high forty-seven minutes of playing time) and show improvement (career-high fourteen rebounds against the San Antonio Spurs, and a career-high seven steals against the Indiana Pacers). As the mid-season approached, his numbers began to increase, which earned him an All-Rookie Second Team selection. He finished the season with an average of 6.4 ppg and 3.8 apg, ranking in the top ten in the NBA in steals (128) and also ranking in the top ten among rookies in several other categories, including first in steals, second in assists and sixth in minutes. In the end, however, the Celtics finished the season with a 24–58 win-loss record and failed to qualify for the playoffs.

2007–08 season

After Telfair and West were traded during the offseason of the 2007–08 season, Rondo secured a spot in the starting lineup, starting in every game. Surrounded by All-Stars Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, he quickly became a steady, consistent player. In his 77 games played, he averaged 10.6 points per game (ppg), 5.1 assists per game (apg) and 4.2 rebounds per game (rpg). His role as a playmaker reflected in him leading the team in assists and steals. In a game against the New Jersey Nets, Rondo suffered a lower back injury late in the third quarter, forcing him to miss the next four games. He made his successful return from injury and to the starting lineup in a road win against the New York Knicks. A week later, he matched his career-high against the Miami Heat, and then scored a career-high 24 points in a home game against the Los Angeles Clippers the following month. During the All-Star break, he was selected to play on the Sophomore Team in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam. Following the All-Star weekend, Rondo recorded a career-high 16 assists in a home victory against the Charlotte Bobcats. Despite his solid rookie year, there was much speculation about Boston needing a veteran point guard. In March, they signed veteran point guard Sam Cassell as a free agent to serve as a backup. The Celtics' best single-season improvement in NBA history earned them the number one seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

Following the regular season, Rondo finished in the top five for the NBA Most Improved Player voting. Rondo made his playoff debut on April 20, 2008 against the Atlanta Hawks and finished the game with 15 points, 9 assists and 2 steals. The Celtics closed out the series in seven games, went on to defeat Cleveland in the next round, and then defeated the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. In the NBA Finals, facing the Los Angeles Lakers, Rondo recorded two strong performances, including a career-high 16 assists in Game 2. In Game 3, however, Rondo left the court in the third quarter after rolling his ankle. The ankle injury was considered a "non-factor", and Rondo eventually made his return in Game 4. In Game 6, the point guard posted a playoffs career-high 6 steals as the Celtics defeated the Lakers 4–2, giving Rondo his first NBA championship ring. After the game Lakers head coach Phil Jackson called Rondo the "star" of Game 6.

2008–09 season

In his third NBA campaign, the Celtics began the season with the best starting record in NBA history and also set a franchise record with a nineteen-game winning streak. Rondo's numbers increased from his previous season performance; however, he was criticized for his shooting. He recorded his first career triple-double along with a career-high in assists (16 points, 13 rebounds and 17 assists), against the Indiana Pacers. In a home win against the New York Knicks, Rondo led the team to tie a franchise record with eighteen straight wins. However, after the winning streak was snapped the team struggled, losing seven out of nine games after ending the streak. Rondo—matched up with one of the league's quicker guards, Tony Parker—recorded 16 assists in a losing effort against the Spurs, one short of his season-high. Less than a week later against the Mavericks, he recorded his second career triple-double (19 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists), and then recorded a career-high 32 points against the Phoenix Suns on his 23rd birthday. He became the first NBA athlete to sign an endorsement contract with Red Bull on April 17, 2009. He finished the season ranking fifth in the NBA in assists (8.2) and steals (1.9). The team finished the season as the second seed in the Eastern Conference, although they entered the playoffs without their injured All-Star power forward Kevin Garnett.

In the playoffs match-up against the Chicago Bulls, despite putting up a playoff career-high 29 points in Game 1, the Celtics lost in overtime. Boston won the next two games and in Games 2 and 4, Rondo recorded triple-doubles and became the first Celtic player with two triple-doubles in the same series since Larry Bird in 1986. He also became the first player with multiple triple-doubles in the same playoff series since Jason Kidd had three triple-doubles in the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals. In Game 6, he recorded a career-high 19 assists without a turnover, tying an NBA playoffs record. In the next round against the Orlando Magic, the Celtics lost the first game before Rondo's triple-double performance in Game 2 helped secure a home win. His third triple-double of the postseason tied Larry Bird's franchise record and also became the first to do that since Jason Kidd had four. However, the Celtics were defeated in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. During the postseason, Rondo nearly averaged a triple double with 16.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.8 assists.

2009–10 season

During the 2009–10 season, Rondo averaged career highs in points (13.7), assists (9.8) and steals (2.3) and became the first Celtic to lead the league in steals. On November 2, 2009, Rondo signed a five-year extension with the Celtics worth a guaranteed $55 million. In a road victory against the Orlando Magic on Christmas day, Rondo recorded 17 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists, two assists shy of a triple double. Three days later, Rondo scored 30 points along to go with 15 assists in a road loss to the Golden State Warriors. On January 10, 2010, Rondo recorded his third regular-season career triple-double, with 22 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds against the Toronto Raptors. On January 28, 2010, he received his first NBA All-Star selection as a reserve on the Eastern Conference squad for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. He also competed in the 2010 H-O-R-S-E contest but lost In the finals to Kevin Durant. Rondo recorded his fourth regular-season career triple-double against the Denver Nuggets on March 24, 2010, with 11 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds. Two days later against the Sacramento Kings, Rondo entered the game tied with Rick Fox for a franchise record of most steals in a single-season (167), eventually establishing the record with a second-quarter steal from Sean May. In a game against the Houston Rockets on April 2, 2010, he broke Bob Cousy's franchise record for most assists in a single-season.

In the 2010 NBA Playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Miami Heat in five games and faced the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round. In Game 2, Rondo dished out 19 assists tying his career-high and also tying a franchise record for most assists in a playoff game. In Game 4, he recorded his fourth postseason triple-double along with a playoff career-high 29 points and 18 rebounds. He joined Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the only other player in NBA history to have 29 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists in a playoff game. The Celtics eventually defeated the Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals in six games. In the Finals, the Celtics once again faced the Los Angeles Lakers, a team they previously beat in 2008. In Game 2, Rondo recorded his second triple-double of the postseason (19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists), however, despite Rondo's performance, the Celtics succumbed to the Lakers in seven games.

2010–11 season

In the first game of the 2010–11 season, Rondo put up 17 assists, which tied with Oscar Robertson for the third-most assists in a season opener. In the third game of the season, he dished out a career-high 24 assists along with a triple-double (10 points and 10 rebounds) against the New York Knicks. It tied him with Isiah Thomas as the only players in NBA history to have at least 24 assists in a triple-double. His total of 50 assists through the first three games of the season tied John Stockton's NBA record for most assists in the first 3 games of the season. In the next game against the Detroit Pistons, he finished the game with 17 assists for a total of 67 assists, which is the most assists in the teams first four games in NBA history. With a 15 assists effort the following day, Rondo again set a record for most assists through the first five games.

Rondo's season also began with injuries. He has played through plantar fasciitis in his feet. He missed three games in November due to a strained left hamstring. He sprained his left ankle in a win against the New York Knicks on December 15, 2010, and missed the next seven games. On April 22, in the third game of the first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks, Rondo had a triple-double with 20 assists. Rondo set a Celtics franchise record for most assists in a playoff game. He was also tied with LeBron James with 6 career triple-double in the playoffs until James had reached his seventh further on in the playoffs during Game 4 of the Finals. Rondo had the third best selling jersey in the league during the 2010-11 season, behind only James and Kobe Bryant.

NBA career statistics

	Led the league

:''Correct as of end of 2010-11 season''

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 78 || 25 || 23.5 || .418 || .207 || .647 || 3.7 || 3.8 || 1.6 || .1 || 6.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 77 || 77 || 29.9 || .492 || .263 || .611 || 4.2 || 5.1 || 1.7 || .2 || 10.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 80 || 80 || 33.0 || .505 || .313 || .642 || 5.2 || 8.2 || 1.9 || .1 || 11.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 81 || 81 || 36.6 || .508 || .213 || .621 || 4.4 || 9.8 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 2.3 || .1 || 13.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 68 || 68 || 37.2 || .475 || .233 || .568 || 4.4 || 11.2 || 2.2 || .2 || 10.6 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 384 || 331 || 31.9 || .486 || .242 || .622 || 4.4 || 7.6 || 2.0 || .1 || 10.7 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:left;"| All-Star | style="text-align:left;"| | 2 || 0 || 20.0 || .625 || .000 || .000 || 1.5 || 6.5 || .5 || .0 || 5.0

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 26 || 26 || 32.0 || .407 || .250 || .691 || 4.1 || 6.6 || 1.7 || .3 || 10.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 14 || 14 || 41.2 || .417 || .250 || .657 || 9.7 || 9.8 || 2.5 || .2 || 16.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 24 || 24 || 40.6 || .463 || .375 || .596 || 5.6 || 9.3 || 1.9 || .1 || 15.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2011 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 9 || 9 || 38.3 || .477 || .000 || .632 || 5.4 || 9.6 || 1.1 || .0 || 14.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 73 || 7.3 || 37.4 || .437 || .282 || .638 || 5.8 || 8.5 || 1.9 || .2 || 13.8

Awards and honors

1× NBA Champion: 2008

2× NBA All-Star: 2010, 2011

3× NBA All-Defensive:

:* First Team: 2010, 2011 :* Second Team: 2009

NBA All-Rookie selection:

:*Second team: 2007

NBA regular season leader:

:*steals: 2010 (189) :*steals per game: 2010 (2.3)

Boston Celtics franchise records:

:*Most assists in a single season: 794 (2009–10) :*Most steals in a single season: 189 (2009–10) :*Most assists in a playoff game: 20 (2010–11)

See also

List of National Basketball Association players with most assists in a game

References

External links

The Official Site of Rajon Rondo

YardBarker – Rajon Rondo's Blog

NBA.com Draft Profile

Profile at UKAthletics.com

ESPN.com Player Card

Rajon Rondo Career Stats

ESPN.com 2010 NBA Playoffs Feature: "9 Stories on No. 9: The Legend of Rondo"; 06/08/10

Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:American basketball players Category:Basketball players from Kentucky Category:Boston Celtics players Category:Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players Category:Male basketball guards Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from Louisville, Kentucky Category:Phoenix Suns draft picks Category:Point guards

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name	John Stockton
width	200
number	12
position	Point guard
height ft	6
height in	1
weight lb	175
birth date	March 26, 1962
birth place	Spokane, Washington
nationality	American
high school	Gonzaga Preparatory (Spokane, Washington)
college	Gonzaga (1980–1984)
draft year	1984
draft round	1
draft pick	16
draft team	Utah Jazz
career start	1984
career end	2003
years1	–
team1	Utah Jazz
highlights	10× NBA All-Star (–, ) NBA All-Star Game MVP () 2× All-NBA First Team (–) 6× All-NBA Second Team (–, –, ) 3× All-NBA Third Team (, , ) 5× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (, 1991–1992, 1995, 1997) WCC Player of the Year (1984) NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team #12 Retired by the Utah Jazz
stats league	NBA
stat1label	Points
stat1value	19,711 (13.1 ppg)
stat2label	Assists
stat2value	15,806 (10.5 apg)
stat3label	Steals
stat3value	3,265 (2.2 spg)
bbr	stockjo01
letter	s
hof player	john-stockton
medal templates	}}

}} John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is a retired American professional basketball player who spent his entire career as a point guard for the Utah Jazz of the NBA from 1984 to 2003. Stockton is regarded as one of the best point guards of all time, holding the NBA records for most career assists and steals by considerable margins. He was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

Early years

Stockton was born in Spokane, Washington to Clementine Frei and Jack Stockton and had Irish and Swiss German ancestry. He attended grade school at St. Aloysius and moved on to high school at Gonzaga Prep, graduating in 1980. He then played college basketball for Gonzaga University in his hometown where he averaged 20.9 points per game while shooting 57% from the field in his senior year. His grandfather, Houston Stockton had also been a well known athlete at Gonzaga. John Stockton was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 16th overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft.

NBA career

John Stockton averaged a career double-double, with 13.1 points and 10.5 assists per game. He holds the NBA's record for most career assists (15,806) by a margin of more than 4,000, as well as the record for most career steals (3,265). He had five of the top six assists seasons in NBA history (the other belonging to Isiah Thomas). He holds the NBA record for the most seasons, games, and consecutive games played with one team, and is third in total games played, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Robert Parish. He missed only 22 games during his career, 18 of them in one season. He played in 38 games where he tallied 20 or more assists.

Stockton appeared in 10 All-Star games, and was named co-MVP of the game in 1993 with Jazz teammate Karl Malone, which was held in Salt Lake City, Utah. He played with the 1992 and 1996 US Olympic basketball teams, known as Dream Team I and III, the first Olympic squads to feature NBA players, keeping the game ball from both Gold Medal games. He was selected to the All-NBA First Team twice, the All-NBA Second Team six times, the All-NBA Third Team three times, and the NBA All-Defensive Second Team five times. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history in 1996. Stockton's career highlight came in Game 6 of the 1997 Western Conference Finals. Stockton scored the last 9 points for the Jazz, including a buzzer-beating 3-point shot over the Houston Rockets' Charles Barkley, to send the Jazz to the first of its two consecutive NBA Finals appearances. In both of these appearances, Stockton's Jazz teams were defeated by the Chicago Bulls. In Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, Stockton made a three-pointer with 41.9 seconds left to give the Jazz an 86-83 lead, but Bulls guard Michael Jordan made two field goals to put his team ahead 87-86, the second one after stealing from Jazz forward Karl Malone. Stockton missed a three-point attempt with 5.2 seconds left and said in a post-game interview that he felt confident that the shot would go in.

For many years, he and Malone were the Jazz's 1-2 punch. The two played a record 1,412 regular-season games together as teammates (by comparison, only three other NBA players besides Stockton and Malone have reached 1,412 NBA games played). Many of Stockton's assists resulted from passes to Malone. Stockton earned the "old school" tag for his physical play (surveys of athletes and fans alike often judged him among the toughest players in the NBA, usually just behind teammate Karl Malone); his uniform "short shorts" (he was the most recent notable NBA player to wear them, preferring the style after the rest of the league had adopted today's baggier look); his simple dress off the court, which contrasted with many of his NBA contemporaries; and his reserved demeanor.

On May 2, 2003, Stockton announced his retirement with a released statement instead of the customary news conference. The Jazz later held a retirement ceremony for him, in which Salt Lake City renamed the street in front of the Energy Solutions Arena (then known as the Delta Center), where the Jazz play, John Stockton Drive. His number-12 jersey was retired by the Jazz during a game on November 22, 2004. A statue of Stockton can be seen in front of the Energy Solutions Arena; an accompanying statue of Karl Malone was placed nearby on March 23, 2006. The Malone and Stockton statues stand on a bronze plaque commemorating their achievements together. Stockton was announced as a member of the 2009 class of inductees to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on April 6, 2009; he was formally inducted on September 11.

Along with Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Dominique Wilkins, Elgin Baylor, Reggie Miller, Pete Maravich, and his teammate Karl Malone, John Stockton is considered to be one of the best players never to have won an NBA championship.

Player profile

Stockton, a 10-time NBA All-Star, commandingly holds the NBA record for career assists with 15,806 (10.5 per game). Stockton also holds the record for assists-per-game average over one season (14.5 in 1990), and is one of three players who have logged more than 1,000 assists in one season, joining Kevin Porter (1,099 in 1979) and Isiah Thomas (1,123 in 1985) in the exclusive list. Stockton did this seven times, with season totals of 1,164, 1,134, 1,128, 1,126, 1,118, 1,031 and 1,011 assists.

He and Karl Malone are regarded by many as the quintessential pick and roll duo. Apart from his passing skill, Stockton was also a capable scorer (13.1 points per game career average and a .515 career shooting percentage) with a reliable three-point shot (.384 lifetime average). He is 30th on the all-time NBA scoring list with 19,711 career points. Despite the fact that he never pulled down more than 9 rebounds (or recorded more than 9 steals) during a regular season game, he recorded one career triple double, in a playoff game against the Dallas Mavericks on April 28, 2001. He scored 12 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and had 10 assists.

On defense, Stockton holds the NBA record for career steals with 3,265, nearly 30 percent more than second placed Michael Jordan, who had 2,514.

Stockton was known for his unassuming, no-nonsense approach to the game, hard-nosed defense, and fanatical work-ethic in preparation, which resulted in his extreme durability. He played 1,504 of 1,526 possible games in his 19-season career. In his first 13 seasons, he missed only four games (all in the 1989-1990 season) until he missed the first 18 games of the 1997-1998 season due to an injured MCL in his left knee sustained in the preseason. That was the only major injury in his career and he never missed another game after returning from that injury. In his last season at age 41, he started in all 82 games, and finished with more-than-respectable averages of 10.8 ppg and 7.7 apg.

Stockton avoided most endorsements, and stayed loyal to Utah despite being offered significantly more money by other teams. In 1996, he agreed to a deal that made salary-cap space available so the team could improve, but insisted on guaranteed Delta Center ice time for his son's hockey team.

On May 11, 2006, ESPN.com named Stockton the 4th best point guard of all time.

In 1,504 NBA games (an all-time record for a player who played for only one team and games with a single team), of which Stockton started 1,300 (third all-time since starts became an official statistic beginning with the 1981-82 season), Stockton averaged a double-double in points and assists along with 2.2 steals and 31:45 of floor time per game, and holds other scoring accuracy records as noted above.

Personal life

Stockton and his wife, the former Nada Stepovich (daughter of Matilda and Michael Anthony Stepovich, the last territorial governor of Alaska), have two daughters, Lindsay and Laura, and four sons, Houston, Michael, David and Samuel. In 2011, Michael Stocton signed with BG Karlsruhe in Germany's second basketball division. David Stockton plays for Gonzaga University. Stockton and his family are devout Catholics.

See also

List of National Basketball Association players with 1000 games played

List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders

List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders

List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders

List of National Basketball Association career free throw scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association career playoff assists leaders

List of National Basketball Association career playoff steals leaders

List of National Basketball Association career playoff turnovers leaders

List of National Basketball Association players with most assists in a game

List of National Basketball Association players with most steals in a game

List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise

Footnotes

External links

John Stockton at NBA.com

Basketball-Reference.com: John Stockton

John Stockton

Category:1962 births Category:Living people Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Swiss-German descent Category:American Roman Catholics Category:United States men's national basketball team members Category:Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Category:Basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players from Washington (state) Category:Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball players Category:National Basketball Association players with retired numbers Category:Olympic basketball players of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:People from Spokane, Washington Category:Point guards Category:Utah Jazz players Category:Utah Jazz draft picks Category:Olympic medalists in basketball

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Robert Matthew "Bob" Hurley, Sr. (born July 3, 1947) is the basketball coach at St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, New Jersey. Hurley has amassed 26 state championships and more than 1000 wins in 39 years as a coach, creating a national powerhouse despite substandard facilities and financial limitations. On February 2, 2011, Hurley became the 10th coach in high school history to win 1000 games. Five of his teams have gone undefeated, including his 2007-08 team. On April 5, 2010, he was announced as the only coach to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame that year and only the third high-school coach in history to be so honored; he was formally inducted on August 13 of that year. Hurley is the father of Bobby Hurley, a former All-American point guard at Duke, and Danny Hurley, who was hired in April 2010 to coach Wagner College after years of coaching at Newark's Saint Benedict's Preparatory School, also one of the top high school programs in the nation. Danny has since hired Bobby as an assistant at Wagner.

Hurley's undefeated 1989 team, which featured Jerry Walker, Hurley's son Bobby, Terry Dehere, and Rodrick Rhodes, was ranked first in the nation by ''USA Today''. Three of the players on that team — Bobby Hurley, Dehere and Rhodes — were first round draft choices in the NBA draft. That team won New Jersey's first Tournament of Champions and amassed 50 straight victories in a two-year span. It is generally considered one of the best teams in New Jersey history.

Hurley's 2007-08 squad was also undefeated, finishing with 32 wins and no losses and ranked number one in the U.S. even though no starter is taller than 6'6". The '08 team, with six seniors accepting Division I basketball scholarships, also won Hurley's 10th Tournament of Champions, winning its state tournament games by an average of more than 27 points per game. The team also won St. Anthony's 25th state championship, more than any other school in U.S. history. Hurley was the coach for 23 of those teams and an assistant coach on the other two. His teams are known for their speed, defensive intensity, and precise ball movement. He is known for his intense calls from the sideline to players during stoppages in play.

Book

Hurley's 2003-04 team, also undefeated and ranked second in the nation, is the subject of The Miracle of St. Anthony, a best-selling book by Adrian Wojnarowski. The book chronicles how the team marched to an unbeaten season, state title, and number 2 national ranking despite off-the-court crises and not having a single senior graduate to a Division I program. St. Anthony, run by Felician nuns, has achieved this success with a student body of just 235, one of New Jersey's smallest.

Over the years, though, more than 100 graduates of the program have earned Division I basketball scholarships, including six from the 2007-08 team. Every senior to graduate from his program has won at least one state championship, with many winning several. Hurley has also produced a total of five first-round NBA draft picks: his son, Bobby, Dehere, Rhodes, David Rivers, and Roshown McLeod. Hurley has never been a teacher at or a full-time employee of St. Anthony. For most of his career, the coach was employed as a probation officer. Thereafter, he worked for the Jersey City Recreation Department, but has since retired. He has been instrumental in the restoration of the historic Jersey City Armory to a modern sports arena.

Hurley gained national attention when his son Bobby graduated and became a four-year starter and All-American at Duke University. Bobby, along with Grant Hill and Christian Laettner, led Duke to two NCAA titles.

Over the years, Hurley has been offered a number of college coaching jobs. He has turned them all down. He is also one of just a few high school coaches to be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Movie

In 2007-08, TeamWorks Media was granted access to film a documentary portrait of Hurley and St. Anthony High School's fundraising effort. "The Street Stops Here," directed by Kevin Shaw , captured challenges that tested Hurley's resolve. The most talented senior class Hurley ever assembled, with six seniors headed to Division I schools, was about to graduate without having won a state championship – something that has never happened to one of his teams. Even more dire, fundraising efforts were tied to a major Wall Street firm responsible for the current U.S. recession, raising a financial crisis that threatened to close St. Anthony.

The documentary captured several compelling moments as Hurley's team went undefeated that season, winning their 25th State Title and third mythical National Championship as voted upon by USA Today. The Friars were bolstered by top-notch talent currently starring at major Division I programs; Mike Rosario (Florida), Tyshawn Taylor (Kansas), Travon Woodall (Pittsburgh), Jio Fontan (Southern California) and Dominic Cheek (Villanova). Other major prep players from that time making an appearance in the film include Sacramento Kings rookie Tyreke Evans (American Christian H.S.) Cincinnati star Lance Stephenson (Lincoln Brooklyn H.S.) and North Carolina swingman Dexter Strickland (St. Patrick's of Elizabeth, NJ). Interviews from Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and North Carolina's Roy Williams are featured.

"The Street Stops Here," premiered nationally on PBS March 31, 2010 and is available on DVD .

Coaching family

In the last five years, Hurley's teams have been challenged for supremacy in the state by St. Patrick's High School of Elizabeth and Saint Benedict's Preparatory School of Newark. St. Patrick's is coached by Kevin Boyle, who, like Hurley, is a graduate of Saint Peter's College in Jersey City. St. Benedict's was coached until 2010 by Bob's younger son, Dan Hurley, who played for St. Anthony and then Seton Hall University. All three schools are within 10 miles of each other and have been consistently ranked in the top 10 in the nation in the past few seasons. Indeed in 2008, when Bob's team was ranked #1 in the nation, Dan's St. Benedict's squad was ranked #2, and only a 3-point loss kept St. Benedict's from an undefeated season and a #1 ranking of its own.

References

External links

St. Anthony High School website

"The Street Stops Here" movie website

St Anthony Athletics

Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Category:High school basketball coaches in the United States Category:People from Jersey City, New Jersey Category:Saint Peter's College (New Jersey) alumni

playername	Jack Hobbs
country	England
fullname	John Berry Hobbs
nickname	The Master
dayofbirth	16
monthofbirth	12
yearofbirth	1882
placeofbirth	Cambridge
countryofbirth	England
dayofdeath	21
monthofdeath	12
yearofdeath	1963
placeofdeath	Hove, East Sussex
countryofdeath	England
batting	right-handed (RHB)
bowling	right-arm medium pace (RM)
role	opening batsman
international	true
testdebutdate	1 January
testdebutyear	1908
testdebutagainst	Australia
testcap	157
lasttestdate	16 August
lasttestyear	1930
lasttestagainst	Australia
club1	Surrey
year1	1905–1934
columns	2
column1	Test
matches1	61
runs1	5,410
bat avg1	56.94
100s/50s1	15/28
top score1	211
deliveries1	376
wickets1	1
bowl avg1	165.00
fivefor1	–
tenfor1	–
best bowling1	1/19
catches/stumpings1	17/–
column2	First-class
matches2	834
runs2	61,760
bat avg2	50.70
100s/50s2	199/273
top score2	316*
deliveries2	5,217
wickets2	108
bowl avg2	25.03
fivefor2	3
tenfor2	0
best bowling2	7/56
catches/stumpings2	342/–
date	18 June
year	2010
source	http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/306/306.html ''CricketArchive'' }}

Sir John Berry "Jack" Hobbs (born 16 December 1882 in Cambridge; died 21 December 1963 in Hove) was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches from 1908 to 1930.

Universally known as "Jack" and nicknamed "The Master", Hobbs is widely regarded as cricket's greatest-ever opening batsman and holds world records in first-class cricket for scoring the most runs (61,237 or 61,760 depending on source) and centuries (197 or 199 depending on source).

Hobbs was a right-handed batsman (RHB) and a useful right-arm medium pace bowler (RM) who took 108 career wickets with a best analysis of 7/56. In the field, Hobbs was considered a "brilliant" cover point.

Early years

Childhood

John Berry Hobbs was born at 8 Brewhouse Lane in Cambridge on 16 December 1882. His parents were John Cooper Hobbs and Flora Matilda Hobbs (née Berry). Their home was a cottage belonging to Mrs Hobbs' parents. Jack was the eldest of 12 children. He was christened John after his father and Berry after his mother's family but, like his father, was always known as Jack. John Cooper Hobbs was a slater's labourer at this time but he subsequently achieved a personal ambition by becoming a professional cricketer in the employ of Cambridge University Cricket Club as a net bowler and occasional umpire at the Fenner's ground. Later, he was a groundsman and umpire at Jesus College.

The family moved house more than once and is known to have lived at Norfolk Terrace and Rivar Place, which were both on the east side of Cambridge close to the public playing field at Parker's Piece where there is now an establishment called The Hobbs Pavilion.

Hobbs acquired his love of cricket from his father and said he "took to it naturally (as) the best way to make a decent living". Hobbs began by playing with friends as a young boy and recalled that "the first wicket he defended was a lamp-post in a Cambridge street".

He attended a Church of England boys' school but cricket was not popular there and the playground had football goals painted on its walls. Hobbs first played in an organised cricket match for a church choir team. During school holidays, he helped his father at work on the Jesus College ground and, when time allowed, he would field at the nets and play his own version of cricket with the college servants, using a tennis ball, a cricket stump for a bat and a tennis post for a wicket on a gravel pitch. In 1896 when he was 13, he left school to work at the college himself for seven-and-sixpence a week.

Development as a cricketer

Hobbs had minimal coaching as a boy and played as often as he could, effectively teaching himself how to bat by trying to "produce the strokes which he had seen players use in college matches". The narrow straight stump helped him to appreciate "the importance of playing a straight bat" and, with his "natural assets of a keen eye and flexible wrists", he learned to hit the ball with confidence using a wide variety of strokes. He always remembered a piece of advice which his father gave him about batting against a spin bowler. Hobbs was inclined to stand clear of his stumps but his father said to him: "Don't draw away. Standing up to the wicket is all important. If you draw away, you cannot play with a straight bat and the movement may cause you to be bowled off your pads".

Hobbs helped to form a boys' team called the Ivy Club which played on Parker's Piece. It was here that Daniel Hayward, brother of "Old" Tom Hayward and father of "Young" Tom Hayward, acted as groundsman and looked after the nets. When not working at the college or doing his chores at home, Hobbs practised incessantly and aimed to emulate the younger Hayward who was playing for Surrey and England at that time.

By 1901, Hobbs was playing for a local club called Ainsworth and, in that season, he scored his first century in any class of cricket when he made 102 batting at number four for Ainsworth against the Cambridge Liberal Club. In total, he made 244 centuries in all classes of cricket, 199 of them in first-class cricket. His performance for Ainsworth earned him an invitation to play for Cambridgeshire against Hertfordshire as an amateur. Cambridgeshire won by 158 runs and Hobbs, batting at number nine scored 30 and 0. In the first innings, he shared in a stand of 81 for the eighth wicket with Arthur Rich.

In 1902, dissatisfied with the prospects of working at Jesus College, Hobbs applied for and was offered a job as an assistant professional at Bedford Grammar School. Much of the work involved groundsmanship and bowling in the nets but he was also expected to umpire school matches and this enabled him to visit London for the first time. At the end of the school term, Hobbs returned to Cambridge and played as a professional for the first time when he was paid ten shillings to represent Royston Cricket Club against Hertfordshire Club and Ground. He scored 119 and this innings gave much pleasure to his father who died only a week later.

Tom Hayward arranged a trial for Hobbs at Surrey in April 1903, and he was taken on immediately. Another application had been sent to Essex whose secretary ignored it. As Hobbs was not born in Surrey, he had to undergo a two-year residence qualification before he could play first-class cricket for the club. He was paid £1-50 a week in summer and £1 a week in winter while he qualified.

In 1904, Hobbs played for Cambridgeshire again and made 696 runs in 13 innings including 195 "in brilliant style" against Hertfordshire.

1905: debut season

Having completed his residence qualification, Hobbs made his first-class debut in the opening game of the 1905 season, playing for Surrey at The Oval against the Gentleman of England, who were captained by W G Grace. Hobbs scored 18 and 88, the latter in only two hours and sharing an opening partnership of 100 with Hayward.

Hobbs was awarded his county cap by Surrey captain Lord Dalmeny after his first County Championship match, against Essex at The Oval, in which he scored 155.

Having scored 289 runs in his first two matches, Hobbs lost form as the hard work of continuous cricket took its toll, a problem encountered by young players, and Surrey moved him down the batting order. However, ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'' in its 1906 edition commented that "(Hobbs) may fairly be regarded as the best professional batsman Surrey have brought forward in recent years" but went on to advise Hobbs to "brighten up his fielding".

Hobbs had difficulties against the best bowlers and the best teams. Colin Blythe dismissed him four times in four innings for a total of only 48 runs and, in four innings against the very strong Yorkshire attack, he managed only seven runs.

Hobbs' 1905 season aggregate was 1,317 runs at 25.82 with a highest score of 155 against Essex at The Oval. He scored 2 centuries and 4 half-centuries and held 21 catches, a seasonal total he exceeded only once: in 1911. He took 4 wickets with his occasional medium pace, his best analysis being 1–12.

1906 to 1914

Hobbs established a famous opening partnership for Surrey with Tom Hayward and, as an England opener, another with Wilfred Rhodes.

1906 English cricket season

Hobbs improved on his first season and his average in 1906 was nearly 15 runs higher than in 1905. ''Wisden'' in 1907 said he was "one of the best professional bats of the year" and acknowledged a significant improvement in his fielding. But Hobbs began the season facing a challenge as he had to "demonstrate to himself, to the Surrey committee and to the general cricket world that his falling off in 1905 was not fundamental". He received much encouragement from his team mates, especially Hayward who was "an immense help and reassurance" even though neither of them were great talkers, in Hobbs' case because he was shy while Hayward was generally too busy "getting on with the job". But, together, they became, "those two Cambridge men, the finest opening pair cricket had yet known".

Hobbs "put his head down" and treated pre-season nets and the trial matches with "absolute seriousness". Arlott says this was a "characteristic" response to his problems. He began with a couple of useful scores and then, with 79 and 69 against Hampshire, scored fifty-plus twice in the same match for the first time in his career. He shared a partnership of 208 with Hayward against Leicestershire, scored 80 against Essex and then, in two matches against Worcestershire, scored 125 in less than two hours at Worcester and 162 not out at The Oval.

Hobbs was overshadowed by his partner in 1906 as Hayward scored a record aggregate of 3,246 runs at 72.13 with 13 centuries, this equalling the record set by C B Fry. Hobbs' 1906 season aggregate was 1,913 at 40.70 with a highest score of 162 not out against Worcestershire at The Oval. He scored 4 centuries and 10 half-centuries and held 9 catches. He took 4 wickets with a best analysis of 3–6.

''Wisden'' commented that "in batting, Hayward stood out by himself as the great player of the year" and that "Hobbs and Hayes played splendidly and would have been far more talked about if they had been in any other eleven". ''Wisden'' added that Hobbs was "one of the finest professional bats of the year".

1907 English cricket season

Hobbs continued to develop and finished a creditable eighth in the national batting averages. He may have been considered for a place in the England team against South Africa that season but, realistically, his best hope was to be chosen in the squad to tour Australia the following winter.

In May, Hobbs was dismissed for 0 and 1 by Nottinghamshire and this was the nearest he ever came to "bagging a pair" (i.e., being dismissed for nought/zero in both innings of a match).

In one week in June, playing in successive matches against Cambridge University and Middlesex, Hayward and Hobbs achieved first-wicket partnerships of 108, 125, 147 and 105 in the consecutive innings. This remains a unique feat.

Hobbs made his debut for the Players in the Gentlemen v Players fixture, taking part in the two matches played in July at Lord's and The Oval. Despite the great success he had in this fixture through his career, he began with minimal success, scoring 2, 9, 5 and 19.

Hobbs' 1907 season aggregate was 2,135 at 37.45 with a highest score of 166 not out against Worcestershire at The Oval. He scored 4 centuries and 15 half-centuries and held 12 catches. He took 16 wickets with a best analysis of 5–22 against Cambridge University at Fenner's, the first of three five wicket hauls that he would achieve in his career.

1907–08 tour of Australia

In 1907–08, Hobbs was chosen by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) to tour Australia. He always suffered from sea-sickness and was incapacitated on arrival so that he was unavailable for the First Test against Australia. He made his Test debut in the Second Test at Melbourne, scoring 83 and 28. England, captained by Arthur Jones won the match by 1 wicket but it was their sole success. Having been described as "a third team" before leaving England, Jones' side were beaten four-one in the series. But Hobbs did enough to establish himself as an England player as, until he retired from Test cricket in 1930, he was always selected by England if he was available.

Hobbs' tour aggregate was 876 at 41.71 with a highest score of 115 against Victoria at Melbourne. He scored 2 centuries and 6 half-centuries and held 9 catches. He took 4 wickets with a best analysis of 2–14.

1908 English cricket season

In the opening match of the season, when Surrey met the Gentlemen of England at The Oval in April, Hobbs played against W G Grace for the fourth and last time. It was Grace's final first-class match.

When Surrey played Kent at Rectory Field, Blackheath, Hobbs produced an innings of 106 that was acclaimed "a masterpiece". He stayed for 210 minutes and hit 15 boundaries although his team were dismissed for only 183 to lose the match by 206 runs. His team mate Bill Hitch said of that innings: "To be at the opposite end to Jack that day was blinding; you realised your batting wasn't even the same job. The depressing thing was, he made it look so easy". The next highest score was 16 not out by the number 10 batsman.

Hobbs' 1908 season aggregate was 1,904 at 37.33 with a highest score of 161 against Hampshire at The Oval. He scored 6 centuries and 7 half-centuries and held 13 catches. He took 6 wickets with a best analysis of 3–18.

For his achievements in 1908, Hobbs was selected by ''Wisden'' as one of its "Five Cricketers of the Year" in its 1909 edition. ''Wisden'' said that "at the present time there is perhaps no better professional batsman in England except Hayward and Tyldesley".

1909 English cricket season

In 1909, Hobbs scored 919 runs in the month of May, missing the thousand in a month target by only 81 runs. He had scores of 12, 33, 205, 41, 159, 44, 4, 160, 100 (two centuries in the same match), 99, 0, 62 and 12. But, from mid-June, his season turned sour on him and he struggled against both injury and loss of form.

Hobbs played in the first three Tests, his first in England, against Australia but missed the last two due to injury. Overall, he was disappointing in the series except for the second innings of the First test at Edgbaston when, with England needing 105 to win a low-scoring match, he and C B Fry went in first and secured a ten wicket victory. Hobbs scored 62 not out in what was described as "a brilliant innings".

Having scored 162 against Hampshire at Bournemouth in June, Hobbs went eleven innings without reaching 50. Then, in early July, he injured a finger in Surrey's match against Lancashire at Old Trafford and was out of action for nearly a month. When he returned at the beginning of August, he had another six innings without a good score before scoring 133 and 59 for Surrey against Gloucestershire at Bristol. But he then endured another lean period of six innings before his next half-century. His highest score in the remaining matches was 84 against Leicestershire at The Oval.

Hobbs' 1909 season aggregate was 2,114 at 40.65 with a highest score of 205 against Hampshire at The Oval, this being his first double-century. He scored 6 centuries and 7 half-centuries and held 10 catches. He took 2 wickets with a best analysis of 1–17.

1909–10 tour of South Africa

In 1909–10, Hobbs played for England against South Africa and, although his team lost the series 3–2, he personally was highly successful against their "battery of spin bowlers" by going down the pitch and playing the googly off his front foot.

It was on this tour that Hobbs established himself as England's leading batsman, a position he retained for the next 20 years. He began his successful association with Wilfred Rhodes and they shared opening partnerships of 159, 94 and 221 in the Test series.

MCC played a match against a team called The Reef and, for many years, it was considered a first-class fixture but subsequently it was discounted as such by the South African authorities. Hobbs scored 39 and 31 in the game and ''CricketArchive'' has removed these 70 runs from his first-class record, although ''Wisden'' and ''Playfair'' have not accepted the official SABC ruling and continue to recognise the game. See also: Variations in first-class cricket statistics.

Hobbs' tour aggregate was 1,124 at 66.11 with a highest score of 187 against South Africa in the Fifth Test at Newlands, Cape Town. He scored 3 centuries and 7 half-centuries and held 4 catches. He took 7 wickets with a best analysis of 2–31.

1910 English cricket season

In a wet summer, Hobbs' figures were slightly disappointing but only Johnny Tyldesley scored more runs. Hobbs made a very poor start to the season scoring 68 runs in his first six innings and then, from from 14 July to 9 August, only 166 runs in twelve innings. That sequence ended when he scored his first half-century against Yorkshire: 62 at The Oval. Prior to it, he was averaging just 14.61 against the northern county.

Hobbs' 1910 season aggregate was 1,982 at 33.03 with a highest score of 133 against Derbyshire at Derby. He scored 3 centuries and 14 half-centuries and held 19 catches. He took 3 wickets with a best analysis of 1–11.

1911 English cricket season

Hobbs' 1911 season aggregate was 2,376 at 41.68 with a highest score of 154 not out for the Players against the Gentlemen at Lord's. That was his maiden century in the fixture and he would go on to score a record 16, beating W G Grace who had scored 15. He scored 4 centuries and 13 half-centuries and held a career-high 34 catches. Hobbs assumed a greater share of the bowling in 1911 than in any other season of his career, bowling 973 deliveries. He took 28 wickets at the good average of 18.67 including a career-best analysis of 7–56 against Oxford University at The Parks.

Australia won the First Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground by 146 runs after some fine bowling by their leg-break and googly bowler Ranji Hordern who had match figures of 12–175. Hobbs scored 63 and 22, completing 1,000 Test runs in the process. England won the Second Test at Melbourne (a timeless match) by 8 wickets. Australia were dismissed for 184, Sydney Barnes taking 5–44 and England replied with 265 ("Young Jack" Hearne 114, Rhodes 61, Hobbs 6). Australia scored 299 to set England a target of 219. England lost Rhodes and George Gunn but both gave solid support to Hobbs who scored 126 not out. Hobbs was "at his very best, especially in his square and late-cutting, and his mastery over Hordern was a great example and encouragement to his comrades".

In the Third Test at the Adelaide Oval, Australian captain Clem Hill won the toss and batted first on a good wicket but his team collapsed and were all out on the first day for only 133, Frank Foster taking 5–36. Hobbs and Rhodes reached close of play with England on 49–0 and secured first innings lead next day before Rhodes was out for 59 at 147–1. Hobbs went on until he was caught for 187 (equalling his highest Test score) at 323–4 and England eventually reached 501 all out. Australia fought back and scored 476 (Hill 98) but it was not enough and, although Hobbs went for only 3 in the second innings, England scored 112–3 (Rhodes 57 not out) to win by 7 wickets. Hobbs "made no mistake of any kind till he was well past his century" and "showed as complete a mastery over the bowling as at Melbourne a fortnight before".

Douglas won the toss ahead of the Fourth Test at Melbourne and asked Australia to bat on a damp wicket. They were duly dismissed by Barnes and Foster for 191. Hobbs and Rhodes stayed together till close of play on the first day when the score was 54–0. On the second day, they built the first-wicket partnership to a then record 323 before Hobbs was out for 178. Rhodes went on to score 179 in England's total of 589, a first innings lead of just under 400. Australia had no answer to the situation and were bowled out for 173 (Douglas 5–46) as England regained The Ashes by an innings and 225 runs. The stand between Hobbs and Rhodes was achieved "by perfect cricket and wonderful running between the wickets".

Hobbs was a great success in the field too, running out fifteen batsmen in all matches on the tour. The performances of Rhodes and himself were described as "phenomenal" and it was on this tour that Hobbs "joined the ranks of the unquestionable immortals".

Hobbs' tour aggregate was 943 at 55.47 with a highest score of 187 in the Third Test at the Adelaide Oval. He scored 3 centuries and 2 half-centuries and held 8 catches. He took 5 wickets with a best analysis of 4–25.

1912 English cricket season

One of the wettest seasons on record with 114 complete days' play lost in all matches. Hobbs was one of only four players (the others being David Denton, Warren Bardsley and Charlie Macartney) who managed to score 2,000 runs.

Hobbs' 1912 season aggregate was 2,042 at 37.81 with a highest score of 111 against Lancashire at Old Trafford. He scored 3 centuries and 14 half-centuries and held 14 catches. He took 6 wickets with a best analysis of 2–10.

1913 English cricket season

Hobbs' 1913 season aggregate was 2,605 at 50.09 with a highest score of 184 against Worcestershire at New Road, Worcester . He scored 9 centuries and 12 half-centuries and held 16 catches. He bowled only 90 deliveries (i.e., 15 overs) all season and, for the first time, took no wickets.

1913–14 tour of South Africa

On England's 1913–14 tour of South Africa, Hobbs scored 1,489 runs, nearly twice as many as anyone else.

His highest score on the tour was 170 against Cape Province at St George's Oval, Port Elizabeth. He averaged a very high 74.45 and scored 5 centuries and 8 half-centuries. He held 13 catches. His bowling was limited to a single over in which he took 0–4.

1914 English cricket season

In 1914, Surrey won the County Championship for the only time in Hobbs' career.

Hobbs' 1914 season aggregate was 2,697 at 58.63 with a highest score of 226 against Nottinghamshire at The Oval. He scored 11 centuries (including 3 double-centuries) and 6 half-centuries and held 15 catches. He took 3 wickets with a best analysis of 3–13.

Hobbs in 1914 was "unchallenged as the leading batsman in the world" and had the reputation of being "the supreme technician on any sort of wicket". Statistically, he had scored 25,587 runs with 65 centuries to this point, when cricket was terminated for four years, but both of those figures would be more than doubled after his career resumed in 1919. Of his eventual tally of 199 centuries, Hobbs scored 100 of them after his fortieth birthday.

First World War

The outbreak of the First World War disrupted the final weeks of the 1914 season and the match between Surrey and Kent on 10–11 August had to be switched from The Oval to Lord's. This should have been Jack Hobbs' benefit match. In all the confusion, the game was poorly attended and the takings did not meet expectations. Surrey offered to keep the gate money on this occasion so that Hobbs could have another benefit after the war ended. Hobbs agreed to this, although he had no way of knowing if or when it could ever happen.

He served his country by working in a munitions factory until 1916 when he joined the Royal Flying Corps as an air mechanic.

He was able to play some cricket in the Bradford League until 1916 and once batted against Sydney Barnes, the only time they were ever in opposition. Hobbs scored what Barnes himself called a "chanceless century".

1919 to 1924

Hobbs established another great partnership at Surrey with Andrew Sandham. In Test cricket, he and Herbert Sutcliffe formed what is generally regarded as the greatest opening partnership ever.

1919 English cricket season

Surrey kept their promise and granted Hobbs a postponed benefit in 1919. He used the proceeds to open a sporting goods shop on Fleet Street. His season aggregate was 2,594 at 60.32 with a highest score of 205 not out against the Australian Imperial Forces XI at The Oval. He and Jack Crawford inflicted Kent's only defeat of the County Championship season at The Oval in a match which finished in pouring rain, in what was his benefit match. Surrey needed 96 to win with just 45 minutes of the match remaining, and Crawford and Hobbs got the runs in 32 minutes off 12.1 overs, Hobbs' share being 47 not out. The crowd carried Hobbs shoulder-high into the pavilion when victory was achieved. Hobbs scored 8 centuries and 14 half-centuries including a unique three centuries in one season for the Players against the Gentlemen. He held 10 catches and took 1 wicket with a best analysis of 1–11.

1920 English cricket season

Hobbs' 1920 season aggregate was 2,827 at 58.89 with a highest score of 215 against Essex at Leyton. He scored 4 centuries and 1 half-century and held 6 catches. He took no wickets from 84 deliveries and conceded 35 runs.

1921 English cricket season

Hobbs faced a life-threatening situation in 1921 when he developed an ulcerated appendix. He had already missed several matches due to a thigh injury and he played only six innings in the whole of that season.

Hobbs' 1921 season aggregate was 312 at 78.00 with a highest score of 172 not out against Yorkshire at Headingley. He scored 1 century and 1 half-century and held 1 catch. He did not bowl.

After he recovered from his illness and operation, Hobbs found that he had a tendency to tire much sooner than previously and he never had the same levels of energy or stamina again. He adapted his style to play a less adventurous game and, having formerly been noted for his front foot batting, "he now dominated the bowlers off the back foot".

1922 English cricket season

Hobbs' 1922 season aggregate was 2,552 at 62.24 with a highest score of 168 against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. He scored 10 centuries and 9 half-centuries and held 11 catches. He bowled only 6 overs and took 0–11.

1923 English cricket season

In 1923, Hobbs completed his one hundredth first-class century when he scored 116 not out against Somerset at Bath.

Hobbs' 1923 season aggregate was 2,087 at 37.95 with a highest score of 136 against Middlesex at The Oval. He scored 5 centuries and 8 half-centuries and held 11 catches. He did not bowl in 1923.

1924 English cricket season

Hobbs' 1924 season aggregate was 2,094 at 58.16 with a highest score of 211 for England against South Africa in the Second test at Lord's. He scored 6 centuries and 10 half-centuries and held 16 catches. He bowled 8 overs for 1 wicket and had a best analysis of 1–13.

1924–25 tour of Australia

Hobbs' tour aggregate was 865 at 54.06 with a highest score of 154 in the Second Test at Melbourne. He scored 3 centuries and 5 half-centuries but, although he played in 10 matches, he held no catches. He took no wickets from 64 deliveries (i.e., 8 eight-ball overs) and conceded 37 runs.

1925 English cricket season

The 1925 season was, statistically, the most significant of Hobbs' career. He exceeded 3,000 runs for the first time by scoring 3,024 and he completed 16 centuries, the latter an English season record until it was beaten by Denis Compton in 1947, with a highest score of 266 not out for the Players against the Gentlemen at North Marine Road Ground, Scarborough. Hobbs topped the national batting averages for the first time with 70.32. He also scored 5 half-centuries and held 8 catches. He took no wickets from 36 deliveries (i.e., 6 six-ball overs) and conceded 24 runs.

When he made 109 against Glamorgan at The Oval in May, he became the first batsman to score a century against each of 16 other County Championship teams.

In the Gentlemen v Players match at Scarborough in September, Hobbs captained the Players and carried his bat to score 266 not out, the highest score achieved in the history of the fixture.

But the most famous achievement by Hobbs in 1925 was the establishment of a new world record for the most centuries in a first-class career. The media had been following him for much of the season as his total approached W G Grace's record of 126. Hobbs came within one of the record when he scored 105 for Surrey against Kent at Rectory Field, Blackheath in July. A large crowd gathered at Hove for Surrey's next match against Sussex, along with increased media interest but Hobbs was out for just one in his only innings and the record continued to elude him in his next five matches against Kent, Gloucestershire, Nottinghamshire, Middlesex and Leicestershire.

This phase of Hobbs' career engendered "virtually the first instance of media pressure on cricket". It would become common in a few years with Don Bradman and bodyline but "for the moment it was new". Hobbs found himself the focus of interest of "a whole caravan of reporters, cameramen, photographers and feature writers" who "fell in behind him". Even Hobbs, a very placid man, was affected by it and he later told John Arlott that it "frayed his nerves". An example of the pressure was a national newspaper carrying the headline "Hobbs Fails Again" after he had scored 54 against the very strong Nottinghamshire attack.

Somerset v Surrey, 1925

Finally, when Surrey played against Somerset at Taunton, Hobbs equalled and then beat Grace's record by scoring two centuries in the match. Somerset won the toss and batted first, on Saturday, 14 August, but were all out for 167 by tea. Hobbs survived an early chance of dismissal and batted solidly through to the close with 91 not out, Surrey reaching 151–3 with Douglas Jardine the other not out batsman. Due to the arrival of a large crowd, play resumed 25 minutes late on Monday, 16 August.

At 11:37, Hobbs clipped a ball from Jimmy Bridges to leg and finally completed his record-equalling century. As the Somerset players shook his hand, the Surrey captain Percy Fender brought out a glass of ginger ale, with which Hobbs toasted the crowd. The drink was initially thought to be champagne, but Hobbs was a teetotaller.

Hobbs was out for 101 and Surrey scored 359, a first innings lead of 192. Somerset rallied in their second innings and reached 256–3 at close of play, largely due to a century by Jack MacBryan, giving them a lead of 64 with seven wickets standing and one day left. It was expected that the game would be drawn and attendance on the final day was normal with only newspaper reporter present. However, Somerset were all out for 374 and so Surrey needed 183 to win in reasonable time. Free from the media pressure, Hobbs drove his first delivery for four and, despite a couple of scares, completed his second century of the match two hours and twenty minutes later to claim the record outright. He made 101 not out in the final total of 183–0, Surrey winning by 10 wickets with Andrew Sandham scoring 74 not out. Sandham had deliberately slowed his scoring to give Hobbs more of the strike. Only one reporter, Morley Richards, was on the scene to record this. After selling the story to almost every national newspaper, he and his wife used the proceeds for a two-week holiday in Torquay.

Cricketer of the Year

As a result of his outstanding achievements in 1925, Hobbs was elected sole Cricketer of the Year by ''Wisden Cricketer's Almanack'' in its 1926 edition. Having already received the award in 1909, he became only the second player to be selected a second time and the third sole recipient.

Commercial value

In recognition of his celebrity, Hobbs received offers of several sponsorships and endorsements. He was even offered the lead role in a silent film "with a suitable leading lady", but he "backed hastily away".

He did agree to the making of ''The Life of Jack Hobbs'' by New Era Films for Charles Barnett of the UIC production company. The film began by showing a typed letter from Jack Hobbs detailing his agreement that UIC could produce a film dealing with incidents in his life and showing his batting technique in slow motion. He stated that it was the "only authentic film" of his career. The film included footage of him completing his first century against Somerset but not the second one. It can currently be viewed at the British Pathe website in four reels.

1926 English cricket season

Hobbs was given a second benefit by Surrey in 1926.

Hobbs achieved the highest score of his career when he made 316 not out for Surrey against Middlesex at Lord's on 29 and 30 August. This innings beat the 315 not out scored by Percy Holmes the previous season to set a Lord's ground record that stood for 64 years until it was overtaken by Graham Gooch in 1990. In all, Hobbs scored three double-centuries at Lord's.

Hobbs and Sutcliffe shared 11 century partnerships for the first wicket in Tests against Australia. One of the most famous of these occurred in the Fifth Test at The Oval in 1926. After four draws, the timeless Test would decide whether England would regain The Ashes. Australia had a narrow first innings lead of 22. Hobbs and Sutcliffe took the score to 49–0 at the end of the second day, a lead of 27. Heavy rain fell overnight and next day the pitch soon developed into a traditional sticky wicket. England seemed certain to be bowled out cheaply and lose the match. But, in spite of the very difficult batting conditions, Hobbs and Sutcliffe took their partnership to 172 before Hobbs was out for exactly 100. Sutcliffe went on to make 161 and in the end England won the game comfortably and regained The Ashes.

During this series, Hobbs passed the record for Test runs scored in Ashes contests, formerly held by Clem Hill. He went on to total 3,636 runs and 12 centuries against Australia, both records, and only Don Bradman has exceeded his totals in Ashes Tests.

Hobbs' 1926 season aggregate was 2,949 at 77.60 with a highest score of 316 not out against Middlesex at Lord's. He scored 10 centuries and 12 half-centuries and held 13 catches. He did not bowl in 1926.

1927 to 1930

1927 English cricket season

Hobbs' 1927 season aggregate was 1,641 at 52.93 with a highest score of 150 against Yorkshire at The Oval. He scored 7 centuries and 5 half-centuries and held 4 catches. He did not bowl in 1927.

1928 English cricket season

Hobbs' 1928 season aggregate was 2,542 at 82.00 (the highest season average of his career) with a highest score of 200 not out against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. He scored 12 centuries and 10 half-centuries and held 10 catches. He bowled only 2 overs and took 0–12.

1928–29 tour of Australia

Hobbs' tour aggregate was 962 at 56.58 with a highest score of 142 in the Fifth Test at Melbourne. He scored 2 centuries and 7 half-centuries and held 2 catches. He did not bowled on this tour.

1929 English cricket season

Hobbs' 1929 season aggregate was 2,263 at 66.55 with a highest score of 204 against Somerset at The Oval. He scored 10 centuries and 8 half-centuries and held 9 catches. He bowled only 5 overs and took 0–18.

1930 English cricket season

Hobbs played his final Test match in 1930, having played in 61 Tests since 1908.

Hobbs' 1930 season aggregate was 2,103 at 51.29 with a highest score of 146 not out for Surrey against the Australians at The Oval. He scored 5 centuries and 14 half-centuries and held 7 catches. He bowled only one over, a maiden, and that was the last time he bowled in a first-class match in England.

1930–31 visit to India and Ceylon

During the winter of 1930–31, Hobbs and Sutcliffe went on a private tour of India and Ceylon that was organised by the Maharajkumar of Vizianagram (popularly known as "Vizzy"). There is debate in some quarters about the status of matches played on this tour, which are not recognised as first-class by ''Wisden'' in contrast to certain other publications. The scores were printed in ''The Cricketer'' Spring Annual in 1932 and presented as first-class but escaped general notice at the time and were largely ignored until some statisticians took an interest in them in the 1970s. It is known that neither Hobbs nor Sutcliffe thought they were first-class matches; they regarded them as exhibition games arranged for Vizzy's personal entertainment. Nevertheless, Hobbs scored 571 runs and 2 centuries in the disputed matches, and additionally holding 5 catches and taking 1 wicket, and these figures have impacted his first-class statistical record with two versions in circulation.

1931 to 1934

1931 English cricket season

Hobbs' 1931 season aggregate was 2,418 at 56.23 with a highest score of 153 in a Scarborough Festival match for H D G Leveson Gower's XI against the touring New Zealanders. He scored 10 centuries and 7 half-centuries and held 8 catches.

1932 English cricket season

Hobbs scored his 16th hundred for the Players against the Gentlemen in 1932.

Against Essex at The Oval, he scored a hundred in each innings, for the sixth time in his career. In the second innings he and Bob Gregory had an unbroken partnership of 232 in 150 minutes to win the game by 9 wickets. This caused his captain, Douglas Jardine, to dub him "The Master". The nickname became permanently attached to him.

Hobbs' 1932 season aggregate was 1,764 at 56.90 with a highest score of 161 not out for the Players against the Gentlemen at Lord's. He scored 6 centuries and 3 half-centuries and held 5 catches.

1934 English cricket season

Hobbs retired after the 1934 season.

Hobbs' 1934 season aggregate was 624 at 36.70 with a highest score of 116 (his final first-class century) against Lancashire at Old Trafford. He scored 1 century and 4 half-centuries and held 2 catches.

Retirement

After retirement as a player, Hobbs continued to run his sports goods shop and also worked as a cricket journalist.

In 1953, Hobbs became the second professional cricketer, after Don Bradman, to receive a knighthood for his services to the sport as a player (two cricket administrators had also previously been knighted).

Hobbs published four books during or just after his career, between 1912 and 1935. See list in "Additional reading" below.

Style and technique

Approach to cricket

Hobbs was a paradox in terms of his character and personality ''vis-à-vis'' his status as a world-class professional sportsman. He was seen as "a gentle, kindly family man, without an enemy in the world", who just happened to play an extremely difficult game "rather better than anyone else around". In tributes to Hobbs, Herbert Sutcliffe said he was "a man of the highest integrity who believed in sportmanship in the highest sense: teamwork, fair-play and clean-living"; and Percy Fender said he was "the most charming and modest man that anyone could meet".

However, Hobbs was noted for his mischievous sense of humour. Andy Sandham referred to this in Hobbs' ''Wisden'' obituary when he said: "Despite all the fuss and adulation made of him, he was surprisingly modest and had a great sense of humour". George Duckworth said that Hobbs was "always a boyish chap at heart (and) remained a great leg-puller". In 1934, when aged 51, Hobbs promised to come up to Old Trafford and play in Duckworth's benefit match. Duckworth recalled: "despite bitterly cold weather, he hit the last first-class century of his career and told me he got it to keep warm!" John Arlott recounted that Hobbs "had a great reputation as a practical joker". For example, Hobbs noticed that Percy Chapman kept a ginger beer bottle in his kit bag which contained not water but gin and tonic, so he substituted water. Chapman started to drink this when he returned to the dressing room from a long session in the field and, after the initial surprise, immediately declared that Hobbs was the culprit while his team mates laughed.

Batting

''As we were taking the field against the M.C.C. our captain Herbie Collins said "You must all be on your toes out here today. We'll be facing 'The Master'" I had no idea who "The Master" was so I asked Arthur Mailey. Arthur replied, "'The Master's' Jack Hobbs and you'll soon see why." I did. He tapped the ball here, there and everywhere and had us all running around in circles as if he were the ring-master of a circus and we his obedient and bewildered slaves.' :Hal Hooker

Harry Altham, who watched Hobbs' first-class debut on a "bitterly cold" day on Easter Monday 1905, asserted that Hobbs was, "except in experience, at his greatest" before the First World War. As he got older, Hobbs had "inevitably to forgo some of his early brilliance, but he never lost stature in the process, never became a mere technician, but remained a great artist". Altham believed that Hobbs, despite the statistical evidence to the contrary, "was never very much concerned with the mere amassing of runs but rather with the art of batsmanship and the challenge of a situation". That challenge might be a great occasion, a difficult wicket or a formidable bowler; or a combination of the three as when he and Sutcliffe faced Australia on those sticky wickets. The result was that Hobbs' "stature stood revealed beyond question as that of the greatest English batsman since W G Grace". Given that Altham wrote this in his 1962 edition, he effectively stated that Hobbs was a greater batsman than Sutcliffe, Hammond, Hutton, Compton, May, Graveney, ''et al''. Altham added that although Hobbs was "great in technical resource, of course", it was "in the ease and beauty of style" that his greatness was reflected and, above all, "in that serenity which was the reflection of the man himself".

In addition to his artistic stature and statistical achievements, Hobbs was noted for his consistency. For example, in Test cricket he was dismissed for a single-figure score only 12 times out of 95 total dismissals. This compares favourably with any other batsman including Bradman (14/70) and Walter Hammond (24/124).

It has often been remarked that Hobbs' career was "divided into two periods", delimited by the First World War, "each different from the other in style and tempo". Before the war, he was "Trumperesque" with a style that was "quick to the attack on springing feet" with "strokes all over the field (that were especially) executed at the wrists". After the war, Hobbs was approaching his forties and considered a veteran in cricket terms, so he adapted his style to save his energy and thereby "ripened into a classic". His style became "as serenely poised as any ever witnessed on a cricket field". Hobbs once said that he "would wish to be remembered for the way he batted before 1914". Others protested that he "got bags of runs after 1919" to which Hobbs modestly replied that "they were nearly all made off the back foot".

Among tributes paid to Hobbs after his death in 1963, Wilfred Rhodes called him "the greatest batsman of my time". Rhodes said: "I learned a lot from him when we went in first together for England"; and, commenting on Hobbs' technique, "the position of his feet as he met the ball was always perfect". Herbert Sutcliffe said that Hobbs was "the most brilliant exponent of all time, and quite the best batsman of my generation on all types of wickets". Andy Sandham agreed with Sutcliffe's view by saying: "Jack was the finest batsman in my experience on all sorts of wickets, especially the bad ones". Percy Fender went further and summarised Hobbs as "the greatest batsman the world has ever known, not merely in his generation but any generation".

Bowling and fielding

Hobbs generally fielded at cover point and has been described as "brilliant, lurking at cover with deceptive casualness to trap the unwary". On the 1911–12 tour, he ran out 15 opponents.

The partnership of Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe, opening the innings together for England from 1924 to 1930, is the most famous in cricket history.

''Hobbs is undoubtedly the sauciest run-stealer in the world today. In Sutcliffe, he has found the ideal partner in the felony, for the Yorkshireman unhesitatingly responds to his calls, showing absolute confidence in Hobbs' judgement.''

England wicket-keeper Les Ames, himself a top-class batsman, commented on their running together between the wickets by emphasising the placement of the stroke, which was so correct that they could "just play and run". Ames said they were not fast runners and that "Herbert only strolled".

Sutcliffe readily acknowledged his debt to his "influential guide" by naming his eldest son after him and writing, in a booklet published in 1927, that he doubted if Hobbs had an equal and that, as a batsman, "he stands alone (and is) the best I have ever seen". Sutcliffe expressed the view that if W G Grace was as good as Jack Hobbs, "then he must have been wonderful". He said that Hobbs' earliest advice to him had been simply: "Play your own game". Sutcliffe commented: "Four words – they counted for so much. They told me all I wanted to know".

Ian Peebles wrote that Hobbs' association with Sutcliffe "is judged, by results and all-round efficiency in all conditions", the greatest of all first-wicket partnerships and "will probably never be excelled". Peebles said that there lay between the two an "extraordinary understanding, manifested in their perfect and unhesitating judgment of the short single".

The last Test match in which Hobbs and Sutcliffe played together was the final one at The Oval, Hobbs' home ground, in the 1930 series against Australia. But the partnership was revived at the 1931 Scarborough Festival when they produced two double-century stands, first for the Players against the Gentlemen and then for H D G Leveson-Gower's XI against the New Zealand tourists. Their last partnership was for the Players at Lord's in 1932, an innings in which Hobbs carried his bat for 161 not out. Hobbs' biographer Ronald Mason summarised the association of Hobbs and Sutcliffe thus:

''Behind them were nine years of wonderful attainment, 26 opening partnerships of 100 or more; a legendary technique and repute unequalled by any other pair; the lean, active quizzical Hobbs and the neat, wiry imperturbable Sutcliffe, who set a standard that can serve as a guide, but defied all attempts at emulation.''

Hobbs and Sutcliffe made 15 century opening partnerships for England in Test matches, including 11 against Australia, and 11 in other first-class matches.

Personal and business life

Hobbs married Ada Ellen Gates of Cambridge in September 1906 and their first son, Jack junior, was born in July 1907. The couple had three more children: Leonard, Ivan and Vera.

Sir Jack Hobbs died at Hove in 1963. He is buried at Hove Cemetery.

Honours and legacy

Hobbs was voted one of the five ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year in 1909. He was also named as the sole winner in 1926, the third and last time that ''Wisden'' has given the award to a single recipient. Hobbs is one of only two cricketers named twice as a ''Cricketer of the Year'', the other being Pelham Warner who was the sole recipient in 1921.

Hobbs has often been included in "all-time teams" selected by individuals but his most notable honours in this sense have paid by ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'' and the International Cricket Council. In the 1963 edition of ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', Hobbs was selected by Neville Cardus as one the Six Giants of the Wisden Century. This was a special commemorative selection requested by Wisden for its 100th edition. The other five players chosen were Sydney Barnes, Don Bradman, W G Grace, Tom Richardson and Victor Trumper. ''Wisden'' paid a further honour to Hobbs in 2000 when its selection panel voted him the third of five ''Wisden Cricketers of the Century''. Hobbs received 30 out of 100 votes and was behind only Don Bradman (100 votes) and Gary Sobers (90), making him the top ranked opening batsman and leading Englishman. On 23 August 2009, Jack Hobbs was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

In 1930, Hobbs opened the "Hobbs Pavilion" (now a restaurant) on Parker's Piece in his native Cambridge.

A commemorative gateway, named the "Hobbs Gates" in his honour, was erected at The Oval in 1934, his final season in first-class cricket. He formally retired the following winter and Surrey CCC responded by making him an honorary life member of the club.

In 1953, John Arlott and others founded "The Master's Club", which grew out of the enjoyment that Hobbs had in sharing a bottle of champagne with his friends. As Arlott recounted, the club had "only one rule which was that Sir Jack Hobbs was its perpetual guest of honour". There was "no subscription, no officers, no speeches" and the only toast was to "The Master". Although lunches were occasionally held during Test matches being played in London, there was only one fixed occasion and that was on 16 December each year: Hobbs' birthday. The menu for the birthday lunch was invariably "Hobbs' favourite meal of soup, roast beef and baked potatoes, apple pie and cream, cheese and celery". Guests at these occasions have included many of the most famous names in cricket: e.g., Don Bradman, Learie Constantine and Herbert Sutcliffe.

Career statistics

There has been controversy in some quarters over the exact number of first-class hundreds scored by Hobbs, with totals of 197 and 199 both being quoted. The two disputed hundreds were scored on the 1930–31 visit to Ceylon by the Maharajkumar of Vizianagram's team, which also included Herbert Sutcliffe. ''Wisden'' and ''Playfair'' has never recognised these two extra centuries as first-class but other publications, such as ''CricketArchive'', have included them.

Regardless of which version is correct, Hobbs scored more first-class runs and centuries than any other batsman, the totals being 61,237 runs and 197 centuries according to ''Wisden'' and ''Playfair''; or 61,760 runs and 199 centuries according to ''CricketArchive''. This was despite a "late start" in that he was 22 when he made his first-class debut, a four-year interruption to his career due to the First World War and missing most of the 1921 season due to injury and appendicitis. It is reasonable to speculate that if he had not missed those five seasons and any overseas tours that were lost to the war, his career total would have exceeded 70,000 runs. The second highest runscorer is Frank Woolley with 58,969 and the second highest total of centuries is 170 by Patsy Hendren.

According to ''CricketArchive's'' records, Hobbs played in 881 matches and had 1,380 innings. A summary of each innings can be seen on the site.

Hobbs scored over 1,000 runs in an English season 24 times, which is the 5th highest total behind W G Grace and Frank Woolley (28 each), Phil Mead (27) and Willie Quaife (25). He also scored 1,000 runs on the 1909–10 and 1913–14 tours of South Africa.

In his whole first-class career, Hobbs scored 0 (zero) 42 times, representing 3.17% of his total innings. This contrasts with his 199 centuries which represent 15.02% of his innings. The bowlers who dismissed Hobbs for 0 on the most occasions were Ernie Robson and Thomas Wass (three times each). Johnny Douglas (25) and Colin Blythe (17) took Hobbs' wicket the most times (all scores).

Footnotes

• a) Note that there are different versions of Hobbs' first-class career totals. See Variations in first-class cricket statistics for more information.

References

Bibliography

H S Altham, ''A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914)'', George Allen & Unwin, 1962

John Arlott, ''Jack Hobbs – Profile of "The Master"'', Penguin, 1982.

''Barclays World of Cricket'', 3rd edition (ed. E W Swanton), Willow Books, 1986. Article on Jack Hobbs written by H S Altham. See also the article on Herbert Sutcliffe by Ian Peebles.

Derek Birley, ''A Social History of English Cricket'', Aurum, 1999

David Frith, ''The Golden Age of Cricket 1890–1914'', Lutterworth, 1978

Alan Hill, ''Herbert Sutcliffe: Cricket Maestro'', Stadia, 2007 (2nd edition)

Jerry Lodge, ''Jack Hobbs – His Record Innings-By-Innings'', ACS Publications, 2001

Ronald Mason, ''Jack Hobbs – A Portrait of an Artist as a Great Batsman'', Hollis & Carter, 1960

Judy Middleton, ''The Encyclopaedia of Hove & Portslade'', Brighton & Hove Libraries, 2003

Pelham Warner, ''Lords: 1787–1945'', Harrap, 1946

Roy Webber, ''The Playfair Book of Cricket Records'', Playfair Books, 1951

Playfair Cricket Annual – 1948 to present

Wisden Cricketers Almanack – 1864 to present

Additional reading

Jack Hobbs, ''Recovering The Ashes'', Pitman, 1912

Jack Hobbs, ''My Cricket Memories'', Heinemann, 1924

Jack Hobbs, ''Playing for England'', Gollancz, 1931

Jack Hobbs, ''My Life Story'', ''The Star'', 1935

External links

Wisden Archive 1964 – Jack Hobbs' Obituary

Category:1882 births Category:1963 deaths Category:English cricketers of 1890 to 1918 Category:English cricketers of 1919 to 1945 Category:England Test cricketers Category:English cricketers Category:Surrey cricketers Category:Royal Air Force cricketers Category:Wisden Cricketers of the Year Category:Wisden Leading Cricketers in the World Category:Cricket players and officials awarded knighthoods Category:Knights Bachelor Category:People from Cambridgeshire Category:People from Cambridge Category:International Cricket Council Hall of Fame inductees Category:British Army personnel of World War I Category:Cambridgeshire cricketers Category:MCC cricketers Category:North v South cricketers Category:Players cricketers

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