John Human Explained

John Human
Fullname:John Hanbury Human
Birth Date:16 January 1912
Birth Place:Gosforth, Northumberland, England
Death Place:Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Family:Roger Human (brother)
Sir Samuel Walder (father-in-law)
Batting:Right-handed
Bowling:Right-arm leg-spin
Club1:Cambridge University
Year1:1932 to 1934
Club2:Middlesex
Year2:1935 to 1938
Columns:1
Column1:First-class
Matches1:105
Runs1:5246
Bat Avg1:35.68
100S/50S1:15/21
Top Score1:158
Deliveries1:4236
Wickets1:73
Bowl Avg1:34.21
Fivefor1:3
Tenfor1:0
Best Bowling1:7/119
Catches/Stumpings1:67/–
Date:4 May 2020
Source:https://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/15040.html Cricinfo

John Hanbury Human (16 January 1912 – 22 July 1991) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket in the 1930s before moving to Australia.

Cricket career

John Human was educated at Repton and Clare College, Cambridge.[1] He toured twice with the MCC and was considered unlucky not to be capped by England. He toured India in 1933-34 while still an undergraduate, but could not force his way into a strong batting side. He toured Australia and New Zealand under Errol Holmes in 1935–36 and played in each of the four unofficial Tests in New Zealand.

He played in 49 first-class matches for Middlesex, scoring 1,703 runs, with three hundreds, the highest being his 144 at the Oval in 1935, when he and Hendren added 285 in 210 minutes. That was the year of the "leather-jackets" at Lord's, when crane fly larvae ate much of the grass on the pitch, and also of a change in the LBW law. Most of the Middlesex batsmen were out of form, only Human and Hendren scoring hundreds.

Human was a tall and powerful batsman; Terence Prittie wrote that "his driving stands out in an era when the development of back-play and leg-side technique has put forward play at a discount". He also bowled leg-spin and was a sprightly field.

Later life

Human settled in Sydney and married Mollie Walder (daughter of Sir Samuel Walder, the Lord Mayor),[2] whom he had met on the boat to Australia for the 1935–36 tour.[3] He served in the Australian Army in World War II with the rank of major.[4] After the war he entered a business career. He also broadcast frequently on cricket.

His older brother Roger Human played 59 first-class matches in the 1930s.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: CUCC Captains . Cambridge University Cricket Club.
  2. News: Engagement Announced . The Sydney Morning Herald . 16 November 1936 . 3.
  3. Errol Holmes, Flannelled Foolishness, Hollis & Carter, London, 1957, p. 113.
  4. Web site: Human, John Hanbury . Department of Veterans' Affairs . 4 May 2020.