Len Hutton

Who was Len Hutton?

Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire and England before and after the Second World War as an opening batsman. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack described him as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He set a record in 1938 for the highest individual innings in a Test match in only his sixth Test appearance, scoring 364 runs against Australia, a milestone that stood for nearly 20 years. In 1952, he became the first professional cricketer of the 20th Century to captain England in Tests; under his captaincy England won the Ashes the following year for the first time in 19 years. Following the war, he was the mainstay of England's batting, and the team depended greatly on his success.

Marked out as a potential star from his teenage years, Hutton made his debut for Yorkshire in 1934 and quickly established himself at county level. By 1937, he was playing for England and when the war interrupted his career in 1939, critics regarded him as one of the leading batsmen in the country, and even the world. However, during the war, he received a serious injury to his arm while taking part in a commando training course.