County Championship 13th (W6, D12, L8)
Captain George Heane
The simple fact of being able to stage County Cricket again after so many lost seasons would make 1946 a memorable summer, but, as the Committee acknowledged ‘the first post-war cricket season has been disappointing, but it has had many encouraging features.’
The Club played 26 matches, winning 6, losing 8, drawing 12 and finished 13th in the County Championship.
Of the matches won, all but the first game of the season – a home win against Kent – came in a burst of mid-season form. In July, Notts won six and drew one of seven consecutive matches; thereafter, disappointingly, their form collapsed and no further wins were secured.
The highlight of the win over Kent was a debut hundred for Freddie Stocks, who made 114 and rescued Notts from a perilous 65-5 to a respectable 341and a handy first innings lead.
Les Todd and Bryan Valentine each made centuries when Kent batted a second time but 160 from Walter Keeton saw the home side run out victors by three wickets.
Gloucestershire were the next visitors to Trent Bridge and won a low-scoring game by the comfortable margin of eight wickets. Isiah Smithurst played his one and only match for Notts, making 0 and 1 and not taking a wicket – he was perhaps a little unfortunate that he debuted in such a poor game.
A drab draw followed versus Somerset and rain ensured that the match against Middlesex had a similar result.
Kent took their revenge for the opening game with a 233-run win at Gillingham. Valentine continued to show his liking for the Notts bowling, scoring 95 and 144. Spinners Doug Wright and Ray Dovey dismissed Notts for just 76 in their first innings, Wright finishing with 10-99 in the match.
Three successive matches at Trent Bridge were then drawn – including the fixture against the Indian tourists. Rain was the main factor, shortening the first two matches.
Nottinghamshire followed this trio with a more dismal set of three – losing to Yorkshire, Lancashire and Middlesex. The rare incident of note was that in the Lancashire game, Freddie Stocks had Winston Place caught by keeper Eric Meads with his first ball in County Cricket – thus becoming the first – and so far the only – played to score a hundred on debut and take a wicket first ball!
The batting came good in the draw against Gloucestershire at Bristol – half centuries by Harris, Reddick and Harry Winrow supported 113 by Joe Hardstaff to enable Notts to post 467 all out. They were answered by a century from Charlie Barnett and an unbeaten double hundred from Wally Hammond.
Reg Simpson made his county debut in the drawn match at Trent Bridge versus Somerset (he had played First-Class cricket in India whilst in the armed services). In this fixture he was overshadowed by Keeton, who made 154, and George Heane who made 103.
The rest of July and August saw a sudden upsurge in form as Nottinghamshire beat Worcestershire, Hampshire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire (twice – at Trent Bridge and at Edgbaston) and drew with Derbyshire.
George Heane’s 134 (his third ton of the summer) and exactly 100 for Stocks saw Notts to 489 all out – the highest total of their season. With Worcester making 222 and 262, Notts had their only innings victory of the campaign.
A much closer game against Hampshire was won by just one wicket; Northants, forced to follow on, lost by seven wickets, Keeton with another big score, 123.
Warwickshire were beaten by the same margin in a low scoring game at Edgbaston and, remarkably, lost by seven wickets (again!) at Trent Bridge. Reg Simpson was the hero in this match, making 201 – the first of his eight double hundreds – though he made just one in the second innings.
In between the two Warwickshire games, Notts went to Ilkeston to play Derbyshire. Bill Voce, who had not made great impact with the ball, chipped in with what was at that point a career-high 114 and thus inspired took 5-92 when the home side batted.
That seven wicket margin appeared again in the game against Surrey at The Oval but this time Notts were the losers. Tom Barling’s 233 and 164 from Bob Gregory took the hosts to 525 all out. Notts replied with 297 and, following on, 270, leaving Surrey to ‘chase’ just 43.
Worcestershire won their return fixture by 49 runs and there followed four consecutive draws. Rain yet again curtailed the match versus Lancashire and though all four innings were started against Essex, time ran out with neither side clearly on top.
Pat Vaulkhard, who had one season with Notts in 1934, made 264 and keeper Dennis Smith 146 as Derbyshire reached 529; Nottinghamshire made 265 and were asked to follow on before time and weather intervened to ensure yet another drawn game.
Another match reduced by rain to a draw was the away meeting with Glamorgan at Ebbw Vale, a game notable only for Reg Simpson passing 1000 runs for the season for the first time in his career.
Leicestershire beat Notts by 129 runs at Trent Bridge and the season ended with the twelfth draw of the summer, at home to Yorkshire. Almost the whole of the third and final day was lost – a damp and disappointing end to one of the great cricketing careers – this was Maurice Leyland’s final County Championship game.
Walter Keeton stood out head and shoulders above the other batters for Nottinghamshire. Not only did he make over 2,000 runs in First-Class cricket (a notable feat in such wet weather), but he made them with a brilliancy and speed which delighted all who saw him.
Chris Harris reached just over 1,000 championship runs and skipper George Heane and debutant Tom Reddick only just missed doing so. Reddick incidentally had played two First-Class games for Middlesex in 1931 but his county cricket career really kicked off with Notts in 1946.
Harold Butler bowled well at times, but Malaria, which he contracted on active service in the Far East, and strains, handicapped him. Arthur Jepson bore the brunt of the attack in most stout-hearted fashion, and his figures would have been better had he been supported by more efficient fielding.
Bill Voce was only available for a few matches, having not played First-Class cricket since 1939, and did not have time to get into his old form – save that game against Derbyshire.
The Committee were at pains to remind members that ‘thousands of pounds expenditure is required to restore the stands, seating and equipment at Trent Bridge to pre-war condition when permitted.’
There was, they added, ‘gratifying support from members of the public when the weather permitted. There is little doubt that had the summer of 1946 been normal we should have had an increase in membership and attendances which would have improved our finances.
‘Recently, the pay of all staff has been increased to bring it more into line with present conditions. The continued support of all cricket lovers is therefore more essential than ever if we are to hold our own as a First-Class county.’
December 2025
Scorecards and stats can be seen here