Jon Hardy

Jonathan James Ean Hardy (born 2 October 1960) is a Kenyan born former English cricketer. A left-handed batsman, Hardy played first-class and one-day cricket in England for Hampshire, Somerset, and Gloucestershire, as well as in South Africa for Western Province. He later played minor counties cricket for Dorset. In a career that spanned from 1983 to 1999, Hardy made around 140 appearances in both first-class and one-day cricket, scoring 6,120 and 2,798 runs in each respectively. He is the founder of the cricket helmet manufacturer Masuri, one of the leading providers of helmets to international cricketers.

Cricket career Hampshire Jonathan James Ean Hardy was born on 2 October 1960 in Nakuru in Kenya Colony. He spent the first thirteen years of his life in Kenya, before coming to England to attend Canford School. He joined the staff at Hampshire in 1980 and made his senior debut three years later in a List A one-day match against Leicestershire in the 1983 John Player Special League. His first-class debut came the following season against Cambridge University at Fenner's. He established himself in the team in 1984, making 12 appearances in the County Championship and ten in one-day cricket. including an unbeaten 94 runs on his Championship debut against Somerset. In one-day cricket, he scored 140 runs at an average of exactly 20, making one fifty. Following the season, Derbyshire attempted to sign Hardy, but he decided to stay at Hampshire for the 1985 season.

The following season, he made 16 first-class appearances, with 14 in the County Championship; Seeking regular first team cricket, Hardy left Hampshire at the end of the season and joined Somerset on a two-year contract, having rejected an approach from Sussex. When at Hampshire, he played club cricket for Lymington in the New Forest.

Somerset At the beginning of his contract with Somerset, their chairman Brian Langford considered Hardy to be a potential future captain of the county. In the 1986 season, he made 19 first-class and 15 one-day appearances. Hardy was awarded his county cap by Somerset at the end of the season. He coached in South Africa during the winter, as he had one in previous seasons. In one-day cricket, he made 486 runs at an average of 28.58; Hardy spent the winter coaching in South Africa, making one first-class for Western Province B and 15 one-day appearances for the Western Province first team;

Despite the International Cricket Conference imposing a three-year international ban on players that participated in cricket in South Africa in response to the apartheid system there, Hardy returned to South Africa following the 1989 season, with the ban having no impact on him as a non-international player. There, he made eight first-class and three one-day appearances for Western Province. He had started the season well, but a persisent back injury and a loss of form led him to be dropped from the side in June, with Somerset releasing him in August alongside Jon Atkinson and Trevor Gard.

Gloucestershire and Dorset A month after his release, Hardy signed a two-year contract with Gloucestershire. He spent the winter in South Africa, playing two first-class and nine one-day matches, During the season, he made ten appearances in the 1991 County Championship and 12 one-day appearances. After retiring, Hardy coached at Canford School, rejoined Lymington, and represented the Hampshire Cricket Association in minor matches early in the 1992 season. He began playing minor counties cricket for Dorset in 1992, making nine appearances in the Minor Counties Championship, scoring 331 runs and making one century. He also played for Dorset in their NatWest Trophy defeat to Hampshire.

After Hardy's batting average dropped to 20.88 in the 1994 Minor Counties Championship, it recovered the following season, with Hardy averaging 49.50. Hardy was appointed Dorset captain prior to the 1996 season. He scored his second minor counties century in 1996, making 107 runs against Berkshire, and scored 560 runs at an average of 37.33 from nine Minor Counties Championship matches in 1996. The following season, he scored 693 runs at an average of 53.30 from nine matches, making two centuries.

Playing style and statistics A tall, hard-hitting left-handed batsman, Hardy made 142 first-class and 139 one-day appearances. He scored over 1,000 first-class runs for both Hampshire and Somerset. In 25 matches for the former, he scored 1,255 runs at an average of 35.85, while for the latter he scored 3,675 runs at an average of 27.63 from 87 matches, making 24 half-centuries and one century. In one-day cricket, he scored 2,798 runs at an average of 24.76, making centuries and 13 half-centuries. Across both formats, he took 116 catches. He also made 13 appearances in the MCCA Knockout Trophy (the minor counties one-day competition), scoring 558 runs at an average of 55.80, making one century and four half-centuries.

Business career Hardy founded the cricket helmet manufacturer Masuri in Cape Town in 1987, with his helmet designs becoming the leading standard for international cricketers. By the late 1990s, he was in partnership with Robin Smith.