Hooper goes full circle in English cricket

When former West Indies captain Carl Hooper scored a century against Middlesex at Old Trafford earlier this year he became only the second batsman to score a hundred against all 18 English counties.

This feat follows Surrey’s Mark Ramprakash, also of Guyanese parentage, who reached the milestone earlier in the summer. Hooper started playing English County cricket in 1992 and is expected to return in 2004. At the beginning of July, Hooper’s Lancaster team mate Stuart Law fell short by 20 runs against Essex of completing his own set of hundreds against each county. Both players, along with Ramprakash, have played for two counties enabling them to complete the full set.

Hooper was a late replacement at Lancashire for the injured Harbhajan Singh, after the stylish Guyanese batsman declined selection for the West Indies team in the series against Australia. Many still believe that with Hooper in the team, the result of that series, a 1-3 defeat to Australia, would have been very different.
 
Hooper’s list of centuries against each county.
 
V Derbyshire  103 for Kent, Derby 1996
V Durham 115 for Kent, Canterbury 1992
V Essex 142 for Kent, Maidstone 1993
V Glamorgan 100 for Kent, Swansea 1992
V Gloucs 111 for Kent, Bristol 1998
V Hampshire 138 for Kent, Canterbury 1994
V Kent 128 for Lancs, Blackpool 2003
V Lancashire 166 for Kent, Lytham 1993
V Leics 117 for Lancs, Leicester 2003
V Middlesex 201 for Lancs, Old Trafford 2003
V Northants 157for Kent, Northampton 1998
V Notts 122 for Kent, Canterbury 1998
V Somerset 127 for Kent, Canterbury 1994
V Surrey 131 for Kent, Guildford 1992
V Sussex 121 for Kent, Hove 1992
V Warwicks 102 for Kent, Edgbaston 1992
V Worcs 154 for Kent, Canterbury 1998
V Yorkshire 183 for Kent, Maidstone 1994