His nickname, "Ranji", came from his dark complexion, and is a reference to the famous Indian England test cricketer K S Ranjitsinhji.

While a student of dentistry at the University of Pennsylvania, he toured England in 1908 and Jamaica in 1908-09 with the Philadelphian cricket team.

After picking up 43 wickets in six matches in the 1910–11 season, he convinced the Australian selectors to follow Bardsley's lead.

[5] Hordern's priority in life was his medical career,[6] and he would for this reason miss most of New South Wales’ Sheffield Shield matches in 1911–12.

[9] During the winter, Hordern had already declared himself unavailable for the tour to England in 1912, due both to his medical duties and to his budding marriage to Norah White.