All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

161 Jack Mercer Lavis who juggled with the ball before completing the catch, to everybody’s relief, especially that of Emrys Davies who had been deliberately bowling wide of the stumps at the other end. Human, the only batsman who really mastered Mercer, had batted 100 minutes for his undefeated 59. Sadly he was to lose his life on active service in India just over six years later. Among the many congratulatory telegrams Mercer received was one from Arthur Gilligan, his former touring captain. Mercer’s previous best figures had been nine for 24 for Wales against Scotland on the spacious North Inch, beside the River Tay at Perth in 1923. The previous Glamorgan record, Johnnie Clay’s nine for 54 against Northants, had lasted just a year. Mercer, who bowled unchanged, is still the only bowler to have taken all-ten for Glamorgan. Since then eight bowlers have fallen one wicket short of repeating the feat (including Clay, Mike Kasprowicz, Len Muncer and Don Shepherd who all ‘failed’ twice). Left-armers Jim Pressdee and Malcolm Nash might have completed a full house if it hadn’t been for a run-out, whilst off-spinner Muncer, having taken the first eight wickets, caught the ninth batsman. Remarkably, Pressdee and Shepherd performed the nine-for feat in the same match, and Kasprowicz did it twice in 2003, each time against Durham. Worcestershire had a good attack and bowled Glamorgan out for 151 on the second day. The wickets were shared by Dick Howorth, Reg Perks, Peter Jackson and Sid Martin (uncle of the great South African spinner Hugh Tayfield), all of whom would take over 100 first-class wickets the following season. At 65 for seven it might have been worse, but the tail wagged, including a dozen from Mercer, and Glamorgan ended with a lead of eight. Heavy rain over Thursday night prevented play on the final day until mid-afternoon. Worcestershire batted on for an hour and then declared at tea leaving Glamorgan 95 minutes to make 156 to win. They had a go, even promoting Mercer, a useful tailend hitter, to number four. However he was bowled by Martin for just one and the chase was given up soon afterwards. Having taken ten wickets in his previous match, and then an all-ten, Mercer was on a roll. In his next match, at Swansea against the Indian tourists, he took a first-innings seven for 48, Glamorgan beating the visitors by an innings in two days. Openers Vijay Merchant and Mushtaq Ali had just put on 203 against England at Old Trafford. This time their partnership lasted no longer than Mercer’s second over. Fittingly 1936 was Mercer’s benefit year. However attendances at his given match, the Bank Holiday fixture with Sir Julien Cahn’s XI, were affected by poor weather and his benefit yielded only £729. Mercer played regularly for Glamorgan until his last game in 1939, but even then his first-class career had not finished. After the War, spent working in intelligence, he joined Northamptonshire as coach and when his new county had injury problems turned out for them at Southampton in June 1947 taking two for 100 in 26 overs. Not bad for a 54-year-old! He finally finished with 1,591 first-class wickets. Mercer would eventually spend 36 years with Northants, becoming scorer after nearly two decades of coaching. He was even still scoring for the Seconds at the age of 90.