Lives in Cricket No 1 - Allan Watkins

scorer’s box. The chosen side was woefully short of bowlers. It read: A.H.Dyson, D.E.Davies, T.L.Brierley, M.J.L.Turnbull, D.Davies, C.C.Smart, E.C.Jones, P.B.Clift, H.D.Davies, A.J.Watkins, J.Mercer. Barely three weeks past his seventeenth birthday, Allan was chosen to make his first-class debut. Although primarily a batsman, he would, remarkably, be opening the bowling with his left-arm medium pacers. The match was against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, and Allan’s great mate Phil Clift would be with him. In later life John Arlott would dub them ‘The Two Gentlemen of Usk,’ but to the Glamorgan dressing room that day they were Laddie and Nodder. “I was called Nodder,” Allan explains, “because I had long hair that used to come down in front of my face. And of course every time I batted I used to be flipping it back.” One who was determined to see his protégés in action was George Lavis. Now playing as a professional with Forfar, he scored a century and took five wickets in Saturday’s match for his club before embarking on a seven hour journey to Nottingham to see the second day of Glamorgan’s match. By the time Lavis set off, the makeshift Glamorgan attack had been put to the sword. On a pitch made for batting, the new ball had been entrusted to 44-year-old Jack Mercer, one of the game’s great characters. Opposing him was another notorious joker, Charlie Harris. When the second over began Harris had retained the strike. It was a moment for Allan to grab the headlines, at least in his local press, the South Wales Argus proclaiming: ‘USK BOY OPENS GLAMORGAN’S BOWLING. How Watkins Began His First Big Match.’ Allan started well, but his success was short-lived. ‘The youngster’s first over to Harris revealed an ability to make the ball swing and was a maiden, but after that he lost his length.’ With Harris soon hitting him for three fours, Allan was not alone in struggling to contain the Notts batsmen, who ‘could hardly help scoring at 80 an hour.’ George Gunn made 119 while Harris, Heane, Hardstaff and Voce all passed fifty, enabling a declaration at the Early Days at Usk 15 George Lavis