Lives in Cricket No 14 - Jack Bond

Gillette success had started with comfortable wins over Somerset at Taunton and Worcestershire at New Road, but the Somerset game brought Jack an unusual scare. The match had started on a Saturday, but 42 overs into the Somerset innings, rain had forced play to be abandoned until the Monday. While the Somerset team had to travel for their Sunday league match to Ilkeston, Lancashire languished in their hotel with no game. That evening Jack set a 10.30 curfew and he was sitting in the hotel when a policeman arrived with a grave expression, looking for a Mr Jack Bond, captain of Lancashire. ‘I said, “I’m Jack Bond. What’s the problem?” He said, “I’ve got two of your players outside.” I knew who it was going to be – Harry Pilling and John Sullivan. I thought, what have they been up to now? He said, “We’ve caught them urinating down a side street. We’re going to have to lock them up and put them in front of the magistrates in the morning.” I said, “You can’t do that. We’re halfway through a Gillette Cup match.” He said, “Well I’m sorry, but that’s what’s got to happen.” The policeman set off for the door, and the next thing John and Harry came running in. They’d put the copper up to it. It had frightened the life out of me!’ The third-round match, against Essex at Chelmsford, was a closer run affair. There could hardly have been a worse start for Lancashire after Jack had chosen to bat and then seen Wood, David Lloyd and Pilling all dismissed for just 16. Clive Lloyd, already Man ‘A great catch to end a great innings’ 99 Sir Neville Cardus (left) with John Savage, Jack and Bert Flack, groundsman at Old Trafford, 1971.