Lives in Cricket No 14 - Jack Bond

for Lancashire, for whom only Sullivan and David Lloyd, in the traditional words of Wisden , ‘showed the necessary soundness.’ Losing wickets like gamblers on state benefit, they finished on 67 for seven. Defeat now meant a two-week wait for the season’s final round of matches, when victory against Glamorgan would secure the title. Meanwhile, there had been a belated upturn of fortunes in the Championship. At Bournemouth Jack’s well-timed declaration, setting Hampshire 217 in two and a half hours, brought victory by 14 runs with ten balls remaining. The batsmen then chased down a target of 245 in two and three quarter hours to beat Derbyshire by four wickets at Old Trafford. The last championship game, played around the fateful John Player match at Old Trafford, brought an innings defeat of Worcestershire, whose batting folded first to Shuttleworth and then to the spinners, with Simmons taking three wickets in his final over to close the championship season in style. With their programme of matches ending early, on 31 August, Lancashire miraculously led the Championship: Played Won Lost Drawn Points Lancashire 24 9 4 11 241 Warwickshire 23 8 9 6 232 Surrey 21 10 2 9 226 Kent 23 7 6 10 226 For Lancashire the hope was that there might be enough rain for Noah to re-float his ark. It was not to be. In the end they had done enough to retain third place, their tally of points 25 higher than in 1970, while the champions, ultimately Surrey with Warwickshire equal on points, finished with just 14 more than Lancashire. This year there was no scramble for the train on the eve of the Gillette Cup final. While there was an early evening journey from Trent Bridge for the Kent players, Lancashire enjoyed three days’ respite. ‘Knock out experts lack Kent’s flexibility’ The Times predicted, telling its readers that ‘not even for the Saturday of a Lord’s Test match is there a keener sense of anticipation than there will be around the ground this morning.’ In his hotel bed Jack had lain awake. ‘I didn’t sleep very well the night before. It’s something that does get to you over the years as a captain – your mind is sort of ticking over. Such a vital game! We’d won in 1970 and then having had this semi-final, you think our 104 ‘A great catch to end a great innings’