Lives in Cricket No 14 - Jack Bond

Introduction Come down to Old Trafford at most times of year and observe the ground staff at work. There is a fair chance that you will find a small elderly figure patiently tending the practice pitches. As he moves at his own measured pace, there will be little to tell you that you are watching one of the iconic figures of Lancashire cricket. Nor will a perusal of statistics enlighten you: a career batting average of 25.90 with no one-day half-century and no pretence to bowl confirm that Jack Bond’s career was that of a journeyman player. Only by digging deeper will you discover that he was a captain who restored the pride of a once great county at a time when its playing record had plumbed new depths of mediocrity. It was at the launch of Simon Lister’s book Supercat , a biography of Clive Lloyd, that I first came fully to recognise the respect with which his players still hold this true Lancastrian and devoted Methodist. Seeking signatures for the title pages of the new book, I approached a group of those who had played for the county with Clive. Jack Simmons and David Hughes happily signed, but both insisted that space must be left at the top of the page for the third member of their group, Jack Bond, the man under whom they had played more than 30 years earlier. So this was the esteem in which their former captain was still held! Feeling sure Jack had a story to tell, I approached him in Sri Lanka and this short book has become possible through the many hours that he has spent with me, sharing memories of triumphs and of misfortunes, struggles and tragedy. It has been a privilege to hear his testimony and that of many of those who played alongside him. Nor should I forget Jack’s wonderful wife, Florence, who made sure that he had sandwiches and cakes for two for our meetings at Old Trafford. Whiteleaf, Buckinghamshire March, 2010 5