Lives in Cricket No 14 - Jack Bond

At 57 for five in reply to Middlesex’s 344 for nine, Lancashire were deep in trouble. The follow on was in prospect, but two of the reserves rode to the rescue. Ken Snellgrove, with 138, and Frank Hayes, whose 94 came on his first-class debut, added 191, enabling Jack to close the Lancashire innings as soon as the Middlesex total had been passed. A second-innings declaration gave Lancashire two and three quarter hours in which to make 240. This was a generous challenge, to which Pilling responded by extending his run of good form with another century. Jack was with him as the last 34 runs were added to secure a five-wicket victory. ‘I was very good at getting not outs when I was captain,’ he quips, reminded that he had still been at the wicket with a useful 47 at the first innings declaration. With a match in hand over the championship leaders Surrey, Lancashire were now just four points behind. Perhaps the absent Clive Lloyd had played a part in securing the latest win – simply by not being there. Jack believes that the power of his hitting infused his colleagues with greater self-belief, but he ruefully reflects that Lancashire sometimes paid a price for Lloyd’s genius: ‘The targets that people left us gradually got more severe. They made their declarations against us with Clive in mind. And as Clive became better and better it made it harder for us.’ The problem would intensify as the bid for the Championship strengthened. ‘One of 84 ‘They stormed the gates to get in’ Recognition from Sir Neville Cardus, of Lancashire’s Championship win, over Middlesex, chasing runs at Old Trafford in June 1970.