Lives in Cricket No 22 - Jack Mercer

105 about £36,700 in 2011. 97 At the time, this was the highest amount raised by a Glamorgan beneficiary and a sum not surpassed until 1947 when Emrys Davies’ testimonial yielded £1,800. In all, Jack claimed 127 wickets during 1936. For the eighth time in his career he was Glamorgan’s leading wicket taker and, once again, benefited from the support and advice of Bill Hitch, who was now available throughout the season having accepted an offer to become Glamorgan’s full-time coach. Following the merger with Monmouthshire, Hitch also had a role of overseeing the development of the young players in the club’s nursery as part of a four-year plan drawn up by the committee and was also available for coaching advice to clubs throughout South Wales. With a hectic summer ahead of him, he was delighted to accompany Jack to Cardiff racecourse in April to watch the Welsh Grand National and the other races at the Ely track especially as, like Jack, he enjoyed a flutter on the horses. No doubt this gave them the chance to talk about the tasks ahead. It proved to be a damp start to the season and Glamorgan entered their first Championship match, against Kent at Cardiff, having had only one outdoor practice match at the Arms Park. But Jack showed no signs of rustiness as he took six for 53, with his sharp in-swingers causing a host of problems for the visiting batsmen as he exploited a stiff breeze that blew across the ground, the north-eastern part of which remained a building site as work continued on a row of flats along Westgate Street. Jack added another five-wicket haul in the second match, against Sussex at Swansea where, once again, he thrived in the maritime conditions, delivering an accurate spell with the new ball, conceding just 18 runs in a dozen overs before lunch. He returned after the interval and took four for 24 in a superb two-hour spell of swing bowling. Another five-wicket haul came a fortnight later at St Helen’s when Yorkshire were the visitors, though this time it was Jack’s off-cutters that were to the fore as he scythed through the lower order after a marathon spell spanning 47.3 overs. Swansea continued to be Jack’s happy hunting ground as in the first week of June he took three wickets in four balls against Hampshire, and in mid-July he claimed a twelve-wicket haul to ensure an easy victory over Leicestershire as Glamorgan recorded their first win of the season. The rout began on a rain-affected opening day, as Jack took four for 13 in a fiery opening burst, extracting considerable movement in the overcast and damp conditions. When Leicestershire began batting late on the second day, he took two wickets in his new-ball burst, before taking four for eight in four overs the following morning as the visitors collapsed again in the face of his wholehearted bowling. However, Jack’s finest hour at Swansea that summer came in early August against the Indian tourists – in the match immediately after his record-breaking exploits at Worcester. Buoyed by that feat and the Ten wickets and a benefit 97 According to figures at www.measuringworth.com