Lives in Cricket No 22 - Jack Mercer

10 massive drives into the North Stand, with each time the ball clanging up against the metalwork of the enclosure. Each mighty swish of the bat was accompanied with a jovial grin – indeed, Jack had a quite whimsical attitude to his batting, joking that he only had two real shots. One a defensive shot he christened ‘Cautious Caroline’, which he usually played off the back foot into the offside, and the other called ‘Saucy Sally’, off the front foot in an arc anywhere between mid on and square leg. It was certainly Sally’s day at Cardiff in 1939, as it had been in 1931 at Cowbridge where he scored 31 in three overs, and again at Bradford in 1924 when he raced to fifty in under half an hour. Each of these jolly forays typified Jack’s happy-go-lucky outlook and he certainly lived life to the full on the county circuit during the inter-war years. These were the times when Sunday was a rest day and there were many occasions to socialise after play on a Saturday night when Jack delighted everyone with a series of humorous tales. As a member of the Magic Circle, he also enthralled guests, especially ladies, with card tricks and other sleights of the hand which he had learnt as a young boy and had developed further on rainy days in dressing-rooms all over England and Wales. In fact, Jack loved having an audience in front of him, and on numerous occasions in the pavilions or in the hotel bars, Jack would delight his younger colleagues by performing a magic trick, always with a whimsical glint in his eye, just as if he had baffled an opposing batsman or had struck another six high over long on. Even when he was later coaching or scoring for Northamptonshire, Jack would take great delight in telling those who had the time to listen about county cricket back in the inter-war period. Whilst he enjoyed the company of ladies, Jack was certainly not a womaniser and, unlike others on the county circuit, including some in the Glamorgan side, he did not spend the evenings chasing every bit of skirt that he cast his eyes upon. He was, instead, a gentleman in the true sense of the word, and always cut a dapper appearance with monogrammed silk shirts with French cuffs plus carefully tailored suits. Jack may have had the air of a wealthy charmer, but despite his refined accent, if truth were known, he was never that flush for cash, having gambled away much of the money made during his benefit year. His family still talk very fondly of the way that ‘Uncle Jack seemed to be forever borrowing money from various friends and relatives.’ Despite being perennially short of money, Jack was still a kindly and generous soul, especially to his many nephews and nieces. Indeed, he always sent Melissa, his youngest niece, a pretty birthday card, containing a ten- shilling note and, as befitted a young girl who kept ponies, a message saying ‘The money is for carrots for the ‘orse!’ At Christmas, he would dutifully return to his family’s semi-detached home on the Shoreham seafront and, on Christmas Day itself, would stage a magic show for all the young children, as well as the many adults, Introduction