Lives in Cricket No 22 - Jack Mercer

121 Chapter Twenty Coaching in the east and west As the Second World War gradually came to an end, it was time – once again – for Jack to start thinking about returning to civilian life, and what to do now his days as a professional cricketer had drawn to a close. No permanent coaching position had been created for him by Glamorgan, despite the noises from the committee at the end of the 1939 season. He was offered some occasional coaching by both Glamorgan and Sussex, so once his duties at the camp in Ulster were over, he undertook some coaching, both in Cardiff and Hove, during the summer of 1946. Later in the year, he responded to a newspaper advert placed by Northamptonshire who were looking for a full-time coach, and someone who would help scout for new players. In the early spring of 1947 Jack duly travelled to Northampton – who probably knew that they were on to a good thing – and after a brief interview, he was offered the post. Jack’s career as a county cricketer had started at the Wantage Road ground in 1919 and now by a twist of fate, it was at the same ground some 28 years later that he began the next phase of his life in professional cricket. However, the move to the East Midlands was not quite the end of his playing career. In June 1947 Jack appeared in his 457th and final first- class match when he nobly stepped into the breach when his new employers found themselves at Southampton in the midst of an injury crisis to their bowlers. ‘Nobby’ Clark, Reg Partridge and Bertie Clarke were all sidelined with various aches and strains, so the 54-year-old, who had already played in a few Club and Ground matches, donned his whites and walked out from the Northlands Road pavilion to open the bowling with Jack Timms. 109 As it turned out, Jack sent down 26 overs – more than any of the other bowlers at the disposal of Arthur Childs-Clarke – as Hampshire rattled up 434 for nine before declaring early on the second morning. Jack duly walked off, with the tidy figures of 26-4-100-2. Wisden later reported that he bowled ‘accurately for the most part’. It proved to be his final appearance on the field as the Northamptonshire batsmen reached 316 for six on the final morning when rain started to fall, with Jack one of three batsmen yet to appear at the crease. The precipitation intensified after lunch and the umpires, Percy Mills and Charlie Tarbox, abandoned the game, with Jack probably relieved that he did not have to perform any 109 He was of course without either birth or residence qualification for Northamptonshire, but was entitled to play as a specially registered player, one ‘not required by the counties for which he was qualified’; a provision which had been introduced at the start of the 1939 season.