Lives in Cricket No 22 - Jack Mercer

126 The indoor school, along with the outdoor nets, duly became Jack’s stamping ground as together with the other coaches employed by the club, he ran his eye over the many aspiring youngsters. 112 His vast network of contacts was another integral part of the scheme, as Northamptonshire capitalised on his links with former opponents who were now working or coaching in the Minor Counties. One of these was Bill Coverdale who had played for Northamptonshire during the 1930s and was now coaching in the north-east. In 1959 he recommended four Durham lads to the East Midlands club, and they duly went through their paces at Wantage Road, on a day when some of the leading officials were involved at an official function. As a result, Ken Turner was too busy to watch the young Geordies start their first net. Towards the end of their session he wandered over and said to Jack ‘Have you seen much?’ ‘Not really,’ Jack replied, ‘but the big lad called Milburn can hit the ball. He’s certainly got talent, but he’s such a large lad.’ Turner watched for a while and agreed Milburn’s fitness might be an issue. Jack therefore went over and spoke for several minutes to the youngster, thanking him for coming down to Northampton and wishing him well prior to his journey home. Nothing further happened until the end of 1959 when Turner was on holiday in Wales and heard on the radio that a seventeen-year-old called Colin Milburn had scored a fine hundred for Durham against the Indian tourists. Turner immediately rang Coverdale and suggested that an offer should be made to Milburn. By the time that Coverdale spoke to the youngster another offer was on the table from Warwickshire, but Turner was prepared to offer an extra ten shillings per week above that in the deal proposed by the Edgbaston club. This greater remuneration, plus Jack’s words of generosity and kindness at that initial trial tipped the balance and Milburn signed for Northamptonshire for 1960. When he made his Test debut several years later, Turner recalled that initial offer and proudly proclaimed ‘It was the best ten shillings I ever spent.’ Jack just smiled, glad to know that his eye for spotting unearthed talent was as sharp as ever. For eight years after the Second World War Jack also spent the winter months coaching in Jamaica, 113 where his sharp eye for young talent was again to the fore. Jack had made a series of good contacts during his earlier visit to the Caribbean and now that his cricketing nous was being directed towards nurturing new talent, he spent a series of happy winters based in Kingston. His assignments with the Jamaican authorities involved establishing an all-island coaching programme as well as undertaking a series of coaching sessions in some of the less fashionable suburbs. Coaching in the east and west 112 In their book Brian Reynolds: The Life and Times of a Northamptonshire Sportsman , published by Diametric Publications in 2000, Ian Addis, Mick Dean and Brian Slough reported Reynolds’ comment that Jack conducted the coaching business in a gentlemanly way; this influenced Reynolds’ own methods. 113 According to shipping records he usually travelled back and forth on Elders and Fyffes’ banana boats. His return to Jamaica each winter seems to have been warmly welcomed there.