Lives in Cricket No 22 - Jack Mercer

12 his nap. Instead of any ill-feeling about his slumber, his fellow scorers were delighted to work with the ‘grand old man of county cricket’ and to be able to say that they had worked with someone who had first played before the Great War. Despite many years in the public eye, there were still many mysteries about Jack, and other things he did not want to talk about, especially his time during the Great War in the bloody Battle of the Somme, his visit to Russia as a young man and his work during the Second World War. Jack was also reluctant to say too much to his county colleagues at Glamorgan and Northamptonshire about his home life and what he did during the winter months. The man whose cricketing exploits were very much in the public domain was at heart, a very private and gentle person, and I hope that this book helps to fill in these gaps about what is known about this great cricketer – and character – of the inter-war era, besides celebrating his magnificent achievements during a truly wonderful ‘Life in Cricket’. St Fagans, Glamorgan August 2011 Introduction