Lives in Cricket No 22 - Jack Mercer

24 But the weather dealt a couple of cruel blows as the next two matches – against Warwick- shire at Edgbaston and Worcestershire at New Road – were badly affected by rain. Jack never took the field at Edgbaston and was given only a couple of short spells between downpours at Worcester, and so returned home from the West Midlands to the news that he would be returning to the Second Eleven, with Gilligan replacing him for the visit to Tunbridge Wells to play Kent. The match at Worcester proved to be Jack’s final appearance of the summer as Gilligan remained in the side. In the following year, when available for his first full summer of county cricket, Gilligan secured regular preference over Jack. In fact, Jack only made two Championship appearances in 1921, playing at Old Trafford when Sussex opted to play an extra seam bowler against Lancashire, and at Trent Bridge when Gilligan was unable to make the visit to Nottingham. Sussex met with little success as Nottinghamshire’s George Gunn, Arthur Carr and Wilf Payton all scored centuries before securing an innings victory. Maurice Tate was also given plenty of opportunity to open the bowling in 1921. Before the season started, discussions took place amongst the club’s officials about his bowling. Some wanted Maurice to concentrate on his batting and for Jack to have more chances to display his ability. Indeed, the topic was high on the agenda when the club chairman, Sir Home Gordon, dined at the Garrick Club with Bertie Wilson and Sussex secretary Bill Sarel. He pleaded that Maurice’s bowling should be given one more season. Gordon proved right as Tate took 70 wickets and won selection for the South of England against the Australians. 18 After the first month of the 1921 season, Gilligan had become the county’s choice as Tate’s new-ball partner. With Gilligan likely to accept the captaincy in 1922, and with Roberts and Jupp (and even ‘old’ George Cox, aged 47) ahead of him in the pecking order, it became clear to Jack that, if he wanted to play regular county cricket and have a more secure position as a professional cricketer, he would have to look elsewhere. Indeed, security was now uppermost in Jack’s mind as by this time he had a wife to look after, having married Santa Lorenza Green at Steyning Register Office on 11 August 1919. Santa was the 23-year-old daughter of the late operatic singer William Green, who had sung under the name Guglielmo Verdi. The American-born baritone had spent his late twenties and early thirties in Australia and New Zealand, performing various Gilbert and Sullivan works. Indeed, as far back as March 1881 at Debut for Sussex Jack at Hove in 1921, still struggling to secure a place in the Sussex side. 18 Sir Home Gordon, Sussex County Cricket , Convoy Publications, 1950.