Lives in Cricket No 22 - Jack Mercer

54 wearing a ladies hat, but the fez was something special! 56 The game ended in an innings victory for MCC, who then headed by express train to Delhi and a night’s rest in their comfortable apartments at the vice-regal lodge, prior to a one-day contest against a Delhi and District XI, followed by a three-day match against Northern India. For the latter game, the tourists again included in their line-up the Maharaja of Patiala, 57 and after play each night, there was plenty of socialising with an evening at the Delhi Club where the team gathered around the piano and accompanied by Ewart Astill and his banjo, they had a ‘terrific sing-song’ into the early hours of the following morning. Their itinerary in Delhi also included a light-hearted game against the Delhi Ladies’ Cricket Club, with the MCC batsmen holding their bats with one hand, and in front of a four-stump wicket. Peter Eckersley guested for the Ladies and played in women’s clothes, whilst Jack stood as umpire and entered into the spirit of things as, according to a local newspaper ‘he seemed to be interested in some extraterrestrial object, for whenever an appeal was made for lbw against the lady players, he was to be found gazing skywards!’ 58 After their jolly entertainment, the MCC party boarded a special train provided by the Maharaja, which took them to Patiala for the final match on the tour. In the words of Maurice Tate, ‘the game at Patiala was one of the hardest matches of the whole winter and we were somewhat lucky to get a draw.’ 59 The reason was that the Maharaja, who later became the president of the Cricket Club of India and was a key figure in the creation of the Ranji Trophy competition, had assembled the best of local talent, augmented by several English professionals including Wilfred Rhodes, Morris Leyland and Arthur Dolphin, plus the Australian Frank Tarrant, who were all coaching in India over the winter months. The two-day match in the landscaped grounds of the Bardari Palace Oval took place on a hard, true surface with the wicket being rolled by equipment pulled by a team of elephants, and all after the touring party had been driven in state coaches through the main streets. After the gruelling demands of the tour and social excesses, there were plenty of weary bodies in the MCC ranks, and Wazir Ali capitalised on their tiredness with a fine 149. 60 The tourists then batted out the rest of the match to secure a draw with useful contributions from Wyatt, Tate and Earle. However, for Jack and several other members of the touring party, the highlight of the innings was when a lusty blow by Jack Parsons, sent a ball into the large tent situated on the boundary’s edge where many of the Maharaja’s 300 wives were sat watching the game. As no man was allowed to enter the tent to retrieve the ball, play was held up for many minutes until – amidst many giggles and shrieks – it was finally thrown back onto 56 R.E.S.Wyatt, op cit . 57 In all, Patiala played in five first-class matches for MCC on the tour, some of them when the tourists’ playing resources were stretched, and three against. 58 Hindustan Times , 26 February 1927. 59 Tate, op cit . 60 The third-wicket stand of 171 between Frank Tarrant and Wazir Ali was the highest against MCC on the entire tour. A passage to India