Lives in Cricket No 22 - Jack Mercer

65 Chapter Ten A tour to Jamaica The MCC tour to India, Ceylon and Burma in 1926/27 was the nearest Jack ever came to higher recognition and an England cap. Despite regular appearances for the Players between 1926 and 1934, plus appearances for various other teams at prestigious festivals including Scarborough, he never got the opportunity to play in Test cricket. In later years, he told those close to him that he believed his omission from Test and other England touring teams was because he had once offended H.D.G.Leveson Gower, a highly influential figure in MCC circles and the chairman of Test selectors. 66 Jack had first met Leveson Gower in 1924 when he brought a team to Swansea to play a friendly against Glamorgan. For the next three years, ‘Shrimp’ brought teams to Wales to play Glamorgan, and the former Test cricketer became highly impressed by Jack’s new-ball bowling. ‘Jack is a greatly improved bowler,’ he told local journalists after the contest in 1925, ‘and is the sort of bowler who can be dangerous when the wicket is to his liking.’ 67 The following year Jack was chosen by Leveson Gower for his team to play Oxford University at The Parks, 68 and their relationship remained cordial, as evidenced by a letter in August 1926 from Leveson Gower. This congratulated Jack on approaching 100 Championship wickets, and invited him to appear in the Players side which would meet the Gentlemen at the Scarborough Festival. ‘I hope very much you will be able to accept,’ wrote the England selector, ‘I have been delighted with the success you have made this season. Please accept my congratulations.’ 69 Jack was still in Leveson Gower’s good books in 1927 when he was invited again to appear in the matches at the Scarborough Festival, involving the New Zealand tourists and the MCC winter touring party, besides appearing for the Players against the Gentlemen in the opening contest of the festival. It followed his bowling heroics against Nottinghamshire at Swansea the previous day, so after a long and tiring train journey from South Wales, Jack was no doubt very grateful to spend the first day of the contest sat in the pavilion watching Jack Hobbs and Percy Holmes score attractive hundreds. Jack proceeded to bowl quite steadily, without grabbing the headlines, against some of the finest players on the county 66 Leveson Gower had also been a selector in 1909 and in 1924. Perhaps significantly, Jack is not mentioned in Leveson Gower’s autobiography, Off and On The Field , published by Stanley Paul in 1953. 67 Western Mail , 5 August 1925. 68 Three of Jack’s county colleagues, John Bell, Eddie Bates and Frank Ryan, were also chosen for the fixture. 69 Western Mail , 4 August 1926.