Lives in Cricket No 22 - Jack Mercer

93 Chapter Fifteen The swinging thirties The early 1930s were difficult years for cricket professionals all over the United Kingdom as the effects of the depression, particularly the decline in leisure spending, hit clubs and other sporting organizations, and affected the monetary terms offered to the players. Like many other cricketers, Jack was offered reduced terms by his county, and several Lancashire League clubs who knew of this approached him in 1932 and 1933. Given the fact that he was now a single man again, and Glamorgan’s modest form, Jack could have been forgiven for thinking about making a fresh start ‘up north’. But he was a loyal soul and relished his role as Glamorgan’s senior professional – he later said that the 1930s contained the happiest days of his career as a cricketer, and all whilst Glamorgan, for a short while, looked like slipping back to the dark old days of the 1920s. Indeed, 1933 was a grim season with the Welsh county only registering one victory, in late June against Worcestershire at Llanelli. This win occurred in their inaugural visit to the Stradey Park ground for a Championship match, as the cash-strapped club tried to tap into support in West Wales. The above-average crowd of 4,000 duly saw George Lavis score his maiden century on the first day, before two local heroes, Emrys Davies and Trevor Every, made attractive half-centuries. Weekend rain then transformed the wicket, as Jack took four for 32 from 23 consecutive overs before Johnnie Clay – leading the side because Maurice Turnbull was on Test duty with England – enforced the follow-on shortly before the close of play. Jack then took a wicket in his first over and the next day added a further five so that Glamorgan secured their only victory of the summer. In all, ten matches were lost, with one of the heaviest defeats coming in the game against Gloucestershire at Pontypridd, as the Welsh county lost nineteen wickets on the second day. Only on a handful of occasions did they show some fighting spirit, such as at Lord’s in early June when Jack led a recovery on the second morning of the contest as Middlesex subsided from their overnight score of 363 for four to 426 all out. In the space of seventy-five minutes, Jack took five for 28 in 10.3 overs and he might have gained a sixth victim if Tom Enthoven had not been dropped in the slips. But the damage had already been done as Glamorgan were forced to follow on, but Dai Davies and Dick Duckfield shared a stubborn fourth-wicket partnership, with the latter scoring a fine century as Glamorgan saved the game. Another example was at Swansea in the match against Lancashire where