Lives in Cricket No 22 - Jack Mercer

94 Jack – once again at his favourite venue – had a brilliant spell taking five for six in 38 balls, including Cyril Washbrook, Albert Bennett and Frank Sibbles in the space of only five deliveries, as Lancashire were dismissed for 164 and forced to follow on. But, batting a second time, Ernest Tyldesley and Jack Iddon each scored centuries and Lancashire comfortably saved the game. Despite their many reversals, the mood in the camp remained very good, and owed much to Turnbull’s firm belief that the players – within reason – should enjoy themselves both on and off the field. An example involved the many hours of fun the team had with a sign saying ‘Wanted: A Respectable Girl’ which Ted Glover and Viv Jenkins had discreetly removed from the window of a newspaper shop in Hinckley when popping in for newspapers and cigarettes before play. The sign was subsequently placed in the window of their railway carriage as the happy band of Glamorgan cricketers made their way from Hinckley to Clacton for the game with Essex. The match against Essex came during the festival week at the Clacton ground, and many of the celebrities and entertainers from the seaside theatres took the opportunity of dropping in to watch some cricket during the afternoon sessions. One of the star attractions at the resort was Billy Merson and his troupe of dancing girls, and as luck would have it, Jack knew some of Merson’s performers. On the Saturday afternoon, they called in to see their friend – another member of the Magic Circle – and in return for tickets to watch the cricket, Jack secured a clutch of complimentary passes for Merson’s evening performance, plus a special invitation to an after-show party. Just before the show started, Glover duly ran down the central aisle with his sign, and to rapturous applause from Jack and the rest of the Glamorgan team, placed it on the apron of the stage before swiftly returning to his seat. The show then beganwith the dancing girls, magicians, jugglers, comedians and singers all entertaining the audience, before the cricketers met the troupe and the other performers in the backstage party afterwards. To nobody’s surprise, the singing and revelry went on long into the night. There were, as well, several moments of sadness during these years, not least affecting Trevor Every who, by the start of the 1934 season had developed into a fine wicketkeeper with an almost innate understanding with Jack as he went through his repertoire of deliveries, with the Llanelli-born keeper taking each ball with the minimum of fuss. A few writers even suggested that the England selectors might consider the Glamorgan man as an understudy on a winter tour, but tragically at the start of the 1934 season, Every lost his sight and was forced into premature retirement. During the pre-season nets, Every had experienced difficulty in seeing the ball in flight, and in the opening match of the season, against Kent at the Arms Park, he missed several balls from Jack and made several uncharacteristic fumbles as the ball came in from the fielders. After play, The swinging thirties