Lives in Cricket No 22 - Jack Mercer

96 of rain completely changed the complexion of the wicket, and the match turned in Glamorgan’s favour in a rare change of luck for them. Surrey found it well nigh impossible batting against Clay on the wet and spiteful surface, with the spinner bowling unchanged for five hours from the pavilion end to return match figures of 12 for 84 as the Welsh county dismissed Surrey twice in the day. In July, Jack received an invitation to appear for the Players against the Gentlemen at The Oval, but the match was not completely representative of all seventeen counties, with the sides for the match in South London being drawn from the half-dozen counties not engaged in Championship action. It also came at a time when Jack had picked up a couple of niggling injuries – the first came at Swansea in late May where he badly cut a finger on his right hand whilst trying to stop a ball in the field. An infection set in causing the finger to swell up and unable to grip a ball, he missed the next match with Lancashire at the Arms Park. A fortnight later at Pontypridd, he was rapped on the finger again whilst fielding, and was unable to bowl in Northamptonshire’s second innings. Jack returned for the match against Middlesex at Lord’s, but he was not on song as the home side rattled up 476 for six on the first day. A week later in the match against Warwickshire – again at Swansea – Jack jarred his left leg, and as a result missed two away games as well as the friendly with Cambridge University. He duly returned to action in Glamorgan’s next Championship match against Gloucestershire at Llanelli, prior to playing in the Gentlemen v Players match which began a few days later. The match at The Oval proved to be a high-scoring affair with Duckfield being one of three centurions in the Players’ side as they posted 608 for seven on the first day. Fine bowling by Alf Gover and Arthur Wellard forced the Gentlemen to follow on, before Jack filleted their middle order, taking four for 32 as the Players recorded an overwhelming victory by an innings and 305 runs. After his various aches and ailments, Jack was quite pleased with his efforts but, despite Turnbull’s kind words about him in the corridors of power at Lord’s, the truth of the matter was that, now 41, he was nowhere near making the England side. As a result of his various injuries, Jack took just 44 wickets during the season, with his best figures coming in July where he took five for 46 against Somerset, largely with sharp in-swing against their middle and lower order. On several occasions during the summer, the wear and tear of being the bulwark of county’s attack started to show, and handicapped by the niggle in his left calf, he was often unable to continue bowling for fear of further damage to his leg. Aware that he was going to deliver many long spells, Jack had already given careful thought about how he could inject something extra into his bowling, and in the winter months, he practised in the nets at Hove delivering a ball which came out of the back of his hand, akin to a leg-break. In practices, Jack surprised a few of his colleagues by even bowling leg-spin in the nets and, on several occasions during 1934, Jack slipped a The swinging thirties