Lives in Cricet No 33 - Jack Robertson and Syd Brown

110 Chapter Nineteen Last Summer Together After the previous year’s deluge, the 1955 season was gloriously sunny. English cricket was basking in the glory of the winter’s successful Ashes defence, and England won an exciting Test series against South Africa 3-2 after surrendering a 2-0 lead. One dark cloud was the continuing decline in county attendances. At an average 11,000 a match at Lord’s they were half of what they had been in the late 1940s, and five years later, they would be down to 7,000. With nearly 500 runs Compton had contributed fully to England’s victory against Jack Cheetham’s Springboks. However, Test absences and the need to rest the famous knee meant that he appeared relatively little for his county: with Edrich and Syd having disappointing seasons it was fortunate that Jack recovered much of his form. He was the most successful of the side’s regular batsmen, making 1,754 runs in the Championship at an average of 31.89, although John Dewes, returning to play in August, made 644 runs at 53.66. For the first time since 1952 Jack made 2,000 runs in all matches. He made only one century, but he did make seventeen fifties, an interesting contrast with the previous season when his five centuries accounted for over a third of his 1,500 runs. 151 An extra bonus for Jack was a career-best bowling return. Off-spinner Fred Titmus was having a marvellous season and missed the match with Leicestershire as he was making his Test debut at Lord’s. 152 Jack was consequently pressed into service against Leicestershire, in their first innings taking four for 37 from 22 overs. These figures suggest that with greater opportunity Jack might have done quite well with the ball, perhaps even developing into an allrounder. However, with Robins, Peebles, Sims, Compton, Young and Titmus Middlesex were never short of top-class spin. Although he bowled in every full season between 1938 and 1959, he reached 100 overs in a season only three times, and 20 overs in an innings on six occasions, usually when the county fielded a weakened attack against Oxford or Cambridge Universities. However, he included some decent batsmen among his 73-wicket career haul. For example, in his best season (13 wickets in 1938) he dismissed Maurice Leyland and, perhaps ironically, Cyril Washbrook. Syd just about made his 1,000 runs in what would be his final first-class 151 Jack was the third batsman, after James Langridge of Sussex in 1937 and Dickie Dodds of Essex in 1947, to make 2,000 runs in a season with only one century. Lancashire’s David Green went one better ten years later and made 2,000 runs with a top-score of 85. 152 The 158 wickets he took for the county in the season is a Middlesex record.