Lives in Cricet No 33 - Jack Robertson and Syd Brown

111 Last Summer Together season. The 1950s were not an easy time for county batsmen: wickets were uncovered, and matches played over three days; there were a lot of very good bowlers of all types playing who were able to take advantage of whatever conditions they were presented with; and there were a number of very wet summers, although Syd missed two of the worst. 153 As his batting relied more on eye than, for example, his more orthodox partner it was inevitable that his performances would decline as age caught up with him. Syd was lucky to be playing at all, however. The previous November his car had skidded on a wet road and collided with a trolley-bus standard in Wembley and he had sustained bruises and chest injuries. He and Len Dolding, who had played once for Middlesex and had been well known as a league footballer, had to be freed from the wreckage by firemen and taken to Wembley Hospital. Syd spent a month in hospital, but sadly Dolding, who was aged 32 and a senior member of the Lord’s groundstaff and lived in North Harrow, died some ten days later from his injuries. 154 The pair had been returning from the annual Cross Arrows’ dinner at Lord’s. Syd’s highest score, 83, came against Lancashire at Aigburth where he and Jack put on 164 in three hours in the first innings. He top-scored again in the second innings as Middlesex successfully chased 208 to win, getting there with just two wickets and ten minutes left. Jack and Syd had made the last of their 35 century opening partnerships, but Jack was involved in two more later in the season as he and Dewes came together with some success. Syd replaced Dewes for the final match of the season at Folkestone, the first time he had played a first-class match there. Jack went for a duck in the first innings, but in the second he and Syd, going to the wicket together as it would later turn out for the last time, put on a comfortable 51 before both succumbed to the leg spin of the Kent captain Wright. Middlesex were easily beaten by a side well below them in the table. A win would have moved them up a place to fourth. Syd would still play some cricket for the Second Eleven but, having signed off with scores of 27 and 21, his first-class career was over. During the following summer Syd asked the county if they would release him from his contract so that he could take up a business opportunity, on the understanding that he would make his services available as and when required for the remainder of the season. The county agreed and his contract was terminated on 13 July. The Middlesex Annual Report for 1956 announced that, for the 1957 season, ‘S.M.Brown, L.H.Compton and J.A.Young have not been re-engaged … . To all three we record our sincere thanks for their splendid and loyal services to the Club over many years. Each, in his different way, has played a distinguished and successful part in Middlesex cricket and they take with them the high regard and best wishes of us all.’ Was Syd left out of the side too soon? He probably thought so. And perhaps he was. Rob remembers later that his father 153 In the Championship, over the first six seasons of the 1950s, runs were scored at an average of 25 per wicket. In the six seasons to 2010 the average was a third higher. 154 At the inquest a verdict of ‘accidental death’ was returned.