Lives in Cricet No 33 - Jack Robertson and Syd Brown

22 Chapter Four Making the Grade Fortunately Jack and Syd’s talents did develop and they progressed to become regular members of the Middlesex Second XI in 1937. Jack had in fact already played a few matches in the previous two seasons, ironically contributing little with the bat but picking up a few wickets with his off breaks. With several Middlesex players appearing for MCC against the New Zealanders at Lord’s the pair got the opportunity to make their first-class debuts together, against Oxford University at The Parks on 12 May 1937. It was a gentle way to start a first-class career, although Oxford were quite a strong side: they had started the season by beating a Gloucestershire team that included, among others, Wally Hammond, Charles Barnett and Tom Goddard, and would win seven matches including the important one at Lord’s. 24 The Parks is one of the loveliest of grounds: ‘a ground on which cricket is played, rather than a cricket ground’. 25 However, as a wide-open ground it can be less than inviting when the weather is cool and unsettled as it was in mid-May, and heavy rain meant that play could not start until 2.30 pm, and then only with the help of copious amounts of sawdust. As it was the day of the Coronation of King George VI, I suspect that many minds were in any case elsewhere. 26 The procession was the BBC’s first televised outside broadcast. A year later Test match cricket would be broadcast for the first time. Syd opened with E.W. (‘Jim’) Swanton, playing the first of his three first-class matches at the advanced age of 30. According to Wisden 2012 (page 379) this was only the third time that two first-class county debutants had opened the batting together. E.W. didn’t last long; his contribution to the game would largely lie off the field. Syd made a promising start to his career, taking advantage of some loose Oxford bowling to make 37, equal top-score in a final total of 209, before being bowled by an off break from the Oxford and future Worcestershire captain, Alexander (Sandy) Singleton. Going in at seven Jack had less luck, a sharply lifting ball from Singleton inducing a catch to wicketkeeper Robin Whetherly before he had scored. 27 One of the umpires was Patsy 24 Jack and Syd’s record against Oxford would be fairly modest, in 44 innings making just one century between them. However, no doubt helped by the pluperfect Fenner’s pitch they fared better against Cambridge with five centuries in 35 innings. 25 Yardley, N.W.D. and Kilburn, J.M., Homes of Sport: Cricket , Garnett, 1952. 26 At Lord’s play had been scheduled to start at 2.30 so that the New Zealanders could watch the Coronation. 27 Wisden recorded the dismissal as stumped, as did The Times (although its match report says that Jack was ‘caught in front of the wicket’). The Middlesex scorebook, however records him as caught, and this is how the dismissal is shown by CricketArchive . According to Ian Peebles, the Middlesex captain in the match, who was writing a piece for Jack’s 1951 benefit brochure, he played for an off break which didn’t turn and was stumped. However, the dismissal was of course 14 years before and Peebles may have just looked up the score in Wisden .