Lives in Cricet No 33 - Jack Robertson and Syd Brown

53 Resumption The Championship restarted on 9 May 1946. Jack, partnered by Syd, had the honour of receiving the first ball bowled in the competition after its almost seven-year break. Although cricket continued in an unchanged form, the war had done a lot to break down social barriers in many walks of life; people really had all been ‘in it together’, and cricket was not exempt. One change was that Jack and Syd entered the field for the first time through the centre door of the pavilion, MCC having decided to discontinue the previous practice of professionals using a separate dressing-room and coming out through a separate gate. 73 One thing hadn’t changed yet, however: counties still had amateur captains. Leicestershire were the exception (at least for three years), being led by their all-time leading run-scorer Les Berry. The Leicestershire opening bowlers were left-armer Jim Sperry and Geoffrey Udal, grandfather of future Middlesex captain Shaun, who had the unusual figures of 2-1-13-0 (perhaps because, according to his Wisden obituary, it was discovered during the season that he had been bowling with a fractured rib). Strictly the game should have started the day before but rain had made this impossible. However, in typically bold fashion, Robins kept the game alive by declaring twice and was rewarded with a 65-run victory. Jack and Syd began where they had left off in 1939 with a century opening partnership. Although the slow pitch gave Syd the opportunity to exploit the cut, it initially inhibited Jack who made only 18 in the first hour. However, the pace eventually picked up and there was exactly 100 on the board before lunch when Syd, driving at off-spinner Frank Prentice, failed to get over the ball and was caught in the covers for 65. Jack was third out at 209, stumped for 88 off the slow left-arm of Tony Riddington. The innings was declared closed at quarter past four at 275 for six. The Middlesex batsmen had done well to resist the wiles of Australian left-arm wrist-spinner Jack Walsh who had bowled 15 wicketless overs. When he retired ten years later only the redoubtable pair Ewart Astill and George Geary had taken more wickets for the county. Jack and Syd met their captain’s demand for quick runs by putting on another 51 second time around and then, left 271 to win, Leicestershire succumbed to the varied Middlesex attack and were defeated with 20 minutes left. By the end of the season Jack and Syd had opened together 47 times. One in four of their partnerships reached at least 50, and six went on to a hundred. Middlesex had clearly found a pairing that was going to serve them well in the future. Their second century partnership of the season, and their third in four matches, came a week later, again at Lord’s. An interesting second day finished with Somerset 37 for nine, 16 wickets having fallen between 3 o’clock and the close: a dramatic illustration of the effect of sun and rain on an uncovered pitch. The visitors had a useful side and would eventually finish fourth in the Championship. The first day had closed with Middlesex 17 without loss in reply to the visitor’s 364. In gloomy conditions on a second morning that eventually turned to rain Jack and Syd put on a sprightly 63 in three quarters of an hour. Play resumed two hours later on a pitch changed by its soaking. 73 In the words of Jack’s obituary in The Independent the pair ‘accordingly became the first paid servants to stride out to bat down the pavilion steps’.