Lives in Cricet No 33 - Jack Robertson and Syd Brown

55 set off in similar vein, hoisting a hundred in 65 minutes before both were bowled by Wellard. Jack played another fine innings second time around in the follow-on, but his 79 was to no avail, Middlesex losing by an innings. The pair’s next hundred together did lead to victory as Kent, who got the worse end of the weather, went down by an innings and 104 runs in the beautiful setting of Mote Park, Maidstone. Their opening stand of 146, which set up Middlesex’s first-day 487, was ended when Jack went for 58, bowled by off-spinner Jack Davies (who twelve years before had bowled Bradman at Fenner’s to inflict upon him the sixth of his eventual 16 ducks, and the first of four in England). Syd left soon after, caught behind by Godfrey Evans for 88, to give Fred Ridgway the second wicket of a career that would end 15 years later with him Kent’s then seventh-highest wicket- taker. By the beginning of August Yorkshire just headed Lancashire at the top of the Championship, with Middlesex 20 points behind in third place. Not surprisingly the Roses Match at Old Trafford, a possible championship decider, attracted vast crowds; on Bank Holiday Monday 36,000 were present, with nearly as many left outside. Lancashire had the better of the match, but Yorkshire stubbornly held out for a valuable draw. While this was going on Middlesex were narrowing the gap at the top by beating Sussex by ten wickets down by the seaside. Their next match was at Northampton where the home side were propping up the table, having won just one match. Jack (64) and Syd (92) started the match with a partnership of 141, both eventually falling to Merritt’s leg spin. Their partnership set up Bill Edrich who scored 222 not out in three and a half hours. And he wasn’t finished yet, taking seven for 69 in the Northamptonshire first innings and, together with Young, who took five second-innings wickets, bowling his side to a big innings victory. Northants eventually just dragged themselves off the bottom of the table, but it would be three more years before Freddie Brown arrived to rejuvenate the county after years of unremitting failure. While Middlesex were winning, Lancashire were being spun to defeat at Old Trafford by Essex leg-spinner Peter Smith, and the two counties were now level-pegging at 156 points each from 20 matches, eight points behind Yorkshire who had played a match fewer. While Jack finished the season in good form, scoring three centuries during August, Syd had less success and failed to pass fifty again. Consequently, with the exception of a stand of 70 against the touring Indians at the end of August − a match that a weakened county side lost by an innings and 263 runs − their liaison during the last few matches usually yielded only modest returns. Winning six matches in August Middlesex took advantage of Lancashire’s moderate finish to the season and moved above them in the table. They couldn’t however quite do enough to pass Yorkshire. One of only seven batsmen to pass two thousand runs during the season, and with five centuries and an average of 38, Jack had given a good account of himself. Unfortunately Test honours didn’t quite come his way, or selection for the following winter’s tour. Many had expected him to open for England when Test cricket resumed. However, Cyril Washbrook Resumption