Lives in Cricet No 33 - Jack Robertson and Syd Brown

58 David Lemmon thought that if one victory could convince the faithful that the County could, and would, win the Championship, it was the victory at Grace Road. It captured the imagination like no other county game had done since the days before the war. It was a match of heroic stature. It was Boy’s Own Paper stuff. It is difficult, and a little saddening, to imagine that there was once a time when the Championship generated so much interest and excitement. Of ten Robertson and Brown century opening partnerships, three passed two hundred and one went on to beat the 43-year-old county record. And they weren’t far off equalling the record of 12 century opening partnerships in a season set by Hallows and Watson (Lancashire) and Hardinge and Ashdown (Kent), both in 1928. Both players would have been pleased with their seasons. Jack scored 2,760 runs at an average of 52, a total only exceeded − admittedly by some margin! − by Compton and Edrich, whilst, with 2,078 runs at nearly 38 apiece, Syd would have the best season of his career. 75 Jack made 12 centuries; only Compton made more. A late July/ early August purple patch of five in eight innings made it difficult for the selectors to ignore Jack any longer, and a first Test cap followed soon after. With 229 against Hampshire at Lord’s at the beginning of June he made the first double-century of his career; The Times described the latter stages of his innings as ‘positively venomous’. The Middlesex record opening partnership came against Nottinghamshire at Lord’s in mid-June, 76 beating the 306 made by Pelham Warner and James Douglas at Trent Bridge in 1904. Middlesex were at the top of the Championship and would have been expected to win, as the visitors still hadn’t tasted victory. However, Compton and Edrich were away at the Test, scoring lots of runs against South Africa, and so the onus was on Jack and Syd, in particular, to score enough for the Middlesex bowlers to bowl at. They didn’t fail. Having begun batting late on the first day after Nottinghamshire had made 317, they stayed together until the middle of the following afternoon. With the score at 310, Syd was bowled by slow left-armer Harry Winrow, having batted three and a half hours for 155, most of his 17 boundaries coming from hits to leg. Jack, who also hit 17 boundaries (including three 6s) and a five, went 40 minutes later for 183, and had been equally as adventurous. One of the umpires was Yorkshire’s Percy Holmes, whose 555 with Herbert Sutcliffe at Leyton in 1932 was the then world-record opening partnership. He had no doubt watched Jack and Syd’s feat with some admiration. The partnership didn’t prosper the second time around however as an inspired spell by Butler, who took three wickets without help from the field, reduced Middlesex to 10 for three. With a weakened batting line-up they were making heavy weather of 75 And he was the only member of the side who had played in all Middlesex championship matches since the War. 76 It wasn’t however the highest opening partnership during the season. That honour went to Lancashire’s Cyril Washbrook and Winston Place who posted an undefeated 350 against Sussex at Old Trafford. Robertson and Brown’s record would stand for another 20 years. Champions