Lives in Cricet No 33 - Jack Robertson and Syd Brown

71 Chapter Twelve Caribbean Jack’s form had impressed, among others, John Arlott. Writing at the end of the 1947 season he pencilled him in at No.5 in his side to take on Australia in the First Test the following year. 96 First, however, there was MCC’s tour of the West Indies early in 1948. It was captained and managed by 45-year-old Gubby Allen who had played just five first-class matches since the war. According to his biographer E.W.Swanton, he accepted the role ‘not without considerable qualms’. 97 Allen told Swanton that, because they had been playing almost continuously since the beginning of the 1946 season and to rest them ahead of future battles, a number of leading players had not been invited. However, at its Annual General Meeting in May 1948 MCC, sympathising with Allen on the ‘mishaps’ of what had been a depressing tour, and presumably sensitive to criticism, reported that the best team had been selected from those known to be available and that the standard of West Indies cricket had not been under-rated. 98 Following his fine form during the summer Jack was an obvious choice in what was now a below-strength side. Hutton eventually flew out to join the team, but only halfway through the tour after Allen had implored MCC to send reinforcements. Allen was desperately unlucky with injuries and illness, starting with Allen himself who pulled a calf muscle skipping on the ship deck on the way out, and continuing with Harold Butler (pulled muscle, malaria), Jim Laker (strained stomach muscle), Jack Ikin (carbuncle), Maurice Tremlett (strained ribs), Dennis Brookes (chipped finger), Joe Hardstaff (torn leg muscle), Winston Place (bruised knuckle and then ruptured groin muscle). Jack was one of only two players to appear in all eleven matches. The other was left-hand allrounder Dick Howorth who, at 38, was, after Allen, the oldest member in the party. On top of this the tour started with an atrocious trip out on S.S.Tetela, an empty cargo ship which had just about enough accommodation for the MCC party plus Sir Pelham Warner who was going to the West Indies for a holiday. The ship was due to sail on 28 December so at least Jack and the other players would have the pleasure of spending Christmas with their families. Not so, unfortunately; just before Christmas they were informed that they would now be sailing from Liverpool on 23 December. The party left on a dull, damp, December day. Two days out the ship hit a gale, a nice way to celebrate Christmas, and the 96 Arlott, John, Gone to the Cricket . Longmans, Green, 1948. 97 Swanton, E.W., Gubby Allen: Man of Cricket , Hutchinson/Stanley Paul, 1985. 98 Since England had last met West Indies in a Test match in 1939, three West Indian batsmen, Stollmeyer, Walcott and Worrell, had made first-class triple centuries.