Lives in Cricet No 33 - Jack Robertson and Syd Brown

95 felt at missing a double-century was assuaged the following month in the return match with Somerset. Middlesex declared at 402 for two just before six o’clock on the first day with Syd undefeated, having batted brilliantly on a dampish pitch in making 232. Jack (89) and Syd had posted 120 by lunch and were finally parted at 199. Syd’s innings was not without its chances but his enterprise, which included a hooked six onto the Grand Stand balcony, deserved some good fortune. 130 They opened the second innings with another century partnership − only the second time this feat had been achieved for Middlesex − and, with Young and Sims spinning their way through the Somerset batting, Middlesex eventually won, remarkably losing only three wickets in the match. 131 Syd finished the season in fine form: playing for South against North at Kingston upon Thames, his run-a-minute 114 and second-innings 50 ensured that the festival crowd saw a good game of cricket. Most of his colleagues struggled against the fast-medium bowling of Derbyshire’s Cliff Gladwin, who took 14 wickets in the match and, among quick bowlers, was the season’s leading wicket-taker. It was a lively rain-affected pitch and Syd decided that quick-footed attack was the best policy. With five 6s in the match (mainly straight-driven), and 26 runs from two consecutive Gladwin overs in the second innings, he easily top scored in both innings of a game that North just about won, losing six wickets chasing 85 to win. Played at Hawker’s Sports Ground the Kingston Festival wasn’t as famous, or as long-lasting, as some of the well-known seaside ones, but the 16 matches played there between 1946 and 1953 produced some good cricket. It was a pleasant way to end the season, and Syd supported the Festival by playing there six times. Jack’s benefit eventually yielded a healthy £4,500, equivalent to around £120,000 in 2012, based on the change in the Retail Price Index. 132 A benefit was vital to the county professional and with good organisation and hard work a decent sum could be raised. They were more locally based then than the corporate events they later became. It was a potentially hazardous business and not everybody did well. Bad weather might affect the allocated county match and, although insurance against loss was possible, the premiums could be expensive. As usual local clubs also hosted matches in support of the beneficiary. And with no county cricket then played on a Sunday, counties were able to put out strong sides, 130 ‘I don’t think there was a more attractive bat in England during the last few weeks of the 1951 season than S.M.Brown.’ (W.J.O’Reilly, The Cricketer , 16 May 1953) 131 In four innings against Somerset during 1951 Jack made 451 runs, a Middlesex record for the most runs made during a season against another county in the Championship, although 96 runs short of the all-time record set by W.G. for Gloucestershire against Sussex in 1896, who achieved it in only three innings, and at the age of 48! 132 The second day of his benefit match was very cold; according to The Times it was the ‘coldest Whit Monday for 35 years’. Writing to a friend the following month Jack said ‘My match unfortunately was not so good, the weather being cold and only half the amount of people turning up – so in that respect it was most disappointing – like the rest of my cricket career I seem to have just that bit of bad luck – however I am not retiring and have many years to play.’ The Times referred to the second-day crowd as ‘large’, but no doubt the weather did reduce the crowd, and hence the takings. End of an Era