Lives in Cricket No 42 - Frank and George Mann

100 Captaincy Decisions During the Test at Lord’s MCC had a discussion with George about leading the team in sixteen months’ time for the Ashes tour to Australia in 1950/51. He could not give a firm commitment to the invitation so far in advance, citing business responsibilities at the brewery which might require more of his attention and attendance in the future and make it impossible for him to be absent for such a long period. George was also now engaged to be married to Margaret Clark, with their marriage arranged to take place in Johannesburg in December. It seems likely that a six-month separation from his bride, after less than nine months of marriage, may also have played its part in George’s decision not to guarantee that he would take his place at the head of a team seeking to recover The Ashes. MCC were desperate to find an amateur good enough to lead the team in Australia and George agreed to relinquish the captaincy for the rest of the Test series in favour of Freddie Brown, who would be available to tour in 1950/51 if selected. Freddie had played in six Tests before the war and returned to the first-class game in 1946 with occasional appearances at the Scarborough Festival each year. He had left Surrey after one appearance in 1948 and was now playing full-time as the new captain of Northamptonshire, a special registration player with his amateur status propped up by an ‘arrangement’ with British Timken. He was a capable allrounder who needed time to demonstrate that he could recover his former powers and be fit for a hard winter overseas. With George Mann now playing for the rest of the season, Middlesex remained unbeaten until August and the Championship title seemed assured until the intervention of defeats against Sussex at Hove on the Bank Holiday Monday, against Surrey at The Oval, followed by another defeat on a rain-damaged pitch at Lord’s. George believed that, had he taken a bigger risk in just one match, Middlesex might have got the extra points needed to give them the title outright instead of sharing it with Yorkshire. His achievement in following his father in leading a county to the Championship title has never been equalled. George played in 23 of the 26 Championship matches. He made six half- centuries with a top score of 86 against Derbyshire at Derby, during which he shared a sixth-wicket stand of 167 with Leslie Compton. He played a part in two other century partnerships, 117 with Bill Edrich against Warwickshire and, most remarkable of all, scored 65 against Worcestershire while sharing a third-wicket partnership of 149 with Jack Robertson, who went on to score all his 331 runs in one day. His only century that year came in his last match of the season at the Hastings Festival as captain of the Over 30s against the Under 30s. In that match he featured in two three- figure partnerships, 108 for the fourth wicket with Edrich and 100 for the fifth wicket with Desmond Eagar, while scoring 122. But now George’s future as captain of Middlesex seemed uncertain. During the autumn of 1949 it became increasingly necessary for him be at work at the brewery almost every day and this situation looked likely to continue indefinitely. The brewing industry was far from recovered from the effects of the war. The number of breweries in London had fallen to 25, operated