Lives in Cricket No 42 - Frank and George Mann

27 Warner and his ‘Sandbank’ although he might have struggled at times during the extended hours of play during the two-day format of 1919, he had always performed well in the less frenetic three-day matches, and urged him to try for at least one more year. Warner agreed, and friends, county colleagues and many other lovers of cricket wished him good luck in a last attempt to win the Championship, although if they were honest there seemed little likelihood that this might happen with the mixed bag of players that he could call upon. Warner welcomed back most of his squad of professionals from the previous season. His opening partner would again be good old solid, practical Harry Lee, now walking with a limp as a result of his war injuries but still also able to bowl a good number of overs when needed. Now that Frank Tarrant had retired and gone back to Australia, the vital role of senior allrounder was passed to ‘Young Jack’ Hearne, now 29, who had recovered from the finger injury that had prevented him from bowling at his best in 1919. ‘Patsy’ Hendren was there, soon to be recognised as one of the most consistently prolific run-scorers in the history of cricket, and reliable Joe Murrell behind the stumps, ready to offer his advice when consulted by Warner regarding the condition of the wicket and choice of bowler. Hopefully one of those bowlers would be young Jack Durston, who at six foot five inches, might turn out to be the genuine fast bowler that Middlesex needed. The county would still be able to enjoy the benefits of calling upon a wide range of talented amateurs, some experienced, some from the new generation which had attracted attention in the schools matches before the war and were now proving their ability at universities. The most important of the experienced amateurs was Frank Mann, who had already proved his worth for the county with a number of entertaining and memorable fast-scoring innings before the war, using his height and weight behind a carefully controlled swinging bat that sent the ball vast distances over the boundaries. This came with a personality of great charm that pleased the crowds and enjoyed the respect and response from the rest of the team, amateur and professional alike, whenever he took over as captain during the absence of Warner. Supporting Frank was the nephew of Lord Harris, Nigel Haig, an allrounder with bat and ball and excellent in the field in any position. Then there was a group which could drop into places as and when it was considered necessary or, due to business or personal commitments, could make themselves available at certain times: Clarence Bruce (later Lord Aberdare), Henry Longman, Horace Dales, Eric (‘Father’) Kidd, Arthur Tanner, Leslie Prentice from Melbourne and Churchill Gunasekara, a medic from Ceylon. Most valuable of all would be the arrival, after the Varsity Match in July, of Challen Skeet, opening batsman, and nineteen-year-old Greville Stevens, another allrounder, who had made his debut for Middlesex while still at University College School, Hampstead in 1919 and played in two Gentlemen versus Players matches the same year, demonstrating his confidence at the highest level by hitting Parker into the pavilion for six.