Lives in Cricket No 42 - Frank and George Mann

29 points instead of five. This was followed by another nine-wicket victory over Hampshire, this time at Southampton where Middlesex had declared at 451 for five, after Frank Mann had joined Lee at 253 for four and hit 63 in a fifth-wicket stand of 133. Sweet revenge over Lancashire came next at Lord’s, when a fine 183 from Hendren in a first-innings total of 407 led to an innings victory. Then a trip to Taunton saw Middlesex home by ten wickets but there now came a hiatus while Middlesex took a three-week break. Lord’s would be host to a variety of traditional fixtures, including matches between MCC and each university before Oxford played Cambridge; The Army versus Royal Navy; and Gentlemen versus Players. Middlesex, though, had been unable to arrange away matches during that period. At least a few members of the Middlesex team were able to keep playing when selected for some of the representative teams; Frank Mann played for the Leveson Gower side at the Eastbourne Festival before going to The Oval to play for the Gentlemen against the Players. Unfortunately, Frank was taken ill during this match and did not bat in the second innings. He was diagnosed as suffering from influenza and had to withdraw from other engagements for the next two weeks. Despite having won six of their nine matches Middlesex were still behind Yorkshire, Surrey, Kent and Lancashire, although Warner saw this as a great improvement over 1919 and was eager to return to the fray. The next two matches were home and away to Essex. In the first, at Lord’s, victory looked assured when, after a fully recovered Frank Mann hit an unbeaten 43 including a six over the Grandstand into a garden beyond, Warner was given an opportunity to declare and bowl Essex out. His usually astute captain had miscalculated the number of overs remaining and the game was drawn. Matters got even worse at Leyton although it would be unfair to lay the blame at Warner’s door this time, even though his absence from the game for half of the second day had considerable influence over the result. At the end of the first day Essex had been all out for 133 and Middlesex were 52 for two. When play stopped for lunch on the following Monday, Warner was 22 not out and batting well but he forfeited his innings and, together with the Essex captain, Johnny Douglas, hailed a cab and set off for Lord’s. Warner was not a member of the MCC Selection Committee but had been asked by its chairman, Lord Harris, to come to headquarters that afternoon to help with the selection of the MCC side to tour Australia the following winter. Douglas had already been chosen as captain of the MCC party and, he too, was under orders from Harris to attend. As stand-in captain, Frank Mann was naturally anxious to present Warner on his return with good news of progress towards victory. An innings total of 212 and a lead of 79 on the first innings looked promising and on the last day Essex crumbled to 196, thanks to Hearne’s flight and spin taking eight for 49. Needing only 118 to win, and with Warner back in the batting line-up, the target looked easy but the first six wickets fell for only 33 runs. Warner tried to steady the ship but was the last man out after scoring 46 out of 113, Douglas taking eight for 47, just four runs short of victory with only eight minutes of play remaining. Warner and his ‘Sandbank’