Lives in Cricket No 42 - Frank and George Mann

39 Chapter Seven A New Captain for Middlesex Frank Mann’s apprenticeship at Styles and Winch had been interrupted by the Great War and then by time spent in recovery from injuries suffered while on active service. He recovered sufficiently to return to full-time cricket in 1919 and 1920 while negotiations began for Mann, Crossman and Paulin to purchase Brandon’s Brewery at Putney where his career could be continued in senior management. After the take- over was finalised during 1920 Frank was put in charge with plans to develop and extend production. Edward Mann and the rest of the board of directors were proud of his cricket achievements and the publicity and goodwill earned for the company from his important contribution to the success of Warner’s champions. With the possibility that, following Warner’s retirement, Frank might be asked to take over the captaincy of Middlesex, they agreed that he should divide his time between his cricket responsibilities and the management of Brandon’s brewery. He would be expected to formulate and put into practice plans for development at the brewery during the autumn and winter months and, during his absence in the summer, those plans would be continued by his management team with the support and guidance from the head office at Whitechapel. An official statement issued to the press by Pelham Warner clarified the situation: My successor in the captaincy will be F.T.Mann − a man in every sense of the word − loyal, straight-as-a-die, gallant soldier and great sportsman. He hits sixes as most men hit fours and there have been few, if ever, braver mid-offs. The County Club is lucky indeed in having him as its captain in the coming years and it is certain that he will carry on the great tradition of Middlesex cricket − a tradition of playing the game in the best and truest spirit, never exulting overmuch in times of victory, and never being unduly cast down in days of defeat, and always adopting an attitude of generous appreciation towards his opponent − in other words, straight bat and a modest mind. The new captain inherited all the players from the 1920 title-winning team with the exception of Challen Skeet who had accepted a post with the Sudan civil service, although it was hoped that Skeet would be able to take extended leave from time to time and return to play a few games from 1922 onwards. The same hard core of professionals would be back to give full value for their pay-packets, including Hendren, just back from the disastrous MCC tour of Australia where England had suffered the humiliation of a whitewash in the Ashes series, losing 5-0. Hendren himself had fared no better than the other England batsmen in the Tests