Lives in Cricket No 42 - Frank and George Mann

53 MCC in South Africa: 1922/1923 who recalled that his father would often say that one of the most difficult parts of the whole tour was meeting his team-mates at breakfast when he knew that he would receive complaints, channelled through them from one or more of the team wives about the seating plans at some official function the previous evening. No details of such problems have survived in letters or diaries but as the tour progressed it can be seen that, concerning team selection at least, Cecilia may have had a case to answer. The husbands of Enid Mann and Ivy Carr both appeared in every match on the tour, Tests, first-class and second-class matches, making twenty-two appearances in all, and Dora Woolley’s husband had appeared in all five Tests, all two-day matches, and missed only two first-class matches. On the other hand, Arthur Gilligan, who had been appointed vice-captain before the tour began, appeared in only 14, including merely two of the five Tests. It is tempting to dismiss all this as nothing more than backstage gossip, but the MCC certainly took it all very seriously indeed and made certain that, once Frank Mann and his team had returned to England, members were aware that no arrangements were to be made for wives to accompany their husbands on any future tours for which they had been selected. In the next game, East Rand managed to hold the MCC to a draw over two days at Benoni, despite Sandham scoring his third century of the tour and Frank Mann rattling up a quick forty runs including two sixes, his first of the tour. Normality was restored when Pretoria were beaten by an innings and the tourists arrived in Johannesburg full of confidence to play Transvaal. The home team took a first-innings lead of 51 but rain ended the game prematurely with MCC back in control. South African concerns about the current standard of their cricket appeared to have been confirmed by performances of the provinces in the first part of the MCC tour; nevertheless hopes were high when the First Test began four days later at the Wanderers ground in the capital on 23 December. England’s original selection included four players who were making their Test debuts, Carr, Stevens, Kennedy and Frank Mann himself. There would have been another debut but Macaulay had been unable to play in the previous match against Transvaal being ‘indisposed’ and was still unwell. Another absentee from the Transvaal match was Gilligan, also as a result of being indisposed, although he had recovered and no doubt Cecilia Gilligan had words to say about his omission from the Test match starting line-up. But her disappointment would have been quickly replaced by excitement when an injury received during net practice prevented Russell from playing and Gilligan was asked to step up and take his place. It meant England would be over-stocked with six bowlers but the only alternative to Gilligan, a near allrounder, 27 was the reserve wicketkeeper Livsey. After a slow start on the first morning, South Africa collapsed after lunch and were all out for 148 with the wickets shared between Kennedy, Jupp and Fender. Without another recognised opener Frank Mann promoted 27 In 29 Championship matches for Sussex in 1922, he had scored 827 runs at 19.69, and taken 116 wickets at 17.25.