Lives in Cricket No 42 - Frank and George Mann

72 111 with Percy Chapman who was able to reach his century while Frank held up the other end scoring an unbeaten 41. In 1928 Middlesex marginally improved on the previous season by finishing eighth: they won more games but were beaten by an innings five times. Allen only played twice, Stevens did not play and Peebles left during May to join the furniture business of Sir Julien Cahn in Nottingham and play country-house cricket for his new employer. Fortunately, Hearne started the season in great form and in his first eight county matches scored 682 runs at an average of 76.00. But in the next match at Lord’s against the West Indies tourists he injured his hand fielding a fierce drive from Learie Constantine, who was in the process of scoring 103 in sixty minutes, and did not play again that summer. Constantine was also bowling at an awe- inspiring pace in the Middlesex second innings and had already taken six wickets when the last Middlesex batsman, little Jim Powell, joined Durston at the wicket at 124 for nine. Many onlookers were concerned for Powell’s safety. Ian Peebles has described it thus: ‘looking in imminent danger of sudden death as five whistling deliveries flashed past without him seeing one of them, a perilous state of affairs which caused Frank Mann to cry out from the dressing-room balcony, begging him to knock his own stumps down.’ Powell was eventually bowled by Constantine after helping Durston add another 12 runs. There were no fifties for Frank that summer but one grand century, hitting 122 against Yorkshire at Leeds, and adding 202 for the fourth wicket with Hendren after going to the wicket at 119 for three. 35 At Canterbury, when 35 Against Somerset at Lord’s he made the last of his famous big hits, an on drive off George Hunt. Helped by a following wind, the ball bounced ‘off the top row but one of the terraces [at the eastern end of the ground], shot off from there and was picked up in an arbour in the Nursery Ground.’ Northern Counties Rule: 1925 to 1928 Cricket under full canvas. Frank entertaining the crowd at Canterbury in 1928 towards the end of his last season as Middlesex captain.