Lives in Cricket No 42 - Frank and George Mann

87 Post-War Gloom and a Glorious Summer crack the whip with chaps like that; you had to give them their head and they − and the others − never let me down. The Australian tourists came to play Middlesex at Lord’s in July and my father, a licensed property valuer and broker, used his business connections with all the major London brewers, including Mann, Crossman and Paulin, to obtain two seats on the first day of the match on the roof of the old Tavern, reached by climbing through a window on the first floor. (I was a boy at the time.) I had already seen Bradman hit 135 at The Oval in May and being surprisingly dismissed just two short of another century for 98 against MCC at Lord’s, and eagerly anticipated an opportunity to see another great innings. It was not to be as George Mann won the toss and decided to bat first. The beauty of Lindwall’s bowling action was some compensation as Middlesex crashed to 92 for four before George joined Compton and instigated a recovery, adding 52 for the fifth wicket before George was caught off Lindwall for a hard-fought 15 runs. It was not the most exciting day’s cricket despite Compton’s top score of 62 in the Middlesex total of 203 from 88 overs at just over 2.30 runs an over. At least my father had enjoyed himself with business contacts in the dining- room below while I remained on the roof to follow the grim progress on the field below! The Middlesex side, wrapped up warm in July and without several key players, which lost, away to Worcestershire, in 1948. Standing (l to r): S.M.Brown, R.Routledge, H.P.H.Sharp, L.H.Gray, L.H.Compton (wk), A.W.Thompson. Seated: E.A.Ingram, G.O.B.Allen, F.G.Mann (capt), J.M.Sims, J.G.Dewes.