Lives in Cricket No 43 - John Jackson

15 Chapter Four Early Career, Marriage and Family We left the John Jackson story at the point at which he began his professional career with the Southwell Cricket Club in 1850. Records of his early matches have, sadly, been lost, and the first game in which his name appears on an official scorecard was the match between the All- England Eleven and Twenty-Two of Newark on 5, 6, and 7 August 1852. In this match Jackson was run out for nought in his only innings but did well with the ball, taking six of the AEE wickets for 49 runs, five of his victims being bowled. With F.Tinley’s help he bowled the Eleven out for 106, his wickets including such illustrious names as William Martingell, George Parr, Thomas Box, Nicholas Felix, John Bickley and William Caffyn. He dismissed Parr out in the second innings as well but not before the Nottinghamshire professional had scored 66. He also took the wicket of George Anderson to finish with two for 51. William Clarke was playing in this match for the AEE and he must have noticed with interest the way some of his best players had struggled against this strong and pacy newcomer. The match finished in a draw with the Newark men having scored 49 for four in their second innings chasing 132 to record a famous victory. Jackson told the local paper that he had been most hospitably entertained and could not refrain from shedding a few tears. The paper noted that when he bowled Thomas Box, two of the stumps were knocked out of the ground. It does not mention whether Box was upset about this! Jackson’s next appearance for which a record remains was for Twenty- Two of Spalding against the AEE on 4, 5, 6, August 1853, an exciting match which the Spalding team won by just one run. Jackson made 11(top score in an innings of 57) and 2 with the bat and took three for 18 and five for 27 with the ball. He also took a catch. Amongst his victims in the second innings was the legendary Alfred Mynn, the old lion of Kent, who was caught by G.Armitage for 20. A possible second appearance by Jackson in the 1853 season was the game at Ipswich between the AEE and XIX of Ipswich in which a player named Jackson appears for Ipswich as one of their ‘given’ professionals. This may have been John Jackson or possibly William Jackson, another Nottinghamshire professional who was a contemporary player. The only indication that may be relevant is that the Jackson who played took eight wickets, a regular feat for John but not so for William. We lose sight of Jackson in 1854 when he was believed to be fulfilling a professional engagement with the Grange Club in Edinburgh, so our next confirmed sight of him is in the 1855 season when he played for Twenty-