Lives in Cricket No 43 - John Jackson

21 Early Career, Marriage and Family for 122 which left the Gentlemen needing 128 to win. E.T.Drake made a slashing innings of 58 but their other batsmen failed and in the end the number of extras conceded was decisive. The Gentlemen gave away 40 and the Players 26, a difference of 14 in a match where the margin of victory was only 13. Jackson played in four other matches for an England XI: two against a combined Kent and Sussex team which were won by England, and two against a combined Surrey and Sussex team both of which England lost. The first match against Kent & Sussex was played at Lord’s on 6 and 7 July, with England winning by 13 runs despite being dismissed in 90 minutes by Wisden and Willsher in their second innings. W.Goodhew seemed to be carrying the combined side to victory until Jackson bowled him for 40 in the course of taking three for 20 in 21 overs. England won much more conclusively at Canterbury on 17, 18 and 19 August, winning by 149 runs. Jem Grundy hit scores of 50 and 58, Parr made 73 and H. Stephenson 48 as England totalled 186 and 166. Jackson had a herculean stint of bowling, 36 overs in the first innings and 22 in the second. He took three for 47 and three for 28, as Kent & Sussex made 136 and 67. In a heat wave at the Kennington Oval on 3, 4 and 5 August Jackson bowled even more heroically. He bowled at one end throughout both the Surrey & Sussex innings (363 deliveries altogether) taking seven for 69 and six for 76, being the sole cutting edge of the England attack with Willsher unable to play. The combined team hit up 151 and 221 (T.Lockyer 62). The England scores were 203, before utterly collapsing in the second innings for 59, Caffyn taking nine for 29. George Parr was the sole batsman to cope, scoring 25 not out. Only three England batsmen were bowled as Surrey/Sussex won by 110 runs. A week later, at Hove, England were embarrassed again, being bowled out by Wisden and Griffith for a mere 33 and 51. Surrey & Sussex won by an innings and 39 despite scoring no more than 123 themselves. For the third innings in succession Jackson bowled throughout, a total of 38.3 overs in which he took eight wickets for 45. With more bowling support for Jackson the scoring would have been low enough to justify a visit from today’s pitch inspectors! Jackson’s other five first-class matches in 1857 were all for the North of England, three of them against the South and the other two against Surrey. In these games he took a further forty-seven wickets. In the match at Kennington Oval on 9 July against Surrey he was made to work hard for his wickets, bowling a total of 53 overs to take four for 84. Caffyn hit 60 for Surrey before Jackson bowled him. Surrey finished on 226 and bowled the North out for 81 and 176, leaving the County side to get 32 to win. They reached 30 for one and then Jackson took three wickets in an over. He had H.H.Stephenson caught off the first ball, bowled F.P.Miller with the second and then bowled G.Griffith with the fourth and last ball of the over. Surrey scrambled the last two runs at the other end to win by six wickets, Jackson finishing with three for 11 off 11 overs.