Lives in Cricket No 43 - John Jackson

57 crowd that the team selection had favoured ‘outsiders’ before local men. The XXII won by 54 runs. Jackson, batting at No. 9, came in at 88 for seven and hit up 37, with some brilliant hitting. He also took nine wickets in the match. E.Stephenson hit 82 for the Halifax side but, as he had already faced the AEE on behalf of XVIII of Sheffield, this perfectly illustrates what Haygarth and the local crowd were concerned about. Some 8,000 to 10,000 spectators watched the three days play, with the Halifax ladies in their finery adding beauty and lustre to the scene. The band of the West Yorkshire Rifles played music during the luncheon interval. The police had to eject some rowdy members of the crowd who were trying to watch the game without paying admission money At Old Trafford on 4 June Jackson took three wickets in a drawn match with XVIII of Manchester Broughton Club. A lengthy trip down to Southampton to play XXII of Southampton Union on 8, 9, and 10 June saw the AEE win by 65 run, with Jackson taking nineteen wickets thus avenging their 1862 defeat at the same venue. The Southampton Times spoke of the enormous interest generated by the match, with immense crowds attending despite the often threatening weather. The paper recorded that the long-stopping of Mr Lucas for Southampton with great admiration. Jackson bowled ten of his second innings victims. At Earlsheaton near Dewsbury on 15, 16 and 17 June the XXII were supplemented by the likes of E.Stephenson of Sheffield and I.Hodgson of Bradford. Stephenson top-scored with 46 and Hodgson took ten wickets, the assistance from outsiders materially assisting Dewsbury’s innings win. Jackson took seven wickets in Dewsbury’s only innings. In the next AEE match at Salford against XVIII of Manchester Broughton on 18, 19 and 20 June he took nine wickets in each innings of the local XVIII as the AEE won by four wickets. The local paper at Redditch, the town where the AEE played their next match on 25 June against XXII of Redditch, gave the match blanket coverage, labelling it one of the ‘events’ in the history of the town. Over 1,000 people attended each day’s play and the Rifle Corps band was there to keep the crowd entertained. One shilling was charged for admission and a tastefully erected evergreen entrance was surmounted by the motto ‘Success to Cricket’. Jackson took 12 wickets and Hayward scored an unbeaten 71 for the AEE with the bowling of Jackson being likened to ‘a strong-arm pounding at the walls’. The second AEE innings lasted until 6.00 pm on the third day and the Redditch XXII were 17 for seven (Jackson two wickets) when the match ended. 2, 3 and 4 July saw the AEE back in Yorkshire playing XXII of Morley and District who were defeated by 6 runs. Jackson took 13 wickets and was top scorer with 36 in the AEE second innings. There was a dispute in this match as to whether a hit by J.Rowbotham should count as a six. He hit the ball through the main entrance gate on to the road where a passer-by stopped it. After a heated discussion in which the local umpire insisted that such a hit should only count three, it was agreed that six was more appropriate. At the Height of His Powers