Lives in Cricket No 43 - John Jackson

59 Jackson’s next game for the AEE was on 7, 8 and 9 September against XXII of Hull at the Kingston Ground. The match was won by six wickets with Jackson taking three wickets. The match was interrupted by a hurricane which blew down many of the tents erected for the occasion. At York on 10 September the match against XXII of York and District attracted numerous spectators and the Band of the 16th Lancers was present. On a ground, made heavy by recent rain, the York team missed several catches, but the long-stopping of Stott drew regular applause. In those days long-stop was a very important fielding position, reducing the number of byes conceded on rough wickets by wicket-keepers. Jackson took 12 wickets and the AEE won by 83 runs. The final match of the season was at Royal Park, Leeds against a local XXII. Jackson took 11 wickets in a drawn game and E.M.Grace distinguished himself by taking seven catches. We should mention a match in which Jackson played as a given man for his home town of Retford against the AEE on 3, 4 and 5 September as among his victims were E.M.Grace, T.Hayward, H.H.Stephenson, G.Tarrant and Julius Caesar. Jackson’s season began as early as 6 April with amatch for Nottinghamshire against XXII Nottinghamshire Colts in which he took nine for 9 in the first innings followed by another three in the second innings. In a return match on 28 and 29 September he took four for 27 and ten for 18 in another rain-ruined match. He also played for Nottinghamshire against XIV Free Foresters at Trent Bridge on 13, 14 and 15 August in a match which ended in a tie. At the Height of His Powers