Lives in Cricket No 43 - John Jackson

74 Chapter Ten Injury Strikes Years of overbowling finally began to take their toll of John Jackson, and whilst playing for Nottinghamshire against Yorkshire at Trent Bridge, he fell heavily when chasing the ball. He was in great pain having burst a blood vessel behind his knee, an injury which not only ended his season but also virtually spelt the end of his first-class career. Although he was to appear in one final AEE v UAEE match in 1867 and continued to appear in odds-matches for the AEE in 1867 and, more spasmodically, until 1871, his career was now entering its final stages. John Jackson’s first-class season started at Lord’s on 21, 22 and 23 May in the annual AEE v UAEE match which was played for the benefit of the Cricketers Fund Friendly Society. The match was well attended with 10,620 spectators passing through the turnstiles over the three days play. Gate takings were £150.1s on the first day (Whit Monday), £100.8s on the second day and £17 on the third – a total of £267.9s. This was the sixteenth match between the two great professional elevens, both teams having won seven matches with two games finishing in draws. Both sides in this game were composed of Northern players as the Southern professionals had formed themselves into a new team – the United South of England Eleven. In this match, which the UAEE won by 69 runs, Jackson bowled 20 overs in the second innings, taking one for 19, his wicket being that of his old antagonist, Robert Carpenter, who was caught and bowled. John Smith scored 62 for the UAEE whose totals of 186 and 148 outscored the AEE’s 115 and 153. The AEE’s highest scorer, W.Oscroft, hit 86 in a valiant attempt to rescue a lost cause. New stars were appearing on both sides J.C.Shaw of Nottinghamshire took five wickets in his first appearance in a big match while making his debut for the UAEE was George Freeman, from Boroughbridge in Yorkshire, a fine bowler who was to prove a worthy successor to Jackson and Tarrant in the years to come. In this particular game though, the star bowler for the UAEE was George Howitt who took thirteen for 129 with some hideously fast break-backs and bumpers. He felled Richard Daft with a blow on the chin with a particularly nasty delivery. John Jackson played in three County matches for Nottinghamshire. In the first of these at Fenner’s on 31 May, 1 and 2 June, Nottinghamshire beat Cambridgeshire by eight wickets, with Jackson taking seven wickets for 36 runs in 30.1 overs in the match. Nottinghamshire made 270 and 34 for two. Cambridgeshire were bowled out for 138 and 164. In the return fixture at Trent Bridge on 5 July, Cambridgeshire did much better. Hayward made 73 and Carpenter 57 out of a total of217, and Nottinghamshire