Lives in Cricket No 43 - John Jackson

93 Acknowledgements The trigger for this book was an article which appeared in the Liverpool Daily Post on Monday 7 September 2009 about a headstone to a famous cricketer which had been erected to the memory of John Jackson in Smithdown Road Cemetery, Liverpool. Reading the article I realised what a fascinating story could be woven around the life of this great fast bowler and I set about finding some of the relatives mentioned in the paper. Thus I came to talk to Raymond Summers, grandson of Jackson’s son Harry, and Peter Collins who through his grandmother Lucie is a great- grandson of John Jackson. I spent a day with Peter and his charming wife Pat at their home near Ludlow when Peter has assembled photographs and memorabilia relating to his great-grandfather. I shall never forget their hospitality and kindness or Peter’s generosity in allowing me to have and to use copies of family photographs as well as copies of articles on Jackson’s career. This kick-started my quest to find out more about Jackson’s life. A visit to Peter Wynne-Thomas in the Trent Bridge Library opened up new lines of enquiry. To all of them go my thanks. I have used Arthur Haygarth’s Scores and Biographies as my primary match source, supplemented by contemporary accounts culled from local newspapers. I acknowledge the help that I was most freely and generously given by the staff at the following libraries in tracing reports of matches that John Jackson had played at their local grounds:- Accrington, Ashton-under Lyne, Barnsley, Bath, Bishop’s Stortford, Blackburn, Bolton, Bradford, Bristol, Bury St Edmunds, Burnley, Carlisle, Chatham, Darlington, Derby, Dewsbury, Dudley, Durham, Godalming, Harrogate, Hereford, Huddersfield, Hull, Kendal, Leamington Spa, Leeds, Lincoln, Liverpool, Macclesfield, Manchester, Mansfield, Melton Mowbray, Middlesbrough, Newport (Mon), Neath, Nottingham, Oakham, Oldham, Peterborough, Plymouth, Redditch, Redruth, Retford, Scarborough, Sheffield, Sleaford, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Tavistock, Truro, Wakefield, Walsall and York. Scanning this list you can see how widely and extensively the All-England Eleven spread their net and it gives you some idea of the amount of travelling involved. Others who have helped include Mrs Christine Watts from The Museum of Wigan Life for helping to interpret census returns relating to the Jackson family. A word of thanks too to Newark Cricket Club where Jackson started his career for assistance with and confirmation of records and for providing a copy of the All England Eleven which hangs in their pavilion.