Lives in Cricket No 52 - Schooled in Cricket (2nd edition)

44 England. Windhill were already in the process of becoming Bradford League Champions for a third year running and Johnny was able to travel to Somerset first of all to play for a village team Cannington CC and then to go to Taunton to play on August 23 and 24 for Somerset Second XI in what was a friendly or ‘other match’ against Glamorgan Seconds, as neither side were in the Minor County Championship. Cannington is a village in the Quantock Hills near Bridgwater. He can’t have played many games for them though Somerset wanted him to play for them as part of his qualification for the county side. We do know thanks to Stephen Hill and Barry Phillips that in one game in August 1939 he took all ten wickets for ten runs against Wembdon which caused Wembon to be bowled out for 26 but that Cannington still contrived to lose by six runs. Johnny had an auspicious debut for Somerset seconds – being made captain for the match, scoring 63 in the first innings and taking six for 66 and the only wickets to fall in Glamorgan’s second innings, three for 34 in a drawn match. He did only slightly less well in the return fixture six days later at Cardiff Arms Park – again being made captain – with 26 and five for 95 in a drawn match which never got beyond the first innings. Johnny being ineligible for the first XI at this time as he was still qualifying was not debarred from twelfth man duties. Johnny writes: “I was acting twelfth man against Derbyshire when War broke out; the match was abandoned. I came back on the train from Taunton with Joe Hardstaff who was umpiring the game; it took about 16 hours to get home as we were pushed into a siding for evacuees trains coming from London to Wales.” His memory is ever so slightly mistaken. The Derbyshire match for which Johnny must have been twelfth man was sandwiched time-wise between these two second XI matches (August 26 to 29) and was played to a conclusion in Derbyshire’s favour. It must have been that latter second XI match which was abandoned early and Johnny returned Marriage and a move to Liverpool Northern and back