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Lancashire player number 74 - Jackson, Edward
by Don Ambrose


Player:E Jackson

Lancashire 1871-85
Born 17.3.1849 Caton, Lancaster.
Died 24.11.1926 Overton, Flintshire.

He was educated at Amersham House, near Reading.

He went to live in Huyton, near Liverpool, and was one of the early players at the newly formed cricket club there, being an effective amateur wicket-keeper. He played regularly for the Huyton club up to 1890, and occasionally in mid-week fixtures for Sefton.

He was a well built man, 6ft in height and weighing 14 stone. A tail end right-hand batsman and a wicketkeeper. He was a wicketkeeper of the type called by W.G.Grace "ambidextrous." That is he could take the ball one-handed on both sides of the wicket. Jackson relates the following incident in an article in The Liverpool Courier of 26th June 1921 : - "The first time I played against W.G.Grace was at Eaton Hall, Chester. It is many years ago, but still has an interest for me, as I think I made an impression upon W.G. which he never forgot. We were 18 in the field, and when he came in to bat I had him out before you could say "knife." It was a one-handed stump, wide on the leg side. Old Perry (the Liverpool groundsman) was umpiring, and promptly shook his head, and W.G. looked at me as much as to say, "Don't you do that again," but I did, and had him out several times. Still the umpires were obdurate. After the fourth appeal I sent the ball back to the bowler in rather a temper, and W.G.Looked round at me and said, whisperingly, "What do you think the crowd's here for?" and before I had time to collect my thoughts he added smilingly, "To see me bat." "Oh," I said!"

In 1871 he was selected to play for Lancashire for the first time, against Yorkshire at Sheffield, where he did well and recounts that he received much good advice from Pinder, the Yorkshire 'keeper. That year he also played against Kent at Old Trafford and visited Warwick with the Gentlemen of Lancashire.

He was invited to join the first English team to visit America in 1872 but was taken ill in the hotel in Liverpool the day before they sailed. He was also said to be W.G.Grace's selection for the Australian trip the following year, but had to decline due to illness.

He played for Lancashire whenever his work as a manufacturer of oils and paint allowed, until 1877 when the county employed a full-time professional wicket-keeper in Richard Pilling.

In his collection of newspaper cuttings was one covering the Lancashire v Yorkshire match at Old Trafford in June 1875 describing "Jackson stood wicket - in a very ugly jersey." Why did he keep it? Perhaps a family joke.

When he retired he moved to Ivy Cottage, Overton, and is buried in the churchyard there.

At the time of his death Overton was in a detached part of Flintshire that was later absorbed into Shropshire, and later into Denbighshire (Clywyd). Since being buried he has been in three counties and two countries!


(Article: Copyright © 2004 Don Ambrose)

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