Jack Simmons Life Story Part Five

After 21 years as a Lancashire player, the club's home ground had become a second home to him.

He knew the trip from his home in Great Harwood to Manchester like the back of his hand.

But with his business venture, Bowlers Leisure Centre, being so close to his old stamping ground in Trafford Park, it was sometimes agony. But not always.

He said: "It was difficult going back to Old Trafford once I'd retired. Working at Bowlers, I was about five minutes away but it took me until halfway through the season to feel able to go.

"I was made to feel very welcome when I went into the dressing room. Dexter Fitton had taken my place and it made me feel better when they played their first away game at The Oval.

"Surrey had made about 700-9 declared and the bowling analysis for Fitton was something like 3-180 and I knew I'd retired at the right time."

But Jack wasn't about to shuffle off into the cricketing wilderness and he certainly wasn't forgotten.

In 1990, he became Jack Simmons MBE for his services to cricket - an occasion he ranks as his proudest moment.

And he wasn't forgotten at Stanley Park either as Blackpool invited him back to the place he perfected his art over two decades earlier.

"Blackpool asked me to go back and pro on a two-year contract and I enjoyed that," he said.

"I'd always had that affinity with them. They'd helped me tremendously, even before I went as pro in 1968, so it was good to go. We had Kelly then, our daughter, and she was 11 and they offered me, as part of the contract, to stay at The Savoy for the weekend.

"I really enjoyed that. On Sunday morning, we could go for a walk or go and play crazy golf or whatever.

"It was good to do that as a family because I'd had very little time to spend with Kelly over those early years.

"Cricket takes over your life because you are away a lot and even when I was at home, I'd leave at 8am and not get back until 8pm, so Jacqueline did a great job with Kelly.

"Blackpool had a very good team and in the first year we won three trophies and in the second year, I did even better because I think I had 1,000 runs with the bat and I was bowling about 25 overs a game, even though I was 50.

"After my contract had finished, they wanted me to stay on as amateur but there were some good kids and I didn't want to take that position."

Even then, Jack was still in demand and he made a late return to another of his old clubs, Baxenden in the Ribblesdale League, as an amateur.

He said: "I was going to pack up because I'd never had any time off during the summer for a period of about 30-odd years.

"Baxenden came to me and said they had some good young players and would I come and help bring these youngsters on.

"I said I would because Jimmy Duckworth was chairman and I'd played with Jimmy. And again, they'd helped me tremendously in my early years when I was pro there.

"I told them I couldn't play every week because I wanted a holiday and the whole family went abroad - the first time we'd all done it in 31 years.

"They put pressure on me because I scored a few runs and took a few wickets, and you might even get more than what the pro got. We won the league in my second year with them."

But nobody can go on forever and it was after another sparkling performance that Jack's body gave him a hint that it was time to hang up his boots for good.

He added: "Against one of the top sides, I got a hundred and they asked me to play in the Ramsbottom Cup game the day after, for which I wasn't down to play.

"And I was so enthused because of getting a hundred at the age of 51 that I agreed to play.

"But the following morning, I could hardly walk down the stairs. I had to walk down sideways.

"To play in the Cup game for Bash, I spent an hour and a half in the bath before I went up to the ground.

"I was stiffening up again while I was sat waiting to go in and I didn't get any runs. That's when it hit me that I had to pack up in 1992.

"I sub-pro'd a couple of times and they got me out of retirement a couple of times, but I wasn't being fair to myself. The encouragement I was still getting was fine, but I wasn't being fair to my body. Just because of my love for the game, I was tempted back. But it was taking too much out of my body.

"I captained the MCC on a couple of tours and played for the Bengal International XI and even though you were getting on, they expected you to perform.

"That didn't bother me because I would give other players to do well in front of me."

Jack hung up his boots in 1992 but was soon back at Old Trafford - this time on the committee.

And there was never a dull moment.

He said: "When I went onto the committee at first, I said very little for the first 12 months.

"They would ask me if they were talking on a cricket subject and I would give my opinion. Brian Statham was on it when I first joined. His view was gospel as far as anybody else was concerned. Brian was a very quiet man and didn't say a lot unless he was asked, but I thought his involvement should have been more.

"The only disagreement I had was when I was lobbied to sack Alan Ormrod, probably because they knew that I wouldn't be voting to sack him.

"I can remember going into a meeting and they had changed the agenda as soon as we got in and they dealt with cricket straight away and the issues was about sacking Alan Ormerod. I asked what it was all about and they said it was because Lancashire weren't doing too well at that time.

"David Hughes had joined Alan on the coaching staff and Alan was looking after the seconds most of the time and leaving David with the first team. The first team was doing badly and the second team were doing well.

"Alan had complained of interference in what he was doing and wouldn't say who it was. It turned out to be the chairman so the daggers were out.

"We played Yorkshire at Headingley and bob tackled all of the sub-committee who were there that Alan would be sacked and they all agreed bar me.

"I said to them how could they sack Alan because they had been brought on as a pair. They had success as captain and coach and now you brought them on as two coaches together so surely you should be sacking Yosser as well.

"But they'd all been lobbied and that was the end of Alan.

"David was like the captain/coach of the first team. He always said he didn't want to coach. He'd like to be manager because he was very good at the organisation of the side but not coach. They said they would have to ask him but for his job is he really going to say no?

"David lived near Warrington and he was at Old Trafford in 10 minutes flat, so if it wasn't planned I don't know what."

But it wasn't long before Jack became the top man at Old Trafford - a position he still holds to this day.

Simmons on Committee: "When I went onto the committee at first, I said very little for the first 12 months.

"They would ask me if they were talking on a cricket subject and I would give my opinion. Brian Statham was on it when I first joined. His view was gospel as far as anybody else was concerned. Brian was a very quiet man and didn't say a lot unless he was asked, but I thought his involvement should have been more.

"The only disagreement I had was when I was lobbied to sack Alan Ormrod, probably because they knew that I wouldn't be voting to sack him.

"I can remember going into a meeting and they had changed the agenda as soon as we got in and they dealt with cricket straight away and the issue was about sacking Alan Ormerod. I asked what it was all about and they said it was because Lancashire weren't doing too well at that time.

"David Hughes had joined Alan on the coaching staff and Alan was looking after the seconds most of the time and leaving David with the first team. The first team was doing badly and the second team were doing well.

"Alan had complained of interference in what he was doing and wouldn't say who it was. It turned out to be the chairman so the daggers were out.

"We played Yorkshire at Headingley and bob tackled all of the sub-committee who were there that Alan would be sacked and they all agreed bar me.

"I said to them, how could they sack Alan because they had been brought on as a pair.

"They had success as captain and coach and now you brought them on as two coaches together, so surely you should be sacking Yosser as well.

"But they'd all been lobbied and that was the end of Alan.

"David was like the captain-coach of the first team, but he always said he didn't want to coach."

Simmons on Captaincy: "The fact that I wasn't the captain of Lancashire is probably my own fault.

Cyril Washbrook came to me in 1980 at Southport and he told me what a good job I'd done captaining in Tasmania.

I was 40 and I still wanted to play. If you say that today they would think you were from Mars.

He asked me if I would like to do it at Lancashire. I said the difference was that, at Lancashire, we had 11 professionals, over there was only myself and John Hampshire so you know that you know more about the game than the other players.

I'd always been a team man and if I was thinking who should be captain I would have to go for Clive Lloyd. With the experience he had captaining the West Indies and his man-management, be it with the side he had a lot of people felt that Tom, Dick or Harry could captain them.

But to say to Andy Roberts "you're not bowling well, here you go Michael Holding you have a go," that's a big thing.

He also had the respect on the field and that's why to me he was the best man for the job at that time.

We also had quite a few Test players in that era. It wouldn't have worried me captaining them even though I hadn't played for England.

But I felt for the unity and the bonding it would be better for Clive to do it.

From what I heard later, the vote went seven to six in Clive's favour.

Now I'm very disappointed that I didn't do it and it's a big regret of mine.

I was vice-captain for about 15 years, and did captain the side on many occasions, but to have been the figurehead would have been an honour.

I'm positive I was right in what I did with regards to Clive but it was after that I thought I should have had it - when either Frank Hayes or John Abrahams got it.

But my age was against me then but going on as long as I did, it wouldn't have mattered.

When you sit back and think about it, it's disappointing that you never had the role officially.

It would have been nice after being a capped player for 21 years, to have been captain, then to become a committee man and then chairman, it would have been nice.

I supported all the captains.

I didn't always agree. John I thought, probably was on more what other people thought of his captaincy decisions.

One decision, that I felt bad about, was when Neil Fairbrother made his debut at Edgbaston in 1983 and I was batting with him.

Bob Willis was captain of Warwickshire and he didn't want a debutant to get a hundred.

We were going for the bonus points and I told Neil just to concentrate on getting a hundred and let me worry about the bonus points.

Bob Willis was putting everybody on the edge for Neil and bringing them in for me so it was hard for Neil to score quickly.

What I didn't know was that once we get to 250 he was going to declare. With the way he was playing, John should have let Neil get his hundred and then brought us in.

But he didn't and Neil Fairbrother missed the chance of making his first ton.

I hit over the top, and hit it so well it went for six, to get the bonus point and Bob Willis, who was stood at mid off, turned around and walked straight off.

I said: We're not moving Neil.' He said it didn't matter. But I said: Oh it does, you can't get a hundred on your debut ever again. Stay there.' Bob Willis walked off and we stayed for a bit and then we walked off.

When we got to the dressing room, the door was closed. I opened the door and threw that bat in and said to John If you want to play for the opposition, you will never have the respect of your own team.' He said that if I wanted to talk about it, we could go into the shower area and discuss it.

He said to me that he had given his word to Willis. I said: That lad can never ever now get a hundred on debut. And for the sake of a few runs and maybe one more over, you were willing to not oppose Bob Willis over one of your own.' Once I said my piece we put it to one side.

With Frank, I used to disagree with him when we went out to look at the wicket."