John Manners (cricketer)

John Errol Manners DSC (born 25 September 1914) is a former English cricketer and naval officer. He was born in Exeter, Devon, the son of Sir Errol Manners KBE, who was an admiral and an author on theology.^[1]

Cricket career

A right-handed batsman, Manners made his first-class debut for Hampshire in 1936 against Gloucestershire, scoring 81.^[2] He represented Hampshire in four first-class matches during the 1936 season. His next first-class appearance came after the Second World War for the Combined Services against Gloucestershire. During the 1947 County Championship Manners represented Hampshire in a single first-class match against Kent, where he scored 121, his maiden first-class century.^[3] In 1948 Manners played his final two first-class matches for Hampshire, against Derbyshire and Essex. In his seven first-class matches for Hampshire he scored 355 runs at a batting average of 32.27 with a high score of 121.

Manners played a further ten first-class matches for the Combined Services, scoring three more centuries, including his highest first-class score of 147 against Gloucestershire in 1948^[4] and 123 against the New Zealanders in 1949.^[5] His final first-class match for the Combined Services came against Gloucestershire in the 1953 season. In his twelve first-class matches for the Combined Services, Manners scored 792 runs at an average of 34.43, with three centuries and two half centuries.

In 1952 Manners played a single match for the Marylebone Cricket Club, of which he has been a member since 1937, against his former club Hampshire. His final first-class match was for the Free Foresters against Oxford University in 1953.

Naval and later career

Manners' cricket career was restricted by his career as an officer in the Royal Navy. He was able to play only when he had a shore posting or shore leave. In 1936 he served on the Royal yacht and was able to play cricket, but from 1937 he served on torpedo boats in the Mediterranean Sea and the Far East. He served on destroyers during World War II, including HMS Eskimo.^[6] He was in command of HMS Viceroy when it sank the German U-boat U-1274 in April 1945. He was awarded the DSC and finished the war with the rank of Lieutenant commander.^[7] In 1947 he was appointed Naval Liaison Officer at Sandhurst. In 1953 he returned to sea, ending his first-class cricket career.

After he retired from the Navy in 1958 he worked as Bursar at Dauntsey's School in Wiltshire.^[8] He is the author of the books Country Crafts Today (1974), Country Crafts in Pictures (1976), Crafts of the Highlands and Islands (1978) and Irish Crafts and Craftsmen (1982).

References

External links

• John Manners at Cricinfo
• John Manners at CricketArchive
• Matches and detailed statistics for John Manners
• Lists of oldest cricketers