Jack Smart

Who was Jack Smart?

John Abbotts Smart was an English first-class cricketer and Test match umpire.

Smart was born in Forest Hill near Marlborough in Wiltshire, into a cricketing family. His father was a professional cricketer for Wiltshire; and his brother Cyril Smart played first-class cricket for Warwickshire and Glamorgan, who set a world record in 1935 by hitting 34 runs off one over. Two other brothers played as professionals at clubs in Wales.

Smart worked as a miner before becoming a professional county cricketer. He played Minor Counties cricket for Wiltshire from 1910 to 1912, and made his first-class cricket debut for Warwickshire in 1919, playing alongside his brother Cyril from 1920 to 1922. He became a regular fixture in the Warwickshire side from 1920, playing 238 games in all. He began as an attacking batsman and occasional off break bowler, but became the team's wicket-keeper after the retirement of Tiger Smith in 1930, catching 317 victims while standing behind the stumps and stumping 105. He made 79 dismissals in 1932, a then county record which was bettered by Geoff Humpage in 1985. He scored a total of 3,425 runs in 340 innings, at the relatively low batting average of 11.53, including 9 half-centuries, and a high score of 68 not out against Worcestershire in 1922. He took 22 wickets at a bowling average of 57.36, with best bowling of 3/31 against Northamptonshire in 1922.