Jack Manning (cricketer)

John Stephen Manning, usually known as Jack Manning, (11 June 1923 – 5 May 1988) was an Australian cricketer who played first-class cricket for South Australia and in England for Northamptonshire. He was born at Semaphore, South Australia and died at Adelaide, also in South Australia.

Manning was a left-handed lower order batsman and a left-arm orthodox spin bowler.

Manning was a late starter in first-class cricket and did not make his debut for South Australia until he was 28: thereafter, he was pretty much a regular in the team for two-and-a-half seasons. He took useful wickets and made occasional useful runs but did not, in 19 matches for the team, ever take five wickets in an innings. His best bowling for the South Australia team was four wickets for 39 in the game against Victoria in 1952-53, the season when South Australia won the Sheffield Shield. In most of his state games for South Australia Manning played alongside future Test bowler Jack Wilson, who was a left-arm spin bowler of similar type.

In 1954, Manning moved to England where he played in Lancashire League cricket for Colne for two seasons while waiting to qualify for County Championship cricket with Northamptonshire. He was an immediate success in the 1956 season, when he took 116 wickets: Wisden Cricketers' Almanack noted that "his immaculate length and sharp spin made an excellent foil to the subtle variations of [George] Tribe". Manning was awarded his County cap in his first season, which was also, with a fourth-place finish, Northamptonshire's best year in the County Championship since 1912. His best bowling of the season came in just the second match of the season, against the County Champions Surrey at The Oval, when his seven for 68 in the second innings against a full-strength Surrey team led to victory by seven wickets.