For a time John Jackson was one of the fastest bowlers in England. He was tall, upright and strong and, according to Richard Daft, "had a peculiar habit of blowing his nose with a loud report whenever he took a wicket ... he was called "Foghorn" on this account." Daft added that Jackson was a rough-and -tumble character who was often involved in scrapes. On the unprepared wickets of the 1850s he made an immediate impact, and even though his style was more round-arm, his height and power made him a fearsome opponent. In 1859 he toured America, and in 1863-64 Australia with George Parr. But his form began to decline from then on, and in 1866 his career was effectively ended when he ruptured a blood vessel in his leg while playing for Nottinghamshire against Yorkshire. He was also a more than capable batsman who liked nothing more than to hit the ball hard and high. After the injury, which laid him up for 20 weeks, he cast a sorry figure, ending up subsisting on handouts and he dying in Liverpool Workhouse Infirmary aged 69.
Martin Williamson