Frank, at the age of thirty, enjoyed quite a first-class debut as he bowled Hampshire to victory during the final afternoon of the match as he claimed five wickets in the closing twenty minutes as his new employers won with two minutes to spare. But his time with the South Coast club was not a happy one, with tales of a ready temper, a few excesses off the field, and several clashes with Lionel Tennyson. After one dispute in 1920, following a heavy night`s drinking, Tennyson yet again questioned Frank about whether he was in a fit enough condition to play. Frank responded by literally walking out on the county club. After his binge the night before, he barely had two pennies to rub together, so Frank hitch-hiked his way to Bristol and approached his friend Charlie Tayler about the possibility of arranging an introduction to the Gloucestershire committee and a fresh start in the West Country.
After only a couple of years on the county circuit, Frank had already gained a reputation for heavy drinking and a tendency for flying off the handle if he did not get his way. Charlie therefore thought better of Frank’s polite enquiry, and instead advised him to approach another old friend, Jack Nash, the groundsman-professional at Cardiff, knowing that the Welsh county were looking to bolster their attack. Frank duly headed on to Cardiff and, over the August Bank Holiday weekend arrived at tge Arms Park, where Nash and his son were marking out a pitch for Cardiff’s afternoon fixture. By this time, Frank was in a quite disheveled state and, at first, Jack was unsure who the down and out actually was. After hearing his story about looking for employment, Jack took pity on his old friend, offered him a bath in the spacious Arms Park pavilion, provided him with a decent meal and even placed a few notes in his back pocket, before waiving Frank on his way to Swansea where Glamorgan were playing.
He continued his journey by foot, and on the Sunday, trudged through torrential rain, before arriving at the St. Helen’s ground, soaked through to the skin. Frank’s efforts though were well worth it as, after a brief chat with the county’s officials – who had been alerted by Nash that the taciturn spinner was on his way – an agreement was reached. Frank duly agreed terms with the Cardiff club before making his debut for Glamorgan in 1922 against HDG Leveson-Gower’s combined Oxbridge side. Having completed his qualification period in 1923, he became a regular in Glamorgan’s line-up. Frank soon proved to be a useful asset, especially as Jack Nash and Harry Creber had retired and he soon became Glamorgan’s first choice spinner. After Johnnie Clay switched styles, the left-armer also formed a potent partnership with the off-spinner, and wary of not losing another county contract, he initially showed more self-discipline off the field.
Following his move to South Wales, Frank shared lodgings with three other professionals – Eddie Bates, Jimmy Stone and Dai Davies. Their house was close to the Riverside Conservative club, and the four thirsty cricketers enjoyed calling into the club, not through any political allegiance but because of the club`s fine beer and excellent billiard table. It was here that Frank displayed another of his sporting skills, often winning handsome sums, or the promise of further drinks, as he displayed some amazing trick shots on the table.
On occasions, Frank and Eddie would also travel over by Campbell’s Steamer from Pier Head for an evening’s entertainment in Weston-super-Mare. The pair spent many happy evenings drinking and dancing in the Somerset resort, especially on a Saturday when they knew there was a day of rest ahead on the Sunday, but if their ventures came during the week, Eddie was quite prepared to act as something of a minder to Frank, ensuring that he was in one piece the next morning and could either practice hard in the nets and give his best out in the middle.
Opposite – Frank in 1924 at Worcester. Photo Credit – Glamorgan Cricket Archives.
In all, Frank played in 215 matches for the Welsh county and claimed 913 wickets with his high flowing action. His best bowling figures of 8/41 came against Derbyshire at the Arms Park in 1925. This was his finest season as he claimed 133 victims, followed by 106 in 1926. One of Frank’s first match-winning performances came at Swansea during 1924 as Lancashire chased a target of 146 on the final afternoon. Harry Makepeace and Ernest Tyldesley gave the Northern side a solid start and on 84-3 they appeared to have the measure of the bowling. But everything changed when Johnnie Clay sauntered over to Frank and told him that he would be coming on in, primarily in a bid to stem the flow of runs from the Lancashire bats. Frank had been very innocuous in his first spell, but Johnnie had great faith in the erratic and wayward genius. “Right, Frank”, he said, “it is now or never, ” and much to Johnnie’s delight, the left-armer responded with one of the finest ever spells of his career, taking 7/23 and proving to be virtually unplayable, as Lancashire fell 39 runs short of their target.
In the words of Jack Morgan, the correspondent of the Western Mail, “the Lancashire batsmen must have thought they were in the coils of a serpent. Bringing the ball down from his fine height, Ryan spun it like a top on the dusty surface, and batsman after batsman groped and lunged in vain as the ball spun wickedly passed their bats.” When the last wicket fell, Frank was carried shoulder high off the field by his fellow professionals, and much merry-making followed to celebrate the finest-ever Championship victory Glamorgan had recorded in their short history as a first-class county.
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