Jack Rippon was Haydn Davies’ understudy as a wicket-keeper in the immediate post-war years and appeared twice in 1947 besides being behind the timbers in the friendly match against Somerset at the start of the Club’s Championship-winning summer of 1948.
He was, quite literally a Swansea Jack, having been educated at Brynmill School, close to the St. Helen’s ground where he played, umpired and kept score for over fifty years. He had first played for Swansea CC as a fifteen-year old before appearing for the Glamorgan Colts during 1937.
Like so many of his generation, his career was interrupted by the Second World War. For Jack, his war experiences were brief as the military fireman was taken prisoner in 1940 at Dunkirk and for the rest of the War, he was in captivity in Prisoner of War camps in France and Belgium.
After being released in the Spring of 1945, Jack returned to South Wales and was fit enough to appear in July in Glamorgan’s fund-raising match against the New Zealand Services at St. Helen’s, besides representing the Swansea Central League in their charity games.
He subsequently joined the county’s staff in 1946 and the following year, quite appropriately, made his first-class debut on his home turf at Swansea in match against Warwickshire. With Haydn still on the sidelines, Jack appeared again in the away match with Northamptonshire at Kettering. He continued to be the regular wicket-keeper for Glamorgan’s 2nd XI until 1950, and was a regular in the Swansea CC line-up until 1958.
RIPPON, Thomas John
Born – Swansea, 6 July 1918.
Died – Sketty, Swansea, 29 December 1994.
Best performance for Glamorgan:
In first-class cricket – 30 v Northamptonshire at Kettering, 1947.
Batting and Fielding Record:
| M | I | NO | RUNS | AV | 100 | 50 | CT | ST | |
| First-class | 3 | 4 | 2 | 45 | 22.50 | – | – | – | 2 |
| Wartime | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4.00 | – | – | – | – |