Jimmy Jones kept wicket initially for Somerset during 1922 and 1923, before qualifying for Glamorgan for whom he appeared in eight matches between 1928 and 1929.
A career in professional sport had seemed highly unlikely when, aged fourteen, Jimmy’s right arm was badly crushed in an underground accident at Blackwell Colliery. He returned to work after several months in hospital but remained above ground as an engine driver, at Manton Colliery near Worksop, besides playing with credit as a forceful left-handed batsman for the works team.
Despite still having restricted movement in his right arm, Jimmy’s feisty batting and tidy glovework drew the attention of several talent scouts and in 1920 he was offered professional terms by Chard CC. Some forthright innings for the West Country club saw him make his first-class debut for Somerset against Warwickshire at Taunton. He lost in place in the county’s side during 1924 and following a winter coaching in Bermuda, Jimmy joined Gowerton CC and later Neath CC.
His decent performances in the South Wales and Monmouthshire League saw him join Glamorgan’s staff in 1928 as understudy to Danny Sullivan, during which time he appeared in eight matches for the Welsh county, plus a couple of games for Wales, against Sussex and the 1929 South Africans. He proved to still be a capable man behind the stumps, as well as a forceful batsman, scoring 75 against Essex at Leyton, but he lost his place on the Glamorgan staff at the end of 1929 following the emergence of Trevor Every, the prodigiously talented young wicket-keeper from Llanelli.
Jimmy returned to club cricket with Briton Ferry CC, before coaching at Denstone College as well as various other schools in west London. In later life, he became a publican in Bristol and ran the The Old Duke in King Street where he gleefully mixed with the actors appearing on stage at the nearby Bristol Old Vic Theatre. His brother Harry was professional footballer with Notts Forest FC and won an England cap against France in Paris in 1923.
JONES, James
Born – Blackwell, Derbyshire, 15th February 1895 .
Died – Bristol, 19th December 1953.
Best performances for Glamorgan:
In first-class cricket – 75 v Essex at Leyton, 1928.
| M | I | NO | RUNS | AV | 100 | 50 | CT | ST | |
| First-class | 8 | 13 | 1 | 326 | 27.16 | – | 4 | 12 | 8 |