John Manners

John Errol Manners (25 September 1914 – 7 March 2020) was an English first-class cricketer and Royal Navy officer. The son of Admiral Sir Errol Manners, his naval career spanned from 1932 to 1958. He served in the Second World War and held several commands, earning the Distinguished Service Cross for his role in the sinking of the German submarine U-1274 in April 1945 while commanding the destroyer . As a first-class cricketer, Manners was a hard-hitting right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium pace bowler. He began his playing career with Hampshire in 1936, but found his availability limited due to his commitments as a naval officer. With his career further interrupted by the war, Manners returned to first-class cricket in 1947 after securing a shore-based position at Sandhurst. He played county cricket for Hampshire in 1947 and 1948, but played most of his first-class cricket after the war for the Combined Services cricket team. He scored over 1,000 runs in his first-class career, which included four centuries. Following his retirement from the navy, Manners worked for 18 years as the bursar at Dauntsey's School in Wiltshire. He was also a photographer who contributed to Country Life, and he had an interest in traditional country crafts, on which he wrote several books. In September 2018 he became the longest-lived first-class cricketer, surpassing the previous record of 103 years and 344 days held by Jim Hutchinson. Early life The son of the admiral and theologian Sir Errol Manners (1883–1953) and his Australian wife, Florence Maud Harrison (1883–1926), John Errol Manners was born in Exeter on 25 September 1914. He was the middle of three brothers: Errol Rodney Manners (1910–1988) and Errol Adrian 'Sherard' Manners (1920–1990); there was also a sister, Angela (born 1918). He was descended from John Manners, 2nd Duke of Rutland. He was educated at Ferndown School, before attending Britannia Royal Naval College as a cadet from the age of 13, following in a family tradition of studying in Dartmouth, Devon. His time as a cadet saw him visit the West Indies and appear for the college in the schools' match at Lord's in 1930. A year prior to attending Britannia, his mother died. Manners would later remark that she had been ill for most of his childhood and that he had few memories of her.