Maureen Jackson

Maureen Jackson died in a road accident at Waterbeach on 14 July 1963.

She had been in a car with her husband that was driven by a well-known Potten and St Neots cricketer, aged 25. Her husband was also hurt in the crash.

Maureen Jackson had only recently married in March 1963.

The accident was said to have happened at the on the Ely side of Slap Up crossroads on the Cambridge to Ely road, just before midnight.

The cricketer, whose main occupation was that of surveyor and who had lived in Hoadlery Road in Cambridge, said that they had been returning home after playing cricket at Peterborough. He said that they first drove to Sutton to take his lady friend home and that whilst he was out of the car that Maureen Jackson moved from the back seat to the front seat.

He said that he remembered driving off towards home, but could not remember anything after that.

Maureen Jackson's husband said that he could remember no more about the accident than the cricketer.

The driver of the other car, a lorry driver from Meadowlands, Witchford, Ely, said that he vaguely remembered driving around about the 'Slap Up' crossroads, but that his mind was a blank with regards to the circumstances. It was noted that he had also been playing cricket that day. The lorry driver had been playing cricket in Peterborough.

Another driver, who had lived in Witchford, and a friend of the cricketer, said that he had been driving in front of the other driver and that he had signalled an oncoming car to dip his headlights and it did. He said that he could see in his driving mirror the headlights of the other man's car and a pair of red lights and said that the red lights and the headlights of the other car then both went out suddenly.

He said that they had met earlier at an Indian cafe where they had a meal together and afterwards left together, but didn't drive away together. He said that he caught up with the cricketers car as they were leaving Cambridge on the Ely Road and that he overtook him after which he knew that he was behind him for the rest of the way. He said that when he reached Slap Up crossroads that he had been driving about 30 or 40 mph when he signalled for the oncoming car to dip its headlights, after which the crash happened.

Another man that had been in the cricketer's friends car, said that he also saw the lights go out. He said that he knew that the other car had been behind them, but denied that they had been racing.

A police constable said that he found both cars tail to tail, facing ditches on each side of the road and Maureen Jackson lying half out of the car.

Both cars were said to have been extensively damaged.

The inquest heard that Maureen Jackson died from lacerations and a ruptured main artery to her heart.

The Coroner said that it was almost impossible for anyone to reconstruct what happened. He said that both cars might have turned a complete circle, or they may have somersaulted, and that he could not say anyone was to blame. He added:

The jury then retired for three minutes before returning a unanimous open verdict.