Famous Cricketers No 39 - D.C.S.Compton

February 1946 and played a few matches for Arsenal in the last of the wartime league competitions. His football record during the war had also included appearances for England in eight Wartime Internationals against Scotland and Wales between 1940/41 and 1943/44. None of these, of course, ranked as full internationals so that Denis was unable to join the exclusive band of those who had played for their country at both cricket and association football. All of his games were played in the outside left position, one that he made his own. The eagerly awaited resumption of first-class cricket in 1946 saw Compton off to a good start. He made two hundreds in a match for the first time, against Lancashire at Old Trafford in late May, but following a double century at Fenner’s, his first in England, he ran into a very poor spell of batting in which he scored a meagre nine runs in six innings including four ducks. One of these was in the First Test match at Lord’s, versus India. However his form picked up considerably after this and he finished the season with over two thousand runs and was never anything but a certain choice for the winter’s tour of Australia. England suffered heavily at the hands of Australia in the first post-war encounter between the two countries. The side, led by Walter Hammond, was generally an older one and they were unable to match the fine performances made by so many of the new Australians. England certainly suffered some bad luck in the opening game at Brisbane from the weather. Although Compton made some good scores in the earlier part of the tour he did not bat especially well in the first three Tests by which time England were two games down and the Ashes already retained by the Australians. In the fourth Test, at Adelaide, he came into his own at last by making scores of 147 and 103 not out. He finished the tour which included some games in New Zealand with the respectable aggregate of 1660 runs at an average of 61.48. 1947 and Compton’s golden performances therein have been much written about. Blessed with fine weather, Denis rarely knew what it was to fail. He beat two major long standing records by Tom Hayward and Jack Hobbs of the most runs in a season, 3816, and the most centuries, 18. His record against the South African tourists was remarkable, scoring six centuries at an average of 84.78. Although the tourists were beaten by three Tests to none in the five match rubber they acquitted themselves well in the two drawn games and might have won the First Test but for an unlikely partnership by the England tenth wicket pair. Compton’s bowling was at times extremely valuable and he took 73 wickets in all. Troubled by his knee Compton decided to give the winter tour of the West Indies a miss as he wanted to be fit for the much heralded visit of the Australians in 1948. He managed to play 14 League games for Arsenal in which he scored 6 goals. The 1948 season, although a disappointment for England who were heavily defeated by Australia, proved to be a most satisfactory one for Denis. He played a superb fighting innings in the First Test and put on 111 on the fourth morning, reaching his third successive Test match century on the Trent Bridge ground. At Old Trafford on a bad wicket he received a series of bumpers from Ray Lindwall, one of which flew onto his forehead causing him to retire hurt. Resuming his innings eventually, he put on 121 with Alec Bedser for the eight wicket and remained undefeated on 145. Rain prevented play at a vital stage in this game but for which England might have won. England went down to heavy defeats in the last two games. At Headingley England, despite making over 850 runs in the match, were comprehensively beaten by seven wickets. Compton’s bowling might have proved a match winner had Norman Yardley kept him on longer. His mixture of left-arm googlies and off-breaks caused some difficulty and chances were missed off him. 5