Famous Cricketers No 74 - Bill Edrich

Edrich was short, dark, and keen-eyed, with brisk lithe movements. A man of ardent amorous energies, he was married five times, each for relatively short periods. His first four marriages ended in divorce, and his fifth wife outlived him briefly. His first marriage, in 1936, to Betty ended in divorce in 1944 and in the same year he married Marion, an officer in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, and they were divorced in 1948. In 1949 he married Jessy Shaw; they had one son and the marriage ended in divorce in 1960. In the same year he married Brenda Valerie Terry and they had one son but the marriage ended in divorce in 1973. His fifth and final marriage, in 1983, was to Mary Elizabeth Somerville, whose previous marriage had been dissolved. Edrich died in Chesham as a result of a fall down the stairs around midnight at home, following a St. George’s Day celebration on 24 April 1986, but his name will live on at his beloved Lord’s where two stands at the Nursery End have been named the Edrich and Compton stands, being officially opened by Denis Compton and John Edrich in 1991. NOTE: An asterisk next to the Match Number indicates that Edrich was involved in a century partnership in that match. 7