Lives in Cricket No 20 - Maurice Tompkin

them in fourth position. The Leicester papers were full of the prospects of doing really well, saying how well the young and old elements of the team were playing together. So far this season, the appointed captain C.S.Dempster had played in seven out of eight matches, and F.T.Prentice’s absence, through injury, had not been felt because of Maurice’s success. Dempster’s absence from the next match, against Warwickshire, caused little anguish, as with George Geary in charge there were great hopes that the success of the 1935 side under Ewart Astill would be repeated. His decision to insert Warwickshire at Edgbaston after winning the toss was considered ‘bold’ and one that county captains seldom dared to do. No matter that Dempster’s replacement for the game was Alf Adcock ‘whose previous experience of a first-class cricket match was from the scorebox’, there was confidence that Leicestershire’s colts would rise to the challenge. Warwickshire’s 348 was surprisingly helped by Maurice dropping two catches in one over by Haydon Smith; in the next over he apparently made amends by catching Croom off Bill Flamson, but it was a no-ball. Geary’s unorthodoxy went unrewarded, however: Leicestershire followed on, but after rain they were forced to defend to avoid defeat. The next match, at Trent Bridge, was ruined by rain, with only four sessions of play possible: Leicestershire did not bat. The following game, an innings defeat by Lancashire in Les Berry’s benefit match was the county’s first loss of the season, but thereafter little went right for them. In the next match, J.W.A.Connolly of the Sunday Express watched Maurice’s innings against Nottinghamshire, and he was most impressed. Bill Voce was bowling at him on a difficult pitch: ‘When I saw him stand to Bill Voce, right bang square with the screen, and saw the confident way he punches the ball with beautifully cocked wrists, I jotted him down in that corner of my notebook reserved for stars of the future.’ Next, against Derbyshire, he was out for his first duck, bowled by George Pope, but he took ‘a high catch at backward point’ which the Leicester Evening Mail described as ‘splendid’. Later, Somerset so successfully escaped from defeat that they were able to set Leicestershire the target of 189 runs in two hours. At 19 for three, they were almost in with a chance, but Maurice, with an unbeaten 44, ensured that this did not happen. Leicestershire were on their travels around the county for their match against Worcestershire at Loughborough and made a disastrous start, Maurice coming in with the score 29 for three. He opened his account with a straight drive to the boundary off Dick Howorth, but Maurice found him difficult to get away, as he kept a perfect length and flighted the ball. He was dropped by Cooper at mid off. He was much more restrained than usual, but his first three scoring shots were ‘beautiful drives which left the fieldsman standing’. When he had reached 22, and the total 69, King brilliantly caught him at mid off. Leicestershire reached 269, and in reply Worcestershire scored 501 before declaring, a certain Mr C.H.Palmer scoring 50. Leicestershire’s second-innings collapse left Worcestershire requiring only 18 for victory. Leicestershire debut, 1938 and 1939 27