Lives in Cricket No 20 - Maurice Tompkin

constant companion and mentor of his cricketing career so far would not be with him. May Day, 1948 saw the much anticipated visit of Bradman’s Australians. On his habitual early-morning walk, Maurice met his paper boy about to deliver his morning newspaper: Off to the match today, Ian? Sure am. I’m going to watch Bradman score a century. Bet you a shilling he doesn’t. On Monday morning, Ian Riddington duly paid up his shilling. In arctic conditions on Saturday, Bradman had surprisingly succumbed, caught Corrall bowled Etherington 81. As John Arlott wrote: ‘He was annoyed with himself when he edged a ball from Etherington to be caught at the wicket, and the crowd’s disappointment was almost to be felt.’ At the time, young people were generally expected to be seen and not heard. This would not do for Maurice. He always had a word for younger people. Antony Littlewood remembers when the county were practising in a Leicester Tech building at West Bridge just over the river from the Tech very close to the old station on the Leicester to Swannington line: I remember that there were four, I think, nets. In the further ones Charles Palmer and Bill Ashdown were organizing (largely, it seemed, the captain rather than the coach) very serious practice, but always in the first net, by themselves, with another player sent along to bowl or bat, were Maurice Tompkin and Jack Walsh. The other players were usually not the most senior; Jackson and Palmer, for instance, never came when I was there. I was allowed to stand at the side of the entrance to this first net, peeping round the side to get an unobstructed view. No other player ever spoke to me but Maurice and Jack, especially Maurice. They were practising properly, but were also having an enormous amount of fun together, both when one was bowling to the other and most especially when they were bowling in tandem: then they would look at each other after each ball and Maurice would often say something like ‘Let’s try a top-spinner now!’ Maurice on occasion would turn to me and ask me either if I thought that such-and-such a ball would be a good idea or even what he should bowl next. I do not think that Charles Palmer approved of this, but he was far too wise to interfere and rebuke the two finest players in his side. On one occasion Maurice even asked me if I should like some chocolate, and then went off to the changing-room to fetch some, which the three of us then shared. Apart from having to part with a shilling, Ian was doubtless disappointed that his Dad was not playing, for Tony Riddington had been injured in pre-season practice. In fact, Leicestershire lost by an innings, and Maurice failed twice, but secretary George Elliott was doubtless smiling all the way to the bank. Though the match was played in miserable conditions, an estimated 16,000 attended on Saturday – an excited Leicester Mercury had War and Peace, 1940 to 1949 59