Lives in Cricket No 30 - MJK Smith

156 Acknowledgements of digging deeper to find out more. So it was, too, with Cynthia Thomas of the Broughton Astley Heritage Society, through whom were located the pictures of Mike’s old home and of the village blacksmith at work. Though Mike seems never to have owned a camera, he has gathered a good collection of team and action photographs from his playing days, and it was a welcome surprise to find a host of old scrap- books tucked away in a cupboard, initially the handiwork of a proud sport-loving mother, later maintained by Mike’s wife Diana. Above all I am grateful to Mike himself for placing his trust in my ability to paint a picture of his long life in sport. His hospitality has always made doubly pleasurable the visits to Broughton Astley in which he has given freely of his time to allow his memories and opinions to be recorded. With the instinct of a hoarder and a filing system that sometimes defies the principles of labelling, the sense of triumph has merely increased when the claim ‘I’ve got it somewhere’ has proven to be true. Where gaps were found in the pictures needed, Roger Mann has once again ridden to the rescue, while for the cover photograph I am indebted to Andrew Hignell, who was able to furnish exactly what we were looking for from the ACS’s newly-acquired Lee Collection. Philip Bailey has, as ever, provided useful statistical information. My thanks go to Kit Bartlett and Jenny Moulton for their scrupulous proofreading and to all at City Press who have taken the book to its published form. The casual reader has probably no conception of the value of David Jeater as editor. With a deep knowledge of the game, an enviable appreciation of correct syntax and a nose for what makes for a good read, David has steered the Lives in Cricket series through its first five years with a judicious mixture of encouragement and shrewd advice. Without shirking the unpalatable challenge of making clear what is simply not good enough, he has nevertheless steered clear of confrontation. It is sad to think that I shall be one of the last ACS authors to benefit from his wise and friendly counsel. D.M.