Lives in Cricket No 30 - MJK Smith

to defence and the match was drawn. Though there had been several close calls, Oxford had recorded no victories in the four years leading up to the summer of Mike’s captaincy. Their sides’ principal weakness had been the lack of an incisive bowler, but when Mike took over he had two newcomers to take the new ball. Jack Bailey, later to become Secretary of MCC, was a 25-year-old who had already made his mark with Essex, and he teamed up with Esmond Kentish, a West Indian who had won two Test caps and was now destined, at the age of 39, to become the oldest ever cricket Blue. With left-arm spinner Jimmy Allan, now in his fourth year, joining the side on tour, there was an experienced and more penetrating attack. With some proven batsmen – Chris Walton, Peter Delisle and Stanley Metcalfe – on whom he could call, Mike had good reason to hope that his side would hold its own against many of the counties. It had seemed that Oxford’s long-standing duck might be broken against Hampshire. Set to make 305 at 50 an hour, the Dark Blues reached 303 for eight but, with two balls remaining, Vic 23 Records fall at Oxford In his second year at Oxford, in July 1955, Mike played for this Gentlemen’s side in the long-standing fixture against the Players at Lord’s. Standing (l to r): G. Goonesena, G.G. Tordoff, M.C. Cowdrey, M.J.K. Smith, J.P. Fellows-Smith, J.F. Pretlove. Seated: J.J. Warr, B.A. Barnett (wk), D.J. Insole (capt), C.H. Palmer, R.G. Marlar. Mike played in the Lord’s version of this game seven times, including the final one in 1962.