Lives in Cricket No 30 - MJK Smith

39 Chapter Five Capped as an opener When Mike moved to Warwickshire, it was always planned that he should take up the captaincy and that he should do so in his first season. In 1957 most of the counties were still clinging to the tradition of appointing an amateur – only Gloucestershire, Lancashire, Northants and Somerset were led by professionals that year, though four other counties had experienced earlier summers when no ‘gentleman’ had been available. One of these was Warwickshire, seen as trend-setters when they appointed Tom Dollery in 1949. It had proved a successful move with two fourth places crowned by the championship title in 1951, Warwickshire’s first since 1911. A highly popular captain and a sound tactician, Dollery might have led MCC to India in 1951/52 and could even have been considered for the captaincy in Australia the previous winter, had the appointment of a professional not remained unthinkable for so many of the hierarchy at Lord’s. The 1955 season was Dollery’s last before he retired to a coaching role and captaincy of the second eleven with Warwickshire. His successor was the long-serving leg spinner Eric Hollies, who made little secret of his discomfort in the role. It had been he who had suggested that Mike should take over a side in a state of transition that had just endured its poorest season in nine years. In many county dressing-rooms a young amateur parachuted in to take control of seasoned professionals might have been resented. ‘It wasn’t a terribly good idea,’ Mike admits, ‘but it worked in the long run.’ The knowledge that Hollies wanted to be rid of the job in what was to be his last season eased the way for his successor. ‘And I think we had a fair number of young players, which always helps because they were struggling too,’ Mike adds. ‘Of the ones who were getting on and didn’t play much longer – Alan Townsend, Dick Spooner, Fred Gardner – I never had a minute’s trouble.’ Alan Townsend, who joined Warwickshire from Durham in 1948, retains warm memories of the young Mike Smith as a captain: ‘A fine chap, a gentleman and a very good skipper. He had a good knowledge of the game to start with, but he learnt as he went