Lives in Cricket No 40 - Edwin Smith

98 Chapter Seventeen Lord’s in the summer of ‘69 For Derbyshire fans of a certain vintage, 1969 was a season in which the side suggested, for the first time, that they could play one day cricket. That argument was not substantiated in the first season of the John Player County League, where only five matches were won all summer and the side finished third bottom, but a Gillette Cup run finished in the most memorable of semi-finals and the excitement, but ultimate frustration, of a Lord’s final. The Sunday competition was enjoyed by spectators, though less so by the players. Sundays had been rest days, with only an occasional charity or benefit match to disturb the tranquillity and opportunity for a game of golf. Now they had to change grounds, more often than not, to play a one- day game in the middle of a County Championship match. Little wonder that some players and teams failed to cope. At least, for Derbyshire, the switch of grounds was usually local. The vast expanse of The Oval was replaced by the more intimate, tree-lined Sutton for the season opener and home games saw a drive to Chesterfield, Derby, Buxton, Burton-on-Trent or Ilkeston from the previous day’s venue. Thankfully the roads had improved dramatically and there was nowhere near the traffic of later years. It all made for a demanding season for players, but not especially so for Edwin Smith. When he stepped out for the county in their third last Sunday game of the summer, it was his first one-day appearance for over four years. It was also, on 24 August, the first time in 1969 that Derbyshire had fielded anything other than a full seam attack in one-day cricket. The irony was not lost on Edwin that, in a narrow defeat to Leicestershire, he still didn’t bowl. He did make second top score, a breezy unbeaten 21, but it was not enough to save a side that had become bogged down while chasing only a modest total. His only other appearance was in the summer’s last John Player County League fixture, against Hampshire at Bournemouth. He was only selected as Mike Page and Harold Rhodes had sustained injuries in the previous day’s Lord’s final, while Ian Buxton had been released to his football duties. Edwin bowled just five overs for 23 runs, although was only introduced as the sixth bowler, while Fred Swarbrook, also making his season one-day debut, didn’t bowl at all. All very strange. Lancashire won the first Sunday title, narrowly pipping Hampshire, who in turn edged out Essex. The red rose county’s success