Lives in Cricket No 40 - Edwin Smith

103 Lord’s in the summer of ‘69 After a steady but slow opening stand between Gibbs and Smith, the Derbyshire innings fell quickly behind the required rate and there was a hint of desperation in the elevation of Alan Ward to number four in the order. There were a few bucolic blows from Ian Buxton, but Derbyshire subsided to 150 all out and were well beaten. It was a disappointing end to the season and was to get worse for Edwin, as long time team mates Derek Morgan and Harold Rhodes announced their retirement. At 40, Morgan was understandably not the player he once was, but the retirement of Rhodes, at 33, was a shock. Edwin explains: Derek had a huge workload over many years and it was only in his last year that the standards slipped. He started to pick up injuries and it became harder to play through them. He must have been one of the best players who never represented his country and the presence of Trevor Bailey kept a very good player from a wider audience. He wasn’t as good a captain as Guy Willatt or Donald Carr and tended to be reactive, rather than proactive. Games were allowed to drift and I had the impression that spin was something of an afterthought for Derek, once all seam bowling options had been explored. Harold had business opportunities and opted to take them, telling Derbyshire that he would be available for one-day matches in the same way that Fred Rumsey was. Nothing was done about it, until Nottinghamshire approached him and sought permission for his services. They offered him a game every week, we didn’t, so Harold took their offer with some regret. It was poorly handled and a disappointing way to treat one of the best players the county ever had. Harold confirms the story: I had taken up a post as a brewery representative, but had been approached by Reg Simpson at Nottinghamshire to see if I would be interested in playing some one-day cricket for them. I rang up Eddie Gothard, the Derbyshire treasurer at the time and said that I would prefer to offer my services to the club I had played for, if they wanted to retain my registration. He said no, adding that they were only interested in players who could play all the time. I couldn’t understand it, because I was playing with Burnley in the Lancashire League and keeping fit, not just wandering in off the street. Fred Rumsey was not contracted full-time, but they played himwithout question. So I went and played for Nottinghamshire, where I changed next to Garfield Sobers! With Morgan retired, Derbyshire needed a new captain and for many people Edwin Smith was the right man. The Derby Evening Telegraph had run a piece as early as 1968, suggesting that Edwin was the man to take over when Derek Morgan retired. It was based on precedent, as Harold Rhodes explains: