Lives in Cricket No 40 - Edwin Smith

110 Centenary summer game that his county lost and was typical of a season of disappointment. Despite this, he had every intention of carrying on, perhaps forcing his way back into the side to bowl alongside Swarbrook, but behind the scenes, things started to move fast. Denis Smith, coach since the retirement of Harry Elliott in 1952, was 65 in January 1972 and announced his retirement. Having moved to the role from senior professional on the field, there was a precedent for a similar move again. Was Edwin Smith, at 38, ready to become county coach? The post was offered to me and after a little thought, I accepted. The previous season had suggested, rightly or wrongly, that I was gradually being eased aside and I had spent a lot of time in the summer working with the National Coal Board. I’d had my advanced coaching badge for years and another factor was the potential in two young off spin bowlers, Bob Swindell and Geoff Miller. If I played on, their opportunities would have been limited, although when I started Geoff was still a schoolboy with time on his side. You have to go some time, so I announced my retirement and took on the position of county coach.