Lives in Cricket No 40 - Edwin Smith

112 An impossible task The players would come in for pre-season nets after the New Year, maybe for a couple of hours on either a Saturday or Sunday morning. We had a ‘Pitchmastic’ artificial wicket in there, a rubberised surface, but when we got the stove going and people sweating, it used to melt! I had to get it taken out, levelled up and green matting put down. The players changed in the old jockey quarters, the very basic changing rooms of the time, then walked across to the indoor school. It wasn’t at all sophisticated and remember – this was in the 1970s! There were a few decent performances in one-day cricket and batsmen such as Ashley Harvey-Walker, Alan Hill and Tony Borrington suggested potential, as did Harry Cartwright. Later in the decade, all would play key roles in the resurgence of the county under the ebullient South African, Eddie Barlow, but all were then at a formative stage of their careers. I inherited a staff of 15 players, all of them born in Derbyshire. They needed work and encouragement, but most of all they needed time to develop. Some of them became very good cricketers once they had come to terms with the demands of the game, but you can’t fast-track that sort of thing. It is important to understand how the role of coach worked at the county. Edwin’s remit was exactly the same as Denis Smith’s before him – to identify and nurture young talent, getting players to a standard where they were good enough for the first team. Senior players rarely crossed his path, unless they were having a poor run of form and wanted some advice. Edwin spent much of his summer coaching young players, captaining the second team and batting at eleven. The side did well, reaching the semi-final of the Under-25 County Cricket Competition. They progressed through their group unbeaten, winning four matches and seeing two rained off, which saw them drawn against Middlesex in the semi-final at Edgbaston. Derbyshire struggled to 133 all out in their 20 overs, with Alan Hill, Tony Borrington and Bob Swindell making twenties, but no one going on to a match-defining score. Middlesex had problems in turn and only won by two wickets, largely thanks to 60 from Tim Selwood, no one else making more than 14. They were impressive sides. Besides those named above, Derbyshire included Mike Hendrick, Fred Swarbrook and Harry Cartwright, who would go on to fine first-class careers. Middlesex, who went on to win the competition by beating Glamorgan in the final, were even stronger. Their side featured future England players John Emburey, Phil Edmonds, Graham Barlow and Mike Selvey, as well as ‘Larry’ Gomes, who would go on to 60 Test matches for the West Indies. Edwin was proud of his young charges. They did very well. We played as a team and bowled tight, while fielding well throughout the competition. Sadly we conceded 24 extras