Lives in Cricket No 40 - Edwin Smith

18 The young cricketer starting with one at Derby against Lincolnshire in the Minor Counties. It is still extraordinary to think that he made his senior bow before playing for the second team, but such fixtures were less common at that time, on grounds of cost. He had only five overs in the first innings, but took two for 44 in the second as the game ended in a draw after its allotted two days. In bowling 22 overs, he showed early signs of the economy and ability to bowl long spells that became a feature of his game. There was a more chastening experience in his next game for the second team, as a strong Worcestershire side, featuring several players who would become senior regulars in the years ahead, racked up 320 on the first day. Edwin again took two wickets, but they cost him 100 runs as some hefty blows were struck in his 26 overs. Better news came a few days later at the Crown Farm Colliery Ground at Forest Town, as Derbyshire visited Nottinghamshire for a second team fixture and he took five for 72 in 23 overs. At the start of August, there was a first visit to Edgbaston for a second team fixture against Warwickshire. The game was severely disrupted by rain, but Edwin’s 17 overs saw him take two for 41 and reinforce the feeling that he had something to offer at a senior level. So much so that he was recalled to the first eleven for another fixture at Chesterfield, this time against Worcestershire. It was a game that Edwin would never forget. Grassmoor CC 1951 – Back row: Charlie Gladsby, George Hargreaves, Bill Bedford, Jimmy Worthington, Les Towndrow, Tommy Morton, Arthur Bedford Smith (umpire). Front: Wilf Hawkins, Edwin Smith, Ned Bedford, Graham Swift, Jack Seagrave.