Lives in Cricket No 40 - Edwin Smith

20 Chapter Three Carnage at Chesterfield Edwin stepped out of the pavilion for his second match in Derbyshire colours in a more confident mood after those recent performances. He had bowled steadily in his first game and hadn’t looked out of his depth, despite the boyish good looks, that he retained throughout his career, making him look like the son of some of the players. Truth be told, he was young enough to be so, but he had been quickly accepted into a Derbyshire dressing room that was open and fun. Facing them in this match were Worcestershire and they had a number of fine players. Don Kenyon was one of the country’s finest opening batsmen, while his partner Eddie Cooper had been a county stalwart since before the war. Sri Lankan ‘Laddie’ Outschoorn was a good county number three and the side also contained left-arm spinner Dick Howorth, leg spinner Roly Jenkins and seamers Reg Perks and Jack Flavell, who between them took thousands of wickets for the county. On the first day, Derbyshire did well to restrict their visitors to 268 all out, with the tireless Gladwin taking six for 108 in almost 42 overs, the final wicket being his hundredth of the summer. Les Jackson was injured, but Alwyn Eato bowled steadily in his place and Edwin took the wicket of the experienced Cooper in conceding 54 runs in 15 overs. Charlie Elliott and Arnold Hamer got through to the close intact and gave their side a steady start the next morning, putting on 39 before Hamer was dismissed to the crowd’s disappointment. Always an entertainer but never an athlete, he preferred to deal in boundaries and his cheeks reddened as an innings progressed. He was, however, undoubtedly the linchpin of the side’s batting for many seasons. The more conservative Elliott and captain Guy Willatt then took the score to 79 before the spinners started a collapse. An unbeaten 23 from Gladwin helped Derbyshire limp to 141 all out, the innings ending when Edwin was run out as the former tried in vain to keep the strike. It was the first but not last time that their partnership ended this way. As later skipper Charlie Lee recalled, ‘their partnerships usually ended with “Yes!”....”No!”...”Get Back!”...”Oh, bad luck, Edwin.”’ A lead of 127 was substantial on a wicket already helping the spinners, but the visitors eased past 50 with only one wicket down. Rhodes, the senior spinner, was surprisingly ineffective with his leg spin so, with the score on 53, Guy Willatt tossed the ball to his young off spinner. He takes up the story: