Lives in Cricket No 40 - Edwin Smith

24 Carnage at Chesterfield The 1952 season was to be the last for ‘Dusty’ Rhodes, who bowed out with 83 wickets at just under 25. He played all but two of the 28 matches, although his batting declined from his best years and there were only two half-centuries and an average of 16 from 42 innings. He played a couple of games in 1953 and one in 1954, but his future was planned as an umpire; he stood in eight Test matches between 1963 and 1973. Was he helpful to the young Edwin Smith? ‘I didn’t see much of him,’ said Edwin. ‘We were usually in different teams and apart from a few occasions, we were rarely in the same place.’ So who did help him? There were a lot of people. Denis Smith was senior professional when I started and he was perfect for the role. He then became coach and was very shrewd and to the point with his advice. Then there was Charlie Elliott and of course Cliff Gladwin. Cliff was a very tetchy player on the field and played to win, but he was a lovely man off it who couldn’t do enough to help you. All you had to do was be prepared to listen and learn. Edwin was in the side for the season opener, against Essex at Chelmsford, but bowled only five overs in a game that, unsurprisingly for an early season wicket, was dominated by the seam bowlers. He took his first wicket of the season in the game against Worcestershire at Chesterfield, but unlike the previous year, Derbyshire eased to a win by nine wickets, thanks to Guy Willatt’s century and nine wickets from Cliff Gladwin. He then missed the next three matches, returning for the annual visit of Yorkshire to Chesterfield. Another Willatt century saw the visitors set 342 to win, but the seam bowlers took two wickets each and Rhodes the other four as Derbyshire ran out winners by 81 runs, despite a battling 91 from Willie Watson. Edwin bowled only eight overs in the match and, as a confirmed number eleven at that time, was hardly in the side for his batting. It was to be the story of the season. He would play a game, then be omitted for an extra seamer on other wickets, as the captain understandably opted for Rhodes, the senior spinner. When he got an opportunity he did quite well. There were figures of three for 68 in 28 overs against Somerset at Derby, then a recall for an eight wicket win against Northamptonshire at Queens Park, in which he bowled 15 tidy overs for one wicket. He did feature against the Indian touring side on the same ground, but a rain-ruined first day ensured that a side that showed little technique against pace bowling in the Test series got away with a draw. Les Jackson bowled them out in the first innings for just 86, taking six for 39 in just under 12 overs. Three overs in the second innings hardly justified the selection of the Derbyshire off spinner, in what was proving a frustrating campaign. There were longer spells in adversity at Taunton, where the punishing Somerset opening batsman, Harold Gimblett, scored two centuries. The