Lives in Cricket No 40 - Edwin Smith

54 West Indian summer that over the years. What has stayed with me was his timing - it was astonishing. Less than three months later, the lad was killed in a car crash in Staffordshire and he was a massive loss to the game. We also faced Roy Gilchrist in that game and he was seriously fast and nasty. He had quite a temper and bowled a bouncer at Donald Carr that was in the wicket-keeper’s gloves before Donald was in position to hook – and that was a shot that Donald played especially well. Edwin also recalls from a ‘special summer of cricket’ the bowling out of Middlesex for 29 at Queen’s Park. It was a damp wicket and we had ground out a lead of 51 in the first innings. Cliff had taken six for 23 in 25 overs in the first innings and when they started their second he had five for five as they slipped to 11 for six by the close. We were convinced that had we carried on that night they wouldn’t have made 20. As it was, they were out for 29 the next morning and Cliff had eleven for 41 in the match. Derbyshire won none of their last five matches, but could look back on a fine summer of cricket. At the indoor school in Derby, demolished in March 2015: Alan Revill, Les Jackson, Edwin Smith, Denis Smith (coach) and Brian Furniss.