Lives in Cricket No 40 - Edwin Smith

56 of them watched Tyson bowl at our opening batsmen one day at Northampton and Frank’s first ball was a bouncer, which cleared John Kelly and the wicket-keeper, then hit the sight screen after one bounce. ‘Did you see that?’ said Harold, to which Cliff replied ‘Aye, what a ruddy waste of a new ball’. With Derek Morgan cementing his position as a genuine all-rounder with 67 wickets at under 20, Edwin found himself playing every game but often being ignored, as wickets were more conducive to what was often a four- man seam attack. There were only two five-wicket hauls and Edwin’s lot became that of a stock bowler, either allowing the bowlers to change ends or allow them a breather on the rare occasion that one of them failed to make a breakthrough. Derbyshire were fifth in the table when the summer ended, Edwin’s contribution a more modest than usual 54 wickets at 28. It was perhaps then that I realised that I had to work on my batting. I only averaged ten with the bat, but there were games where I bowled less than ten overs, while at one point I didn’t bowl in two successive matches. Going in at ten, they weren’t playing me for my batting, so I realised that I had to be able to contribute more when the conditions weren’t ‘right’ for my bowling. One of the games in which Edwin didn’t bowl was at the old Ind Coope and Allsopps ground at Burton-on-Trent. The game ended in a single day on a green, soft wicket, the ball flying through at different heights and moving both ways for all the seam bowlers. Batting first, Derbyshire struggled to 74 all out, with George Dawkes hitting out to make top score of 19 and Edwin unbeaten on six. Against Les Jackson and Harold Rhodes, quicker than their Hampshire counterparts, Malcolm Heath and Derek Shackleton, the visitors were in turn dismissed for just 23, Jackson taking five for 10, Rhodes four for 12. Contemporary reports note that there was ‘some backing away’, as the hostile pair bowled unchanged through an innings that lasted less than 17 overs. Derbyshire’s second innings began in mid-afternoon and once the effects of the roller wore off, wickets began to fall. Only a typical innings of great bravery and no little skill by Derek Morgan (46) got Derbyshire to a total of 107, leaving a victory target of 159. Ninety minutes, plus the extra half-hour remained in the day and Derbyshire won with 17 minutes in hand. Hampshire were all out for 55 and Edwin acknowledges the captaincy of Donald Carr in the triumph. Their opening bowlers tired in the second innings and Derek capitalised on some loose balls as they did so in a typically gritty knock. Maybe their captain, Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie, should have changed things, but he didn’t. Donald realised when Harold Rhodes was tiring in the second innings and brought on Derek, who took three for four in five overs. Les had four for 16 and nine for 26 in the match. Les