Lives in Cricket No 40 - Edwin Smith

68 Setbacks at the start of the Swinging Sixties Carr was to become Assistant Secretary of the MCC from October 1962. The following summer was to be his last, while George Dawkes missed a number of matches due to a cartilage injury sustained in a car accident and was replaced by a Staffordshire lad by the name of Bob Taylor. Cliff Gladwin spotted Bob playing in the North Staffordshire League and recommended him to the county. In July 1960, Will Taylor went to watch him play for Staffordshire with the club chairman, Robin Buckston and he duly joined us, taking over from George when he was injured. It was immediately obvious that he had great hands and he was undemonstrative behind the stumps, with excellent footwork. Over the next ten years, the Smith-Taylor partnership was to prove highly effective for the county, both in wicket-taking and as a source of valuable, late-order runs. How would Edwin compare the two wicket-keepers who spanned his first-class career? They were both very fine players. George was a lovely man who gave great service to Derbyshire. He had a good pair of hands and he could hit a ball very hard on his day, definitely the better batsman of the two. He had a great sense of humour as well. One time we played Yorkshire at Hull and I bowled what George thought was my arm ball but it pitched, then turned sharply, beating him and going down to the boundary for four byes Then we heard a voice from the Yorkshire contingent. ‘Hey George. Do’st tha want a brick wall built, lad?’ We laughed at that one for some time! There was another occasion when George chased a ball down to the boundary in his pads and dived to stop it, just inside the rope. His momentum carried him into spectators, scattering deck chairs and picnic baskets. While everyone, players included, laughed at him lying on his back with his arms and legs flailing, the batsmen ran five! He was a solid wicket-keeper, but Bob was simply different class. From his first game he looked like he belonged at the highest level. It’s just a pity that his batting didn’t come on as we hoped, as he was a tidy player who might have flourished in a better batting side. From a personal point of view, he read my arm ball better than George and his work made all the bowlers look better over the years. I was lucky to bowl with two such fine players and men behind the stumps. Dawkes was to retire in 1962, confident himself that an excellent replacement had been found.