Lives in Cricket No 40 - Edwin Smith

6 ‘He’s all right,’ he said, ‘but he’s no Edwin Smith.’ Praise indeed. He could bat, too and often fought bravely in a rearguard action. He latterly got between five and seven hundred runs a summer, had a safe pair of hands and ended up as county coach for several seasons. A man of parts, for sure. He is also thoroughly engaging company. He has a ready and regular laugh and a remarkable recall for the players and events of the past, with an extraordinary collection of memorabilia from his long career. In the hours that I spent with him and his delightful wife Jean, he was patient and accommodating, always willing to tell me more as I sought the answers to questions that had in some cases been in my head for years. He was one of the county’s finest – and this is his story. Introduction