Lives in Cricket No 40 - Edwin Smith

87 Testimonial year value). At the time it was the sixth highest for a Derbyshire player and gave some appreciated financial security to Edwin and his young family. Over the years there had been many cricketers who struggled to maintain form while managing the demands of their benefit or testimonial, but in 1966, the reverse was true for Edwin. In the words of Derek Morgan in the following season’s year book, ‘He bowled magnificently and must now be one of the best slow bowlers in the country. Whatever the wicket, he can be relied upon to bowl well.’ By July he was top of the national bowling averages with 40 wickets at eight runs each, just ahead of Derek Underwood. First innings figures of 26-12-26-6 inspired a win against Surrey at The Oval, while his return to the attack, with the home side needing 11 to win with four wickets in hand, saw him take two wickets to inspire a seven-run victory. Against Hampshire at Chesterfield he returned match figures of 13 for 119, only heavy rain on the last afternoon preventing another win. At Bristol, he took four wickets before lunch, then pulled a muscle in his side that prevented him playing in the next game at Tunbridge Wells, against Kent. He travelled with the side and was heartened by an exchange between England captain Colin Cowdrey and the Derbyshire physio, Sam Weaver. ‘Get him fit, Sam’, said Cowdrey, ‘We might be needing him for the Test side before long.’ Edwin missed only the one match, but the call never came. Perhaps as well, he says. That was a very good West Indian batting side. Sobers was the star, of course, but Conrad Hunte, Basil Butcher, Rohan Kanhai and Seymour Nurse were all fine players. They racked up a lot of runs that summer and it’s a pity that it wasn’t a weaker touring side, where the selectors may have been more prepared to experiment with players. Nevertheless his fine form continued. Five for 23 against Warwickshire at Buxton inspired an eight-wicket win, while at Old Trafford, left only 120 to win, Lancashire lost by 30 runs after a 19-over spell from Edwin brought figures of six for 21. At Trent Bridge, a marathon effort of 41-4-64-4 inspired another eight- wicket victory and in every match he took wickets and bowled accurately in a golden summer. That made it all the more surprising for him when, at the start of August, he was told that he was left out of the side for the visit of Gloucestershire to the County Ground in Derby. It was a miserable spell of weather, with regular showers and a strong wind, which had caused water to get underneath the covers. It was, in short, a ready-made wicket for a spin bowler in prime form. Derek Morgan told me to have a rest and they went with a five-man seam attack, which made no sense. So I packed my bags and went home for a couple of days. As it turned out, Peter Eyre didn’t bowl a