Lives in Cricket No 6 - Bill Copson

Chapter Five Test Cricket, At Last In those days professional cricketers were rarely allowed much time off from their county duties. Bill and Stanley Worthington were both required to play at Old Trafford in Derbyshire’s opening game of the season on 1 May, 1937, just five days after returning from their long winter’s absence which did not leave very much time for any period of family reunions or rest and resuscitation from their travels. A special ceremony was held at The Assembly Rooms, Derby on Wednesday, 5 May, to celebrate the winning of the Championship in 1936. This had been delayed until the two Australian tourists had returned. The Duke of Devonshire, President of the Club, supported by various local Mayors, presented gold wristwatches to all the competing players and expressed his great pleasure at seeing Copson and Worthington safely back from their winter endeavours. The team were also awarded bonuses related to the number of games that they had played in the Championship winning side. Bill, with 26 appearances, received £50 1s 6d (£50.07). They were also each given a silver cigarette case as a special gift from Derby County Football Club. One wonders if the Cricket Club ever reciprocated this generosity by giving the Football Club players a similar present for their successes in winning the F.A .Cup and two Football League Championships in post war years. Somehow it seems unlikely! After their triumph in the previous summer Derbyshire lost their title to a rejuvenated Yorkshire side. They finished third in the county table, behind Yorkshire and Middlesex, although their points percentage was slightly higher than 1936. The team had a new captain in R.H.R.Buckston, an Eton-educated schoolmaster from Bournemouth, who although very popular with his team accomplished little as a batsman. The county won fourteen out of twenty eight Championship matches, losing six and drawing eight. Copson was seriously troubled by injury this season and appeared in only sixteen of these games. His outstanding bowling 45