Lives in Cricket No 6 - Bill Copson

innings. The visitors were comprehensively beaten in the next three Tests so that the result of the rubber was already decided and the last Test was therefore a ‘dead’ one. England had tried an interesting variation of opening bowlers in the first four Tests. In the First Test, as we have said, J.W.Martin, in the only Test of his very short first-class career, had partnered Alec Bedser. In the second game of the series, at Lord’s, the selectors tried Bill Edrich and also called up Copson’s county colleague George Pope for a somewhat belated Test match debut as first change. 32 For the Third Test, at Old Trafford, Alec Bedser was rested for the first time in his then meteoric Test career. He had performed valiantly in his first two Test series in 1946 and 1946/47 and it was considered he was in some need, albeit temporarily, of a short period away from the Test match arena to recover his stamina. He and Hollies stood down, to be replaced by Test debutants Kenneth Cranston and another Derbyshire seam bowler, Cliff Gladwin. For the Fourth Test, at Headingley, Harold Butler the Nottinghamshire fast bowler, who was thirty four years of age was called up for his Test debut to replace Gladwin. He bowled very well and took seven wickets in the match, including a spell of three wickets for twelve runs in the second innings. However Butler strained a leg muscle and was suddenly unavailable for the final Test Match. Thus it was that the Test selectors turned, at extremely short notice, to Bill Copson who had not, at the time, been bowling particularly well and had not played in a Test match since 1939. He had played in Derbyshire’s Championship fixture at Scarborough, where he failed to take a wicket in the Yorkshire innings of 522, being hit for 75 runs in 18 overs. The game finished on Friday, 15 August and he then had to travel the 250 miles or so down to London ready for the start of play at 11.30 am the very next day in a Test match. For England, Jack Robertson and Reg Howorth made their Test debuts and Bill Edrich was unable to play on account of a badly strained shoulder muscle which was to prevent him bowling again during the season. This did not however stop him playing as a batsman for Middlesex in their vital Championship game at Cheltenham against Gloucestershire. This, at the time, raised a few eyebrows, particularly from their opponents! Edrich had taken 67 wickets by this stage of the summer and had he been able to bowl Final First-Class Seasons 69 32 It was also his only Test appearance.