Edwin Smith: A Life in Derbyshire Cricket

Download or read book Edwin Smith: A Life in Derbyshire Cricket written by Steve Dolman and published by Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. This book was released on 2015-08-01 with total page 143 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Edwin Smith will almost certainly be the last Derbyshire bowler to take over a thousand first-class wickets. For 20 summers between 1951 and 1971, he provided the county with a reliable spin option when conditions didn’t favour their succession of outstanding seam bowlers. In the course of those summers, he took 1,217 wickets and scored almost 7,000 runs, taking five or more wickets in an innings on 51 occasions. Only five men in the club’s 145-year history have taken more wickets for the county. Now in retirement in the Grassmoor village where he was born, Edwin’s story is that of a man who gave his life to Derbyshire cricket. As well as playing, he coached the county side and took thousands of wickets in local league cricket. He played his last match at the age of 74, almost 60 years after his first appearance for his village side. A respected coach in and around Chesterfield, this is the story of one of cricket’s unsung heroes and one of the most popular men to wear the county colours. The book captures the period in which he played the game and features many of its greatest characters.