Thanks to Brian Sanderson for his interesting blog on Frank Smailes. I have some personal memories of Frank which I can add to his story. Although I was unaware of the fact at the time he captained Yorkshire, possibly for the only time, when I saw my first ever county match against Northants at Fartown, Huddersfield in 1948. Norman Yardley was then the Yorkshire captain but was also captain of England at the time. He had been called away to join the England selectors in picking the team to face Don Bradman's Australians. So a very rare event for those days when the senior professional was asked to captain the side.
Frank Smailes is second from left in this picture of Yorkshire in 1948. It was to prove to be his last season in county cricket after a career which started back in 1932. Strangely enough he became professional at Walsall Cricket Club in the Birmingham League from 1949-1951. Strange because my family moved to the town late in 1949 and I became a junior member of the club.
He proved to be an admirable signing for the Midlands side with his all round strengths as both a medium pacer or off spin bowler and a very useful batsman. The following scorecard shows a day when he made fifty not out with the bat but was not too successful as a bowler, when the famous West Indian George Headley made a century for opponents Dudley.
As Brian said the best years of his cricketing life were lost during the Second World War when he had a distinguished military career in North Africa and Italy. Unfortunately this brought on varicose vein problems which plagued him ever after and it is recorded that he died at the very young age of 60 in Harrogate, after a long and painful illness. A sad end to the life of a man who was an integral part of the great Yorkshire side of the 1930s.
1 comment:
a lovely addendum Tony
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