Denis Compton, Bill Edrich and the glorious summer of 1947
Last week I successfully bid at the auction of Henry Blofeld’s collection for a signed photo of Denis Compton and Bill Edrich as the two tossed up prior to Compton’s testimonial match at Highbury Stadium in August 1949. I felt an affinity with Denis Compton for various reasons and over the last few years have been collecting his memorabilia. Denis Compton like my mother grew up in Hendon and she sometimes spoke of the glamorous cricketer and footballer who like her was a member of a local social youth club called Mowbrays.
Denis Compton is forever associated with Middlesex CCC. Although Patsy Hendren scored more runs, and more success was enjoyed under the captaincy of the two Mikes – Brearley and Gatting – supporters of the team will always cherish that glorious championship year of 1947 when Denis and Bill scored 7,355 runs between them.
The previous winter of 1946 was a bitter one and the country was still suffering post-war austerity with rationing and near bankruptcy after the war. The summer of 1947 was blistering hot and the country, not just Middlesex, responded to the buccaneer Denis Compton.
Handsome in his looks, courageous at the crease where he took up his stance outside it when he would hook the speedsters, he and Bill Edrich raked up the runs. In 1947 ,they topped the batting averages, Denis with 90.85 and Bill 80.43 . Denis scored 18 centuries in his 3816 runs. What was remarkable in the 1947 season was that Denis suffered from a gammy knee and in his final innings against the rest of the counties scored yet another century on one knee. He sustained the knee injury playing football for Arsenal. He played on the right wing in the 1950 Cup Final against Liverpool and but for the war he would have gained several full England football caps.
He was the first sportsman to have an agent, Bagenal Harvey , who promoted him as the Brylcream boy as well as Johnny Haynes. Alan Tanner told me that Harvey’s number two was Keith Kotch whose son took him to his first Fulham game. After hanging up both cricketing ( he amassed 38,942 runs and 622 wickets) and football boots he became a journalist and was often to be found at El Vino’s. He was his own man, not the greatest runner between wickets as it was said that a Compton call for a run was a matter of negotiation.
The photos shows Denis in whites not the pyjamas of the modern game. One can appreciate his handsome looks as well as his cavalier manner as he throws up the coin. Bill Edrich, a Norfolk man, contributed 3,539 runs in 1947. Looking up his career details on crickinfo I was astonished to learn he went 9 tests without a proper score and was not dropped. Both men passed away on St George’s Day. Bill after a St George’s Day lunch fell down the stairs. Both were proud Englishmen but Denis more often opened the country’s batting with a dourer character Len Hutton.
I have Denis Compton menu cards of lunches to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the record breaking summer of 1947, and his 70th birthday so this photo adds to and augments my collection. The sporting memorabilia market has been toppily buoyant but that is not my driver. I am a cricket traditionalist , supporter of Middlesex CCC and am proud of my collection of memorabilia of a sportsman whose fame , talent and achievements extended well beyond Middlesex.
