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The rebirth of professional soccer in America: the strange days of the United Soccer Association

Players did not stay in upmarket hotels; they were given expenses for bed and breakfast but if it was possible then some of them would return home and hope to save a little money. The players did not have all their clothing sponsored and they had to buy their own boots, pads and bats. When they received their county caps then they received a blazer and sweater. Smith received his in 1955. Today all players have an agent. No such agents existed in the 1950s and 1960s. The value of a county cricketer in the 1950s and 1960s was shown by the fact that when a county wished to make sure that the player would be around in the following season then they would play a retainer. In the early part of his career Smith was paid £400 a season and on a retainer of £2. In the close season, he returned to his job as a mechanic at the Grassmoor colliery. Dolman ponders the question as to why Smith never received a call-up to play international cricket. Unfortunately Edwin Smith was around at the time when there were some excellent spinners in English cricket such as Jim Laker, Tony Lock, Fred Titmus, David Allen and John Mortimore. He nearly made the tour to Pakistan in 1955–56, in a side that was captained by his county skipper Donald Carr. Having had his best season in 1955 –when he took 105 wickets – the press were pushing his case. The book is not just a biography of a very pleasant man but Dolman also manages to tell much about Smith’s teammates, and the writing is often interspersed with the tales of Derbyshire legends such as Les Jackson and Cliff Gladwin. By the end of the book one wonders how a cricketer who had so many knockbacks still seemed to shrug things off and get on with the job. Dolman has produced a very readable biography, illustrated by numerous photographs and a useful index. If a reader wants to know about the life of a journeyman cricketer in the two decades after the Second World War then go no further.