Denis Compton
Left arm unorthodox spin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Relations | Leslie Compton (brother) Brian Compton (son) Richard Compton (son) Patrick Compton (son) Ben Compton (grandson) Nick Compton (grandson) Charlotte Compton (daughter) Victoria Compton (daughter) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Test debut (cap 297) | 14 August 1937 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last Test | 5 March 1957 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1936–1964 | Marylebone Cricket Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1936–1958 | Middlesex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1944/45–1945/46 | Europeans | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1944/45 | Holkar | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 15 August 2022 |
Denis Charles Scott Compton
A right-handed batsman and
Cricket career
Early years
Compton was born and brought up in what was then the urban district of
By the late 1930s, Compton was one of England's finest batsmen, and remained at the top of his profession for some twenty years. His dashing approach to batting and the sheer enjoyment he exuded endeared him to a generation of cricket lovers. As an all-rounder Compton was a right-hand bat and a
Compton earned his first England cap against
As with many other sportsmen of his generation, he lost some of his best years to the
The match was interrupted by rioting when Compton was on 94, and one of the rioters who had invaded the pitch ran up to Compton and said: "Mr Compton, you very good player, but the match must stop now." This was a phrase which Miller gleefully recalled whenever Compton went out to bat against the Australians.
1947
England toured Australia in the 1946–47 Ashes series and though they were beaten by the powerful Australian team, Compton distinguished himself by scoring a century in each innings of the Adelaide Test.
Back in England, Compton produced a season of cricket that established him as a British household name, and one of the greatest cricketers of his era. Helped by a rare summer of sunshine,[19] Compton thrilled the war-weary English public with his cavalier batting. Against the touring South Africans, Compton scored five centuries, one for Middlesex and four for England, accumulating 1,056 runs at an average of 88. His aggregate in all matches that season was 3,816 runs, which remains the most ever made in a season in first-class matches. In that season, he scored 18 centuries, with the last one scored on 15 September 1947. Eighteen hundreds in a single season is another world record to his name.[20]
According to journalist Frank Keating, Compton's personal favourite innings of that summer was for Middlesex against Kent at Lord's.[21] Chasing 397 to win, and needing to score at nearly 100 runs per hour,[19] Compton led the way with a dashing 168, but Middlesex fell short by 75 runs.[22]
Cricket writers Neville Cardus and John Arlott acclaimed Compton's achievements. Cardus wrote:
Never have I been so deeply touched on a cricket ground as in this heavenly summer, when I went to Lord's to see a pale-faced crowd, existing on rations, the rocket-bomb still in the ears of most, and see the strain of anxiety and affliction passed from all hearts and shoulders at the sight of Compton in full sail ... each stroke a flick of delight, a propulsion of happy, sane, healthy life. There were no rations in an innings by Compton.[21]
Arlott, who had written his first cricket book that summer, concluded with a tribute to Compton:
To close the eyes is to see again that easy, happy figure at the wicket, pushing an unruly forelock out of the eye and then as it falls down again, playing off the wrong foot a stroke which passes deep-point like a bullet ... never again will the boyish delight in hitting a ball with a piece of wood flower directly into charm and gaiety and all the wealth of achievement.[21]
Later career
Against Bradman's
He eventually came back out when England was teetering at 119 for 5 and enabled the team to reach 363. This was the only match that England did not lose, and if so much time had not been lost to the weather they might have won it. In the series he made 562 runs at 62.44, against fierce fast bowling from Lindwall, Miller and Bill Johnston.[citation needed]
On the
He toured Australia for
Compton also jointly captained Middlesex between 1951 and 1952, with Bill Edrich. Also in 1952, Compton scored his 100th first-class century against Northampton while featuring for Middlesex at Lord's.[25]
On the 1954–55 tour his departure was delayed for a remedial operation on his knee and he joined the team in Australia by aeroplane. In the First Test at Brisbane he badly cut his hand when he hit a billboard while fielding and batted at the bottom of the order. He missed the Second Test. He came third in the England Test averages (38.20), but topped the tour averages (57.07) and made three centuries. In his last Test against Australia in 1956 he made a dazzling 94 despite having just had his right kneecap removed.[citation needed]
In home test series against Pakistan he set the record for scoring the most runs in between lunch and tea in a Test match (173).[26]
Compton finished his cricket career after playing 78 Test matches with 17 centuries at an average of 50.06. In all first-class cricket he scored 123 centuries.[citation needed]
Football career
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Position(s) | Winger | ||
Youth career | |||
1933–1935 | Nunhead | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1936–1950 | Arsenal | 54 | (15) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Compton also played football, beginning his career at non-league
However, the latter part of his sporting career was dogged by injury after his right knee was damaged in a collision with the goalkeeper of Charlton Athletic.[30] He was thus limited to 60 official, i.e. non-wartime appearances, scoring 16 goals altogether. He represented England in wartime games on twelve occasions, but never in a full official match.[15] He also appeared in the Rovers Cup in India with a visiting British team.[31]
Personality and legacy
Compton's absent-mindedness was legendary.
Peter Parfitt, the Middlesex and England batsman, was a speaker at a major celebration in London for Compton's 70th birthday. He claims that the chief guest was called to the telephone by a lady who had heard about the dinner. Eventually, he agreed to take the call. "Denis," she said, "it's me, your mother. You're not 70, you're only 69."[18]
After retiring from sport, Denis Compton became a journalist and later a
Compton's death, on Saint George's Day, coincided with the opening of the 1997 County Championship season, and pavilion flags across the country were lowered to half-mast in his memory.[21] The MCC named the twin stands at the Nursery End of
Compton was also honoured at the Shenley Cricket Centre, where the main pitch is named the Denis Compton Oval. That is where his grandson, Nick Compton, set the Middlesex record for the 6th wicket partnership in List A cricket (142* BL Hutton & NRD Compton v Lancashire at Shenley 2002).
Commercial sponsorships
With his contemporary the footballer Stanley Matthews, Compton was the first British sportsman to make a substantial living by exploiting his sporting reputation to provide advertisements and endorsements. For many years he was the public face of the Brylcreem range of men's haircare products.
An example of this is illustrated upon page VIII of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack edition of 1955. Denis Compton developed a close working relationship with Royds Advertising, and its chairman, who at that time was Nicholas Royds.[18]
Personal life
Compton's elder brother Leslie also played cricket for Middlesex and football as a defender for Arsenal and England.[33]
Compton was married three times. His first wife was Doris Rich, a dancer. They married at St John's Wood on 1 March 1941 and had a son, Brian (born 2 January 1942).[34]
With his second wife, Valerie Platt, Compton had two sons,
In 1975, Compton married his third wife, Christine Franklin Tobias, with whom he had two daughters, Charlotte and Victoria.[34] His grandson Nick, son of Richard, made his Test debut against India at Ahmedabad during the England cricket team's 2012–13 tour of India.[35]
Test centuries
The following table summarises the Test centuries scored by Denis Compton.[36]
- In the column Runs, * indicates being not out.
- The column title Match refers to the Match Number of his career.
Denis Compton's Test Centuries[37] | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | Runs | Match | Against | City/Country | Venue | Year | Result |
[1] | 102 | 2 | Australia | Nottingham, England | Trent Bridge | 1938 | Drawn |
[2] | 120 | 6 | West Indies | London, England | Lord's | 1939 | Won |
[3] | 147 | 15 | Australia | Adelaide, Australia | Adelaide Oval | 1947 | Drawn |
[4] | 103* | ||||||
[5] | 163 | 18 | South Africa | Nottingham, England | Trent Bridge | 1947 | Drawn |
[6] | 208 | 19 | South Africa | London, England | Lord's | 1947 | Won |
[7] | 115 | 20 | South Africa | Manchester, England | Old Trafford | 1947 | Won |
[8] | 113 | 22 | South Africa | London, England | Kennington Oval |
1947 | Drawn |
[9] | 184 | 23 | Australia | Nottingham, England | Trent Bridge | 1948 | Lost |
[10] | 145* | 25 | Australia | Manchester, England | Old Trafford | 1948 | Drawn |
[11] | 114 | 29 | South Africa | Johannesburg, South Africa | Ellis Park | 1948 | Drawn |
[12] | 114 | 33 | New Zealand | Leeds, England | Headingley | 1949 | Drawn |
[13] | 116 | 34 | New Zealand | London, England | Lord's | 1949 | Drawn |
[14] | 112 | 44 | South Africa | Nottingham, England | Trent Bridge | 1951 | Lost |
[15] | 133 | 58 | West Indies | Port of Spain, Trinidad | Queen's Park Oval | 1954 | Drawn |
[16] | 278 | 61 | Pakistan | Nottingham, England | Trent Bridge | 1954 | Won |
[17] | 158 | 70 | South Africa | Manchester, England | Old Trafford | 1955 | Lost |
Honours
- Arsenal[1]
- 1948
- 1950
Media
Compton is mentioned in the Fawlty Towers episode "The Builders." When questioning the maid Polly about who is at fault for some bungled hotel renovations, Basil sarcastically asks her, "... whose fault is it then you cloth-eared bint? Denis Compton's?"[38]
In an episode of Ever Decreasing Circles titled "The Cricket Match", Martin explains to his neighbour Paul that Compton never undermined his county captain George Mann despite being the better player.
In Tim Rice's Academy Awards acceptance speech for the song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight", he thanked Compton as "... a childhood hero of mine."[39]
In the
Denis Compton appears as a mystery guest in the BBC version of "What's My Line?", hosted by Eamonn Andrews having aired on 5 October 1957. A very rare complete episode can be seen on YouTube.
Compton and Colin Cowdrey met Buddy Holly and The Crickets at the former 'Whisky a GoGo', at 33–37, Wardour Street, Soho, London, in April 1958, during the Rock 'n' Roll group's British tour, and explained the game of cricket to them.
References
- ^ a b c "Denis Compton". Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016.
- ^ "Player Profile: Denis Compton". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
- ^ Lord's Cricket Ground, n/a (27 November 2020). "Coaching Masterclass from Don Bradman with Richie Benaud". Facebook. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
- ^ List of batsmen who have scored 100 centuries in first-class cricket
- ^ Wadhwa, Arjun (18 July 2009). "Benaud, Gooch, Compton, Larwood and Woolley inducted into Cricket Hall of Fame". The Sport Campus. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012.
- ^ "Cricket at London Shenley Club". Shenley Cricket Centre.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
- ^ "A STAND TO NAME STANDS AFTER". Lords.org. 9 August 2012. Archived from the original on 26 August 2013.
- ^ Denis Compton: The Authorized Biography, Tim Heald, Pavilion, 2006, p. 5
- ^ Profile, acscricket.com. Accessed 13 September 2022.
- ^ Lyall, Sarah (25 April 1997). "Denis Compton, 78, Cricketer Who Lifted Britain's Spirits". The New York Times.
- ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ISBN 0-947774-95-5. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- ^ Berry, Scyld (23 April 1997). "Obituary: Denis Compton". The Independent.
- ^ a b c "Denis Compton". Spartacus Educational.com.
- ^ a b c d Heald, Tim (4 May 2015). Denis Compton: The Authorized Biography. Dean Street Press.
- ^ "Youngest Players on debut for England in Test matches". CricketArchive. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- ^ De Lacy, H. A., "Compton's Modest Story of his Rise to Fame", The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 15 October 1949), pp.4, 5.
- ^ a b c "Denis Compton 'The Brylcreem boy' hits his peak". The Sunday Herald. Scotland. 22 October 2007.
- ^ a b Easterbrook, Basil (1997). "Compton's record season". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- ^ "Denis Compton's feat in 1947". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- ^ a b c d Keating, Frank (1998). "Denis Compton – talisman of hope, 1998... Delightful man". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- ^ "Middlesex v Kent at Lord's, 13–15 August 1947". Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- ^ Lynch, Steven (2 September 2013). "Bruised but not shaken". ESPNcricinfo.
- ^ Compton's 300 remembered. Content-usa.cricinfo.com (3 December 1998). Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- ^ "Denis Compton Does It (1952)". British Pathe – via YouTube.
- ^ "Hundred runs or more between lunch and tea". ESPNcricinfo.
- ^ a b "Denis Compton pulls on Arsenal number 11 shirt". Getty Images.com. 31 October 2013.
- ^ "Off-side – a cricketing XI that made strides in football". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- ^ "1937–38 competition statistics". 11v11.com. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
- ^ a b Dawson, Matt (5 March 2015). "Two one-club brothers: Arsenal's Leslie and Denis Compton". Vavel.com.
- ^ Nirwane, Sarwadnya (18 January 2022). "Rovers Cup — the second oldest Football tournament in India". thesportslite.com. Mumbai: The Sports Lite. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- ISBN 1-869833-21-X.
- ^ "Leslie Compton". Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016.
- ^ a b c "Obituary: Denis Compton". The Daily Telegraph. 24 April 1997. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012.
- ^ "Nick Compton". ESPNcricinfo.
- ^ a b "Denis Compton's Test Centuries". Howstat.com.
- ^ Denis Compton, ESPNcricinfo, 16 March 2010.
- ^ Holm, Lars Holger (February 2004). Fawlty Towers: A Worshippers Companion. Leo Publishing.
- ^ Lynch, Steven (9 January 2012). "Compton confounds Hollywood". ESPNcricinfo.
External links
- Denis Compton at ESPNcricinfo
- Hall of Fame Profile Archived 27 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine at ICC Website
- Profile at Arsenal.com