38. In Memoriam - Colin Smith

Colin Milner-Smith QC followed Colin Cowdrey through Tonbridge School and on to Brasenose College and was prevented from receiving his own Blue only by the attendance at the same time of the soon-to-be England Wicketkeeper AC Smith.

While studying at Oxford, he made a single appearance in first-class cricket as a wicket-keeper for Oxford University against Sussex at Oxford in 1958.[

He continued to play cricket past the age of 70, representing teams such as Old Tonbridgians, Yellowhammers, Band of Brothers and of course Limpsfield Cricket Club.

At the time of "The Judge's" death in 2020, George Jarrett kindly sent in this pen picture :

I was lucky to play a fair few times with Colin. He used to remind me every match: "Just bowl at me".

He got a hattrick of stumpings off my bowling in a national club knock out tie in Kent, which was all him not me.

I never forget him slinging his bat back at the pavilion whilst barely off the square at Haywards Heath. Colin was approaching a ton and got a bad decision; we all watched the bat fly through the air and land perfectly in the pavilion doorway. If lobbing bats had been an Olympic Sport, Colin would have won the gold.

He was a class act. When it was his turn to 'do teas', he placed an order with Harrods and popped the bags on a Legion table for others to lay out.

My fondest memory of playing with him is from a game versus Banstead, when they needed 80 off the last 20 with a brilliant South African on 80+ at drinks, and looking impervious. During the drinks break Colin said to me to try a mickey. Hide two long offs behind mid off and bowl a top spinner. Up it looped and the South African thought he had a six until long off two emerged with the ball. The batsman at my end said: "you cunning b********". Boy, did we laugh when we won.

Like Eddie Colin always made me feel comfortable and confident, and the quality of Sunday cricket was as good as Saturday First team cricket in what was a rich period for the club.

I seldom played for the First XI once I became a second team regular, but I never stopped enjoying Colin's batting. I never bowled to a better keeper (he would throw the ball back at any bowler straying down leg) and in club cricket I never saw a better batsmen than Colin in full flow. An 80 he got against an aggressive Sutton team was Colin doing what nobody else could.

Colin would be in the top 11 people I ever played with. And although he never made them, his sandwiches and cakes had the same flare as the man.