CRICKET WILL COMPTON LEAD ENGLAND IN AUSTRALIA?

Greymouth Evening Star, 31 March 1950, Page 3 (Supplement)

CRICKET WILL COMPTON LEAD ENGLAND IN AUSTRALIA?

If there happens to be a more remarkable young man in the field of human (sporting) endeavour than Denis Compton, be kind enough to remind us of his name. We cannot think offhand of one ourselves. He sdores more than half a century in his first Test match, and goes gaily on through the Test hullaballoo with the easy grace of a rfialsfisr, writes John Macadam in the Daily Express. He plays for England at cricket and soccer (wartime) and, if he cared, could play for the same cOiihtry at golf, billiards, darts, not to mention lawh tennis.

He scores a vital goal and makes another in his Cup baptism match and, one way' and another, almost everything he attempts comes Off. Now, it is almost certain, he will take' spells of captaincy of Middlesex with Bill Edrich When Walter Robins is not available for business reasons.

If 'he becomes a Middlesex captain, Denis will join the select few professional skippers—Tom Dollery, of Warwickshire, and Leslie Berry, of Leicestershire, are two of them —and our guess is that the matter will riot end there.

It is, in fact, that when England sails for the Australia Tests in September, he will be lined up for the captaincy of his country. The honour would not rest too heavy on the 32-year-old cavalier, and if dear old Lord (“God forbid that a. professional should ever captain England”) Hawke should stir in his grave, why, it wouldn’t be the first time. Lord Hawke was moved to that observation by the suggestion that Jack Hobbs- should lead England out. Compton is just as much of an idol now as Hobbs was in his heyday, and there is no question but that he would be just as good an influence on the game as J. B. was. His cricketing ability is beyond doubt. His personality is tremendous. He has all the qualities of leadership. He has everything. The M.C.C. should announce the thing without delay.