Ernest James "Tiger" Smith (6 February 1886 – 31 August 1979) was an English wicket-keeper who played in 11 Tests from 1911/1912 to 1914. In county cricket, he had a much longer career as the successor to Dick Lilley: he played for Warwickshire on a regular basis until 1930. After that, Tiger Smith took to umpiring and became so good in this new role that he umpired several Test matches between 1933 and 1938.
Originally an employee with the Cadbury confectionery firm in Birmingham, he was first engaged by Warwickshire as a professional in 1904 but played only irregularly for over half a decade owing to the presence of Lilley behind the stumps. When, after losing his Test place Lilley decided to concentrate on batting, Tiger Smith took his opportunity remarkably well, and developed a remarkable understanding with Frank Foster in his first full season in 1910. The following year Warwickshire achieved an astonishing triumph in the County Championship even though the abnormally dry and hot weather made it an utter fluke based around the pace bowling of Foster and Frank Field. Smith kept wicket superbly – standing up to Foster even though he could get great pace off the extremely fast pitches – and made a remarkable advance in batting. He had not scored one half century before 1911 but advanced to over 800 runs with a century against Surrey at Edgbaston.
His choice for the 1911/1912 Ashes tour was surprising but Smith's skill at taking Foster was sufficient to keep Herbert Strudwick out of the Test line-up. He made eight catches and one remarkable stumping off Foster and took the rising, spinning bowling of Sydney Barnes better than any other 'keeper before or since. 1912 saw the ill-fated Triangular Tournament, but the summer was so wet that English cricket in 1911 and 1912 was quite literally two different ball games. Warwickshire unsurprisingly declined to mid-table, but Smith maintained his form so well in 1913 with a personal high 68 dismissals that he was chosen for the South African tour. However, he lost his place to Strudwick after one Test and never regained his England place as Strudwick and Arthur Dolphin overtook him.
However, in the postwar years Smith was a mainstay of Warwickshire cricket right up to his retirement at the end of 1930. During this period, he not only kept wicket consistently, but also advanced so much as a batsman that he scored 1,303 runs in 1922 and 1,477 at over 31 an innings in 1925. In that season, he played a brilliant unbeaten innings of 139 out of 392 for one against Sussex and was unlucky that Jack Hobbs' presentation may have denied him a chance for Cricketer of the Year nomination by Wisden.
After retiring as a player, Tiger Smith umpired first-class cricket from May 1931 up to the outbreak of World War II. He stood as an umpire in eight Test matches in England, starting with 2nd Test between England and West Indies at Old Trafford in July 1933, then the 2nd Test between England and South Africa at Lord's in June 1935, the 2nd and 3rd Tests between England and New Zealand in 1937, the 2nd Test and 4th Tests between England and Australia Headingley in 1938, and finally the 1st and 2nd Test between England and West Indies in 1939.
He became coach of Warwickshire after the war, a position which he held until the end of 1955 and which saw the county win its second County Championship in 1951. He also umpired a few further first-class matches until 1953, mostly involving Warwickshire against non-county sides, such as Cambridge University or Combined Services. However, he continued to supervise the local indoor cricket school right up until the early 1970s when he handed the reins over to younger personnel. He was always renowned for his fighting qualities both on and off the cricket field and for his razor-sharp sense of humour which made him popular throughout his association with the game of cricket.
At the time of his death, Tiger Smith was the oldest living Test cricketer and was the last surviving pre-First World War player.
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being watchful of the batsman and ready to take a catch, stump the batsman out and run out a batsman when occasion arises. The wicket-keeper is the only member of the fielding side permitted to wear gloves and external leg guards. The role of the keeper is governed by Law 27 of the Laws of Cricket.
In cricket, a dismissal occurs when a batter's innings is brought to an end by the opposing team. Other terms used are the batsman being out, the batting side losing a wicket, and the fielding side taking a wicket. The ball becomes dead, and the dismissed batter must leave the field of play for the rest of their team's innings, to be replaced by a team-mate. A team's innings ends if ten of the eleven team members are dismissed. Players bat in pairs so, when only one batter is not out, it is not possible for the team to bat any longer. This is known as dismissing or bowling out the batting team, who are said to be all out.
Herbert Strudwick was an English wicket-keeper. His record of 1,493 dismissals is the third-highest by any wicket-keeper in the history of first-class cricket.
Alan Christopher Smith, often known as A. C. Smith, is an English former Test cricketer, who appeared in six Tests matches for England. Primarily a wicket-keeper, Smith was also a capable right-handed middle-order batsman and right-arm seam bowler. Very unusually for a regular wicket-keeper, he was sometimes selected by Warwickshire as a frontline bowler.
Ian David Blackwell is an English umpire and retired professional cricketer. A left-arm orthodox spinner and powerful middle-order batsman, he played for England at One Day International (ODI) and Test level, and most recently played county cricket for Warwickshire in the second half of the 2012 season. He was born at Chesterfield in Derbyshire.
Chris Old is a former English cricketer, who played 46 Tests and 32 ODIs from 1972 to 1981. A right-arm fast-medium bowler and lower order left-handed batsman, Old was a key feature of the Yorkshire side between 1969 and 1983, before finishing his career at Warwickshire in 1985. As a Test bowler for England he took 143 wickets, and scored useful runs in the famous 1981 Ashes series' Headingley victory.
Arthur Frederick Augustus Lilley, variously known as Dick Lilley or A. A. Lilley, was an English professional cricketer who played for Warwickshire County Cricket Club from 1888 to 1911, and in 35 Test matches for England from 1896 to 1909. He was born in Holloway Head, Birmingham, and died in Brislington, Bristol.
John Alexander Jameson is a former English cricketer who played in four Test matches and three One Day Internationals for the England cricket team between 1971 and 1975. Jameson played for Warwickshire County Cricket Club from 1960 until 1976.
Douglas James Smith was an English first-class cricketer and umpire. He played for Somerset and Worcestershire, as well as appearing for Glamorgan, not at the time a first-class county, in the Minor Counties Championship. He also umpired one Test match.
Edward William John Brooks was an English cricketer. A wicket-keeper, he played first-class cricket for Surrey from 1925 to 1939, all but five of his first-class appearances being for the county. Only Herbert Strudwick has exceeded his 810 dismissals for the county.
Ernest William Bale was an English cricketer who played 148 first-class matches between 1904 and 1920, the great majority of these (138) being for Worcestershire, for whom he was the first-choice wicket-keeper for several years before the First World War. Roy Genders considered that Bale's keeping in 1911, when Worcestershire came ninth in the County Championship — their best finish until 1939 — "contributed greatly towards such an excellent season".
Don Tallon was a key member of Donald Bradman's famous Australian cricket team tour of England in 1948, in which Australia was undefeated in their 34 matches. This unprecedented feat by a Test side touring England earned them the sobriquet The Invincibles.
Ernie Toshack was a member of Donald Bradman's famous Australian cricket team, which toured England in 1948 and was undefeated in their 34 matches. This unprecedented feat by a Test side touring England earned Bradman's men the sobriquet The Invincibles.
John AbbottsSmart was an English first-class cricketer and Test match umpire.
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a 22-yard (20-metre) pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striking the ball bowled at one of the wickets with the bat and then running between the wickets, while the bowling and fielding side tries to prevent this and dismiss each batter. Means of dismissal include being bowled, when the ball hits the stumps and dislodges the bails, and by the fielding side either catching the ball after it is hit by the bat, but before it hits the ground, or hitting a wicket with the ball before a batter can cross the crease in front of the wicket. When ten batters have been dismissed, the innings ends and the teams swap roles. The game is adjudicated by two umpires, aided by a third umpire and match referee in international matches. They communicate with two off-field scorers who record the match's statistical information.
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