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Goodbye, Denis, thanks for the memories

V Gangadhar

At the end of the 1948 Australian cricket tour of England, someone asked all-rounder Keith Miller to name his three most beautiful sights in England. The dashing Australian did not bat an eyelid as he snapped, "Derbyshire hills, Princess Margaret and Denis Compton sweeping the ball from the middle stump."

Today, for all I know, the hills of Derbyshire might have become polluted. Princess Margaret is a dowager. And Denis Compton had just left us for a better wicket.

"Will you do a piece on Compton for us?" asked Rediff editor Nikhil Laxman. I had just come home from a hot day in the city of Mumbai. I looked at the cricket section of my personal library. Should I quote Cardus, Ray Robinson, Arlott, Fred Trueman and others who held Compton highly? Should I refer to back copies of Wisden and reproduce the statistics from Compton's career?

All the time, it kept recurring to me that I had lost a beloved, boyhood hero. I had never watched Compton play cricket. There was no television in those days. Yet from 1948 to 1956, I seldom missed listening to cricket broadcasts which featured Compton's achievements. The sports section in The Hindu and the detailed coverage of cricket in its sister publication, Sport & Pastime, devoted columns to the genius of Denis Compton.

Cricket was an all consuming passion to me in my younger days. In fact, it still is. When I played imaginary Test matches with my cousin Dorai and uncle Ambi, I was Len Hutton, Dorai was Frank Worrell and Ambimama was Denis Compton. Often, I tried to trade my best marbles and tops with Ambimama if only he would let me be Compton - but he simply refused.

Why did I adore Compton so much? Like Vivian Richards in the 1970 and 1980's, Compton was not only a cricketer extraordinary but also an entertainer. When he came to bat, things began to happen, even against the best bowling in the world. In one of the Test matches against South Africa, Compton, was, as usual, not prepared when it was his turn to bat. His pads were not buckled properly, he grabbed a broken bat which was lying near his chair, went out to bat - and scored 139. That is Compton for you.

How well I remember the 'Ashes' series of 1948 in England, the first one which I followed avidly. Bradman's mighty Australians thrashed England 4-0, but for me it was Compton's achievements which made the day. Under murky, cloudy conditions with rain always threatening, Compton faced Keith Miller at his fastest, hurling bouncers repeatedly in the first Test. The Nottingham crowd, which held the Australians responsible for the early exit of their own hero Harold Larwood for his role in the 1932-33 Bodyline series, booed and heckled Miller, who, in characteristic response waved to the hecklers and continued to bowl fast. Compton, battling hard to save an innings defeat for England, swayed, ducked and hooked. After a memorable 184, he trod on his wicket while negotiating a bouncer from Miller. Jack Fingleton's write-up on the match for The Hindu was full of purple patches on the Compton innings, and I savoured every bit of it.

In the third Test at Old Trafford, Compton surpassed his Nottingham performance for sheer guts. Felled by a Ray Lindwall bouncer, he retired hurt with blood pouring from his forehead. But English wickets kept falling and he had to return to the batting crease, with three stitches on his wound. Lindwall greeted him with a searing bouncer, but Compton went to make 145. Throughout the series, Compton outclassed Hutton, the other English stalwart who opened the innings.

Fast bowlers dominated the 1948 series. The English wickets were uncovered and a new ball was available after just 55 overs. Bradman, after the initial Lindwall-Miller bursts, kept the batsmen in check with Bill Johnstone, Toshack and Ian Johnson. The second new ball became due sometimes with less than 100 runs on the board. But whenever Compton was at the crease, he attacked the bowling.

Attack! That was the theme of Compton's batting. From the time he scored a century in his first outing against New Zealand in 1937, he would not bow down to any bowler, fast or slow. During the war years, when he was stationed in India during the middle 1940's he turned out for Holkar in the Ranji Trophy. It was natural that Compton played for Holkar - which included the dasher Mushtaq Ali and the big-hitting C K Nayudu. Oldtimers still talk about his 249 against Bombay.

When cricket resumed after the Second World War, Compton was ready to take the cricketing world by storm. Touring Australia under Walter Hammond in 1946-47, he scored a century in each innings at Adelaide. But his most outstanding year was 1947, when he scored an incredible 3,816 runs including 18 centuries. The touring South Africans wilted under his onslaught. Compton thrived on the South African bowling and when he toured that country in 1948-49, hit an astonishing triple century in a friendly three-day match in just 181 minutes.

Compton and Hutton. These two masters played together for nearly 20 years and shared several sweet and bitter memories. Hutton pipped Compton to the captain's post in 1952 won the 'Ashes' in 1953, retained it in 1954 and received a Knighthood after his retirement in 1955. Hutton was predictable, dour and determined. Compton was as fickle as the English weather and enjoyed his game. He was present at the crease on both the occasions when England defeated Australia in the crucial Test matches to win the Ashes. At Adelaide in 1954, when England needed only 94 to win, Miller, in an inspired spell, removed Hutton, Edrich and Peter May. On the verge of hysteria, Hutton was heard to mutter "That so and so, Miller, will take away the match from England." "Skipper, I am still here," said Compton as he walked out to bat and, in company with wicketkeeper Godfrey Evans, went on to guide England home.

That was the difference between the two. Compton too wanted to win, but did not mind if his team lost to the better team. Hutton wanted to win at all costs. Compton was the gay cavalier of cricket. The game and the enjoyment he derived from it meant more to him than the results. How well I remember the unruly hair which kept falling on his forehead. During one Test match, the falling hair disturbed his concentration so much that he asked Alec Bedser to give him a hair cut. The giant Surrey fast bowler readily obliged and Compton continued to bat with a makeshift hair style! It was only natural that 'Brylcream' manufacturers used him to market their product. Hoardings all over England carried photographs of England's most famous cricketer, his hair well plastered with Brylcream.

But cricket was not all there was to Compton. As a double international, he had excelled as a left winger for the famous football club, Arsenal. A knee injury sustained before the war recurred at the peak of his cricket career and Compton was never the same batsman again. The Compton Knee became as much talked about as Betty Grable's legs or Jimmy Durante's nose! The 1950-51 Australian tour was a disaster for Compton, and he failed miserably in all the five Tests. His knee bothered him constantly and he had to take so many tablets to kill the pain that he complained he was beginning to resemble one. The bad knee hampered his footwork. Compton was in the habit of stepping out and attacking even the fast bowlers, but with his movement crippled by the bad knee, his batting was seriously affected.

But a hobbling Compton was still good enough to play for England. During the 1956 'Ashes' series, I was thrilled when he was recalled to the English team under Peter May. Though no longer as agile, he still scored 94 in a stroke-filled innings. He retired gracefully, but always attended the Test matches at Lord's and made himself available for interviews with the media people. The Queen honoured him with a CBE. The veteran Australian cricketers, whenever they visited England, made it a point to have a drink with 'Compo'. Often he played host to his former 'enemies', Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller. Today, Lindwall is no more with us while Miller is no longer mobile.

What are my favourite memories of Denis Compton? Rushing back to the pavilion in the company of Bill Edrich after hitting the winning run in the 1953 Oval test, where England regained the 'Ashes' after 20 years. Dropping his bat and covering his face with his hands after being hit by a Lindwall bouncer at Old Trafford, Manchester, 1953. Finally, going down on his knee to sweep Australian offspinner Ian Johnson. Yes, the sweep was something special. He often swept balls pitched even on the middle stump, sending them scurrying to the fine-leg or square-leg fence.

Compton's playboy image did not prevent him from becoming one of England's most successful batsmen. It only added to his image. Young women swooned over him. Even at the veteran stage, he was mobbed by women fans. They never forgot how, during the dark days after the War when everything was in short supply, Denis Compton brought a smile and cheer to millions of Englishmen and women through his achievements on the cricket field.

The passing of Denis Compton has been mourned by the greats of the game. We present here a collection of the best stories on him, culled from international publications. Please note: when you click on each story, a new window will open on your computer screen, taking you to the relevant story. When you have finished reading it, just click that browser closed, and you will be back with Rediff for more.

1) England's sporting hero makes a fitting farewell

2) A life of colour, played in dispute with the clock - Michael Parkinson

3) Thanks for the fun, Denis - Tim Rice

4) He was the best of the lot - former Middlesex captain A J Warr

5) He was a great footballer - Brendan Gallagher

6) A genius, pure and simple - Fred Titmus.

7) Sport mourns the man for all seasons - Rob Hughes

8) Compton's cricketing genius unrestrained and inimitable - John Woodcock.

9) Naturally gifted player had enjoyment as the main goal - David Miller.