Ray Smith (10 August 1914 – 21 February 1996) was an English

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er. He played for

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

between 1934 and 1956.

Career

Smith was a prominent all-rounder in the post-war Essex cricket team, alongside his cousin

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

. He was known for his dynamic bowling, often initiating the attack with rapid in-swingers, and then switching to less effective off-breaks. Smith's batting was sporadically powerful, with three of his eight first-class centuries recorded as the fastest in their respective seasons. Notably harsh on off-spinners, he once left bowler

Jim Laker James Charles Laker (9 February 1922 – 23 April 1986) was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club from 1946 to 1959 and represented England in 46 Test matches. He was born in Shipley, West Riding of Yorks ...

exasperated. Contrary to fast-bowling norms, Smith's appeals were delivered in a soft, aristocratic voice. Retiring in 1956, he missed the introduction of one-day cricket but had an accomplished career as a coach at Felsted and ran a restaurant outside Birmingham. His final home match saw Essex secure its first victory over Yorkshire since the war, with Smith scoring the winning runs.

References

External links

* * 1914 births 1996 deaths English cricketers East of England cricketers Essex cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Players cricketers North v South cricketers People from Boreham English cricketers of 1919 to 1945 20th-century English sportsmen T. N. Pearce's XI cricketers Cricketers from Essex {{England-cricket-bio-1910s-stub