Denis Compton | England Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo Profile Wisden obituary Denis Compton, who died on April 23, 1997, aged 78, was not just a great cricketer but a character who transcended the game and became what would now be called a national icon. In the years after the war, when the British were still finding the joys of victory elusive, the exuberance of Compton's batting and personality became a symbol of national renewal. Almost single-handed (though his pal Bill Edrich helped), he ensured that cricket returned to its pre-war place in the nation's affections. Only Ian Botham has ever come remotely close to matching this achievement. Compton was a remarkable batsman: loose-limbed with broad shoulders and powerful forearms. He could play all the strokes, though he rarely straight-drove. What made him special was his audacity: he would take risks, standing outside the crease even to quickish bowlers, challenging them to bowl anything other than the length he wanted.

He took 622 wickets, mostly with his chinamen, and any other player might have turned this skill into a career; Compton regarded them as a bit of a party trick. His running between the wickets was never good, but it seemed to get worse after he retired and became the source of a thousand after-dinner jokes. In reality, it was never a disastrous weakness. Denis Compton was born in Hendon, on May 23, 1918, and described his childhood as both poorish and happy. His father was a self-employed decorator who became a lorry driver when his business foundered. He was also a keen cricketer, as was Leslie, Denis's elder brother. They played against the lamp-posts in Alexandra Road and at Bell Lane Elementary School, and Compton's talent was obvious at once. At 12, he was playing for his father's team, and North London Schools against South London Schools at Lord's. He made 88. Two years later, watched by Sir Pelham Warner, he made 114 at Lord's for the Elementary Schools against C. F. Tufnell's XI and led his team to a crushing victory.

He joined the Lord's staff in 1933, and three years later got a game for the county, as an 18-year-old against Sussex in the Whitsun match. Compton batted at No. 11: he scored 14 in an important last-wicket stand with Gubby Allen that gave Middlesex first-innings points; the umpire Bill Bestwick supposedly said later that he only gave Compton lbw because he was desperate for a pee. Next match he was No. 8 and facing Larwood with confidence. Then he was No. 7, scoring 87 against Northamptonshire. In one game, the captain Walter Robins came down the pitch after he had driven a fast bowler for two consecutive fours. You know what to look out for now, don't you? No, skipper. Well, he'll bounce one at you. If he does, I shall hook him. And he did - into the Mound Stand. Before June was out he scored a hundred, in an hour and three-quarters, at Northampton.

By the time the season was over and he had passed a thousand runs, Warner, then chairman of the Test selectors, called him the best young batsman who has come out since Walter Hammond was a boy. But Compton had no time to relax. In September he made his Football League debut for Arsenal on the left wing against Derby County, scored the opening goal in a 2-2 draw, and was called the success of the afternoon by the Daily Express. Soon he was being marked out as a future England footballer as well as cricketer, despite criticism, which Compton always accepted, that he was inclined to prefer pretty ball-play to anything else. In cricket, the golden youth's progress turned out to be stoppable only by the Germans. In 1937 he scored 1,980 runs and was picked by England against New Zealand at the Oval. He scored 65 and was run out, flukily, while backing up. That year, as Pasty Hendren retired, Bill Edrich qualified for Middlesex. Len Hutton also made his Test debut. Thus started both the great partnership and the great rivalry that were to dominate post-war cricket.

The contrast between the serious-minded Hutton and the insouciant Compton would be the great divide in English cricket for years, and small boys of all ages invariably inclined to one or the other. Next time Compton batted for England, against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1938, he made 102; then came a match-saving yet exuberant 76 not out at Lord's. But he contributed just a single when Hutton scored his 364 at The Oval. Compton preferred to play football rather than tour South Africa- the 10-day Test at Durban would not have suited him - but in 1939 was back to top cricketing form, scoring 2,468 runs, including 120 against West Indies at Lord's, when he put on 248 with Hutton in two hours 20 minutes. There is no telling what this generation of batsmen might have achieved had they not been so rudely interrupted. Possibly, in the absence of equally compelling bowlers, they might have got bored. They never had the chance to find out.

Soon Compton was a special constable and then a member of the Royal Artillery, posted first to East Grinstead which still allowed the chance of weekend football. (He won 12 wartime and Victory match football caps for England, which did not officially count, but many contemporaries agreed that he was now the best outside-left in the country.) In 1944 he was sent to India as a sergeant-major supposedly in charge of getting men fit to defeat Japan; his lenient approach to this task enhanced his popularity with the men, and the Allies still won the war. He was able to fit in 17 first-class matches in India as well. His performances included a century for East Zone against the Australian Services, which was interrupted by rioters for several minutes when he was in the nineties. The line Mr. Compton, you very good player but the game must stop became one of the catch-phrases of his friendship with Keith Miller, which ended only with Compton's death. Compton also appeared, in the casual manner of that era, in the extraordinary Ranji Trophy final of 1944-45, then the highest-scoring match ever, between Holkar and Bombay.

Compton struggled at first in 1946, and his first 12 months of post-war cricket are sometimes thought of as a failure. He was still the leading scorer with 2,403 runs in 1946, and made a hundred in each innings at the Adelaide Test the following February. Because Compton had been touring, he missed that icy, fuel-rationed winter which for many people in Britain was tougher than anything produced by the war. Thus the stage was set for the greatest cricket season any individual has ever had. Compton did not really hit form until the season was a month old, and did not emerge into his full glory until the sun came out, and the series against South Africa began. He scored 753 of his 3,816 runs that summer in the Tests. But somehow, in the mind's eye of a generation, he was always batting at Lord's in a county match: hair tousled, the ball racing past cover point or backward of square. An exile in Australia complained: I hardly expected him to score 18 hundreds in a season. I thought him too good a player for that sort of thing.

He was assured that Compton had just played his natural game and the centuries - like his aggregate, a record for any season - had been almost incidental. Even more incidentally, Compton and Edrich took Middlesex to the Championship. The only cloud in that perfect summer came in the very last county match at Lord's: Compton had to retire to the pavilion because of knee trouble. He came out to make a second-innings century, another against the South Africans, and a further 246 - the knee strapped - for Middlesex against The Rest at The Oval. But from then on the words Compton and knee were to go together almost as easily as Compton and Edrich. Apparently, it was first damaged in a collision with Charlton goalkeeper Sid Hobbins in 1938, but it now became increasingly troublesome to him, and a constant source of worry for the public too. There were still many great innings - two big Test hundreds in 1948 against Bradman's invincible Australians, an astounding 300 in three hours against an admittedly weak North-Eastern Transvaal team a few months later - but they came less certainly.

As a cricketer his zenith had been so high that the only possible way was down. He was, however, now much more than a cricketer. On the 1948-49 tour of South Africa, he approached the journalist Reg Hayter with a suitcase full of unopened letters. Hayter started to go through them and found one from the News of the World offering £2,000 a year for a weekly column. Then he found another, written a few months later, withdrawing the offer because there had been no reply. Hayter introduced Compton to Bagenal Harvey, who became the first sportsman's agent, and did the famous deal in which Compton slicked down his hair and became forever identified with Brylcreem. In the spring of 1950 he was still able to come out of footballing semi-retirement, get into the Arsenal team during their FA Cup run and get a winner's medal at Wembley, where they beat Liverpool 2-0. But in the Whitsun game against Sussex, his knee gave way and he missed much of that summer. He failed horribly in the Tests in Australia in the winter.

In May 1951, after being appointed joint captain of Middlesex with Edrich, he scored 909 runs, more than in May 1947, but Compton's knee was by now entering national folklore, his appearances were becoming curtailed, and his ambition less intense. The runs still kept coming: he made the hit that won the Ashes in 1953, and in 1954, against Pakistan, there came both his highest Test score, 278 at Trent Bridge, and the innings he was inclined to regard as his best, 53 on a wet pitch at The Oval. He scored 492 in the 1955 Tests against South Africa. That November he had his right kneecap removed; his surgeon kept it as a souvenir, before giving it to MCC as part of the Lord's archive. Compton's biographer, Tim Heald, examined it and reported that it was like a medium-sized mushroom, honey-coloured and honey-combed. The operation enabled him to carry on playing for another two seasons, and to tour South Africa in 1956-57.

He left county cricket as triumphantly as he entered it, hitting 143 in three hours in his final match as a professional for Middlesex in 1957. Thereafter he made occasional appearances as an amateur, scored his 123rd first-class hundred for the Cavaliers on a sociable trip to Jamaica in January 1964, and finally bowed out with a fifty for MCC against Lancashire later that year. By then, he had become a thoroughly successful ex-cricketer, commentating for the BBC, writing pieces for the Sunday Express that were usually absurdly optimistic about the talents of iffy young cricketers, and using his natural readiness to have a drink and a chat with anyone to win accounts (successfully) for advertising agencies, first Royds then McCanns. He remained a bit of a roisterer into old age and maintained the friendships of his playing days until death. Edrich and Miller were at the top of this list; but it extended to all the South Africans he had found such chivalrous opponents and generous hosts.

This led him to take the pro-white South Africa side in the disputes that followed his retirement and to be used on occasion - such as the 1983 debate over sending an MCC team to South Africa - by those with dubious motives. He never lost the slightly chaotic ingenuousness that was responsible for the suitcase of letters: he was always unpunctual and would arrive, as Michael Parkinson put it, in a cloud of dust even when he was walking with a stick. His home life was successful only serially, but his third and last wife provided two daughters to add to his earlier families, which helped keep him young. He was always young at heart, even towards the end when the pain from his hip merged with the pain from his knee. He died in hospital at Windsor on St. George's Day, following complications from his third hip operation. His memorial service at Westminster Abbey created more applications for tickets than any in 30 years. Cricket was hugely fortunate that such a gifted sportsman graced the game with his presence. It was doubly blessed that he was a man of modesty, charm and good nature.

Read More Cricket | London Shenley Club Contact Cricket at London Shenley Club The Denis Compton Oval was designed by the renowned W G Grace. The Porter Family owned the Shenley estate in the latter part of the 19th century and it was they who asked W G Grace to design the ground to the dimensions of The Oval. Thankfully, W G Grace accepted this request and the grounds are now open for all to enjoy today. On the 22nd June 1997, Denis Compton, the legendary Middlesex and England cricketer unveiled The Denis Compton Oval. Since its unveiling Denis Compton Oval has rapidly become one of the most attractive cricket venues in the country and a major cricketing centre of excellence. A multitude of national and county teams have played on The Denis Compton Oval, these have included the national teams of South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the West Indies, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Ireland & Scotland.

Muttiah Muralitharan "The best ground I've played on outside the test arena." Evening Standard "Shenley Cricket Ground is probably the most beautiful ground in England and therefore the world." Chairman of Shenley Village Cricket Club "I just wanted to thank you and your team most sincerely for your incredible efforts yesterday. This was a big day for our club and I can honestly say that it was perfect in every way. I received so many fantastic comments from the opposition and our own members about the venue and the hospitality they received. I can't thank you and your team enough for all your hard work in making the day so successful. As always, the food and service were amazing. I was truly overwhelmed. In over 45 years of playing cricket it was one of the most enjoyable days I can remember. 2 members of the opposition said to me it was the best cricket day they had ever had which is quite something considering the wonderful venues they play on. I'll never forget yesterday for as long as my memory remains intact! Glucka, thank you once again for the introduction and your support with this fixture. I found out yesterday the original introduction came from Russell Arnold who recommended the Shenley venue to SCG a couple of years ago.

From thereon it took a long time and a lot of hard work to bring everything together but it was worth every effort. They can't wait to return in 4 years time." Careers Are you interested in working with us? Please visit the careers page for details of our current vacancies or to apply for a position. Quick Links Denis Compton: The knight in shining armour of English cricket - Cricket Country Denis Compton: The knight in shining armour of English cricket Denis Compton was one of England's greatest middle-order batsmen. By Arunabha Sengupta | Updated : November 20, 2015 4:36 PM IST Denis Compton: against this bleak backdrop after the World War, Denis Compton emerged dashing, debonair, handsome. His flashing blade kindled sparks of life into a sombre nation © Getty Images Denis Compton, born May 23, 1918, was one of the greatest batsmen of England whose career might have traced even higher paths if he had not been hampered by a near-crippling knee injury.

Arunabha Sengupta remembers the knight in shining armour of English cricket who brightened up the drab post-War days of the country with his breathtaking batting. Post-War It was a land of pessimism and frugality. The War was won, but the embers smouldered as constant reminder of years of madness and mayhem. The order of the day was pale, parsimonious existence; the mood morose and melancholy; the conquering nation remained pessimistic and joyless. In 1946, the year of his death, John Maynard Keynes reminded his countrymen, “We are a poor nation and must learn to live accordingly.” And against this bleak backdrop dazzled Denis Compton — dashing, debonair, handsome. His flashing blade kindled sparks of life into a sombre nation. The War had intervened when he had been a youth with promise of untold greatness, barely 21 years of age. The best part of his twenties, the prime of a batsman blessed with his majestic daring, quickness of hands, eyes and feet, were given up to serve the British Lion.

Now, as the nation trudged out of the desolate years, their souls still blackened by the singeing fires of atrocities, this gallant knight of English batsmanship traced the zenith of his lofty career. Crowds flocked to the grounds, dull of eyes, shabby of attire, solemn of bearing, ears still ringing from gunfire; and were transformed into a clapping, cheering, joyous multitude revelling in the batting of this one man. In the four summers that followed in England, and two tours to Australia in 1946-47 and South Africa in 1948-49, Compton raked in 14,641 runs with 60 centuries in all First-Class matches for Middlesex and England, runs gathered through inspiration of pure genius, a heady mix of excellence and improvisation. In the 28 Tests that took place during that period, he piled up 2664 runs at 61.95 with 11 hundreds. His blade glinted as runs flowed, and shredded the bowling with rapier like flashes. Often he performed the magic with a willow borrowed from a teammate. Compton was notorious for leaving his equipment behind.

In the 1955 Test against South Africa, he arrived at Old Trafford without his kit, borrowed an antique piece from the museum and scored 158 and 71. It did not seem he was in a hurry to make up for the lost years because of the War. Even during the War, this remarkable man had managed to live life to the brimful, with cricket and adventure, mixed for good measure with football. During the years of conflict, he had managed to earn 14 England caps in football and had also turned out in 17 First-Class games in India. At the same time, as a Sergeant-Major he had managed to get his men fit to win against the Japanese. As a Sergeant-Major, Denis Compton managed to get his men fit to win against the Japanese © Getty Images No, while he indeed played to win as is the way of any professional, it seemed much more likely that he was eager to bring happiness and light into the drab lives of the post-War populace.

“The strain of long years of anxiety and affliction passed from all heads and shoulders at the sight of Compton in full sail, sending the ball here, there, and everywhere, each stroke a flick of delight, a propulsion of happy, sane, healthy life. There were no rations in an innings by Compton,” wrote Neville Cardus . And it was no flight of Cardusian fancy. The Hair and the Knee EW Swanton, much more rooted to the ground in his analysis, remarked of a young Compton, “What marked his batting from the first was a sense of enjoyment in it all, of risks taken and bowlers teased, that at once communicated itself to the crowd. Yet, while it was the liberties he sometimes took which were written and talked about, when the need arose his defence could be as orthodox as anyone’s.” On the cricket ground, his attention was often divided between the action at hand and the horse he had backed in the nearby course. The passion for the courses was shared with his great pal — Keith Miller. And when he could take time off cricket, he turned out for Arsenal — and was considered good enough to get back his position as a winger after the War.

And then, even as the Brylcreem sleeked hair of the country’s heartthrob adorned thousands of billboards, another part of his body became the focal topic of national discussion. Denis Compton… the Brylcreem boy. In the spring of 1950, Compton played in the Cup final against Liverpool with his knee heavily bandaged. In the first half, he hobbled around, his performance shoddy. Before the second, a mammoth slug of whiskey was poured down his throat by Alex James . Compton played beautifully. As a winger his talent and opportunism competed with his batting skills. Arsenal won and Compton was a hero. And he would never walk without pain again. The knee had been a bother for a long, long time, first damaged in a collision with Charlton goalkeeper Sid Hobbins in 1938. Now, it fell to bits. For the next few years, the man who brought joy to thousands played through pain. Movement was limited, the freedom of batting expression constrained. Operation followed operation till his knee-cap was removed.

It now rests in a tin in the museum of Lord’s — according to Compton “a revolting thing —looks as if rats have been nipping at it. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to look at it.” People still look at it with awe. Because Compton returned to bat for England even after he no longer had it. Considering the years of War and the problems with the knee, it is remarkable that Compton ended with 5,807 runs in 78 Tests at 50.07 with 17 hundreds. Arsenal s Denis Compton and Winter (Chelsea) tussle for possession of the ball during the FA Cup semi-final replay between Chelsea and Arsenal at White Hart Lane on March 22, 1950 © Getty Images The Knight at the wicket Compton stood at the crease a flamboyant figure — the risk-taker, yet not reckless. His bearing was loose-limbed, accentuated by the broadness of the shoulders. His deportment was eloquent in style, and every movement was lavishly touched by grace. He had all the strokes in the book and many beyond it.

He cut with a flash, lofted with élan, and drove on both sides of the wicket — but curiously avoided the straight drive. His speciality was perhaps the sweep, of which there were plenty of variations, each effective and many risky. Balls from the middle stump would be dispatched with a cross bat with the sureness of a forward defensive push. Against fastest bowlers, he was audacious, relishing a challenge. He often stood outside the crease, making them bowl the length he desired, daring them to pitch short and happily hooking bumpers. His many duels with Keith Miller and Ray Lindwall have gone down as tales of legend. And finally, he was the master of improvisation. Having slipped and fallen flat in the middle of a stroke, he once essayed a one-handed late cut to the boundary at the last moment. The one shortcoming in the art of his batting has also gone down as folklore. Compton was atrocious when it came to running between the wickets.

Trevor Bailey recounted ‘a call for a run from Compton should be treated as no more than a basis for negotiation.’ This same quote has also been attributed to Bill Edrich, his great friend and partner at the batting crease for Middlesex and England. Yet, his running has seemed to have got increasingly worse after his retirement and death with each retelling. His brother Leslie Compton played over 250 matches for Arsenal and two for England as a centre half, and 274 games for Middlesex as a wicketkeeper. The two had trained in both the sports together. In Leslie’s benefit match in 1955, our hero managed to run him out before he had faced a ball. Compton also bowled left-arm spinners, mostly back-of-the-hand Chinaman. He considered it a parlour trick in his arsenal, but did take five wickets in an innings in Capetown during the 1948-49 tour. And in that famous Leeds Test of 1948, he might have won the match for England had Arthur Morris and Don Bradman both not been missed off his bowling.

He captured 622 wickets in all, 25 of them in Tests. As a fielder he was good when he was not thinking about horses. As his one-time captain JJ Warr observed — Compton took 415 catches in the course of his career ‘when he was looking’. The Bus to Lord’s Born in Hendon, Compton remembered his childhood as “both poorish and happy.” Brother Leslie and he played against the lamp-posts in Alexandra Road and soon made both made their marks in school sports. Compton always knew that Bus 13 went to Lord’s. By the time he was 12, he was batting on the hallowed turf, making 88 for North London Schools against South London Schools. Two years later he made 114 for the Elementary Schools at that very ground. The innings was watched attentively by Sir Pelham Warner. Down the years, the maverick Compton did not quite enjoy the best of relationships with Warner, the keeper of cricket’s traditions. However, years later, the Compton Stand at Lord’s stares across the ground at the Warner Stand.

Compton played for Middlesex for the first time in 1936 as a 18-year-old. It was the Whitsun match against Sussex, and scored 14 batting at number eleven. He was involved in an important last-wicket partnership with Gubby Allen that gave Middlesex first-innings points before umpire Bill Bestwick gave Compton lbw because he was desperate for a pee. Soon, he was batting with confidence against Harold Larwood. There is the charming story of young Compton driving a fast bowler for two consecutive fours. At the other end was skipper Walter Robins. “You know what to look out for now, don’t you?” Robins asked. Compton didn’t. Robins warned him of a bouncer. Compton replied, “If he does (bounce), I shall hook him.” The next ball disappeared into the Mound Stand. By the end of the season, Warner called him the best young batsman since Walter Hammond was a boy. However, even as he grew older and older, till the day he retired just shy of 40, Compton’s style of run-making did not undergo much modification. It was only the knee that hampered it.

Once the summer was over, Compton made his debut for Arsenal and scored the opening goal as a left winger. Football fans celebrated the new star as well. And as Wisden noted, Compton’s progress in both the games was checked only by the Germans. Before that however, he had already played eight Tests of sublime promise and two hundreds. He was 19 when he made his debut against New Zealand at The Oval and made 65, before being run out from a ball deflected to the stumps by the bowler. In spite of the fables about his poor running, Compton was run out on only two more occasions in 131 Test innings. The next summer saw England unleash two phenomenal young batsmen at the Australians at Trent Bridge. Both Len Hutton and Denis Compton got hundreds, and would form a study in exceptional contrast and brilliance across the next two decades. Two weeks after the Nottingham ton, Compton showed the world that he was not all style — there was a solid core of substance around which the excellence was crafted.

He had just turned 20 and on a pitch drenched by rain, bringing with it all the vagaries of uncovered wickets, he saved England with a mature innings of 76 not out. The War Years Compton did not tour South Africa preferring his football season. In distant Durban, the timeless Test finally brought Bill Edrich to the fore. England now had Hutton at the top with Compton and Edrich in the middle, with old Hammond still going strong. A glimpse of possible youthful dominance flitted by when Hutton and Compton added 248 in two hours and 20 minutes at Lord’s against the West Indies. But then Hitler invaded Poland. Compton spent his first few War years as a special constable and then a member of the Royal Artillery. He managed to play football and was talked about as the best left winger of England. Perhaps Ian Botham is the only one to have come remotely close to Compton’s dual brilliance in cricket and football. In 1944 he was posted in India and cemented a life-long friendship with Keith Miller. While there, he scored a century for East Zone against the Australian Services — interrupted by rioters when he was in the nineties.

It gave rise to the famed line, “Mr. Compton, you very good player, but the game must stop”. Then there was that remarkable match of the War era, when Compton scored 249 for Holkar against Bombay in the extraordinary Ranji Trophy final of 1944-45. With 867 to win, and egged on by the promise of a reward of Rs 100 for ever run after his century, Compton batted on and on and on. When the last wicket fell at 492, Compton was still there on 249 not out. By then, the nobleman who had promised the reward had vanished, leaving a note that he had been called to Calcutta on urgent business. Days in the Sun When cricket was resumed after the War, Compton overcame a few early hiccups and proceeded to dazzle the world. Everything he touched turned to gold. He even brought his football skills into the Test matches, running Vijay Merchant at The Oval with a neat piece of footwork from the mid-on.

England did not fare well, walloped in Australia in 1946-47 and at home during Bradman’s last tour of 1948. Miller and Lindwall, with Bill Johnston and Ernie Toshack, terrorised the English batting while Bradman, Arthur Morris, Neil Harvey, Lindsay Hassett and Miller again piled on the runs. Compton, meanwhile, enjoyed the peak of his career. Two hundreds were struck at Adelaide, a feat of defiance during the dismal England tour. In 1947, Denis Compton (right) and Bill Edrich reached the stature of mythological Middlesex men in the middle © Getty Images As many as 3816 runs were amassed in 1947, his greatest year, when Compton and Edrich reached the stature of mythological Middlesex men in the middle. A whopping 753 of Compton’s runs came against South Africa in the five Tests, with four hundreds and an average of 94. Not once during the season did he sacrifice his adventurous approach for circumspection. The runs came in spite of all the risks that made the batting the exalted thrill for the delighted spectators.

He ended the season with 246 for Middlesex against The Rest at The Oval, but trouble was slowly getting conspicuous. That innings was played with his knee securely strapped. When the Invincibles toured, Compton stood alone, in a brittle line up, stroking his way to 184 in a lost cause at Nottingham before falling on the wicket. And at Manchester, he played what was perhaps the greatest ever innings of his career. After being struck on the arm off a Lindwall bumper, Compton attempted a big hit when the bowler bounced again. The ball flew off the edge of his bat and struck him on his forehead. Compton staggered and had to retired at 33, with several stitches administered over his eyebrow. He resumed at 119 for 5 and batted with immense composure. Lindwall tested him with extreme pace, and Compton stood there for five hours and twenty minutes, scoring 145. Yet, these were innings played on a dodgy knee. He got plenty of runs when he toured South Africa, including a Test hundred and an astounding 300 in three hours against North-Eastern Transvaal.

But, it was apparent that his movements were not what they used to be. The years of pain After his Cup final of 1950, he failed dismally in the Tests in Australia. The knee was painful and English batting tottered as it failed to bear the brunt of Compton’s footwork. There were yet moments of greatness after the sequence of surgeries and operations got underway. Time and again, the world glimpsed the magical batting that had made him the toast of the nation. He scored a career-best 278 against Pakistan at Trent Bridge in 1954, an innings that brought all the memories of the Compton of 1947 rushing back in throes of nostalgia. A few more hundreds followed, in West Indies, and when South Africa visited England. A heartening 492 runs were scored in the 1955 Tests against South Africa. That November the troublesome kneecap was finally removed. WE Tucker, the famous orthopaedic surgeon, kept it as a souvenir for a while, before donating it to MCC as part of the Lord’s archive.

Tim Heald, Compton’s biographer, later wrote that it was like a medium-sized mushroom, honey-coloured and honey-combed. Denis Compton batting at The Oval, London, in the final Ashes Test in August 1953 © Getty Images And Compton came back without the knee cap, to score 94 against Australia at The Oval, helping England retain the Ashes. It was almost a painful fairy-tale story with a tear streaked happy ending. It was the closest he ever came to an Ashes century since the halcyon days of 1948. He did tour South Africa in 1956-57, but did not do much and retired as a professional cricketer at the end of the 1957 season. However, he went on batting as a gay amateur and scored his 123rd and final First-Class hundred for the Cavaliers in Jamaica in 1964. Till the summer of 1949, he had 3132 runs in 36 Tests at 60.23 with 13 hundreds — a genuine great at the crease.

After the knee problems, his returns were sedate, 2675 runs in 42 Tests at 41.79 with just four centuries. The greatness was intact, but compromised by his knee. His final figures are perhaps not as exalted as they should have been if his career had not tripped on that old football injury. But the numbers do make for some memorable reading. The man within Compton moved on to the commentary box for BBC, and wrote on cricket for Sunday Express. His predictions were often as risky as his debonair strokeplay. Unfortunately he was not there at the wicket to bat for the players he wrote about, and his optimistic forecasts often failed to come true. He remained immensely popular among old cronies, Edrich and Miller the chief among them. There was some controversy when Compton spoke for South Africa during the apartheid isolation, but it stemmed from his sympathy for the friends he had made during his tours to the country. The MCC team sail for South Africa from Southampton on the liner Durban Castle on October 7, 1948.

From left: Len Hutton, Alec Bedser and Denis Compton walking on deck prior to departure © Getty Images His whimsical forgetfulness, which had led to a lot of hilarity in his playing days, continued till his death. Peter Parfitt, a speaker at the celebration in London for Compton’s 70th birthday, remembers the legend being called to the telephone during the dinner. A voice rang out from the other end: “Denis it’s me, your mother. You’re not 70, you’re only 69.” During his playing days, Compton had been the idol of spectators everywhere. The English had seldom seen a batsman of his aura since the Golden Age. His popularity had reigned supreme in Australia, South Africa, India and the West Indies long after his retirement. The team management had often been less than impressed by his legendary escapades with Keith Miller. Once they had been charmed to find Compton up and dressed early in the morning on the day of a Test match only to discover that he had not been to bed at all. The Compton-Miller medal is now awarded to the Player of the Ashes Series.

Beaming from the billboards, Compton was a trend setter ahead of his times. The story is told of his approaching journalist Reg Hayter during the tour of South Africa in 1948-49, with a suitcase full of unopened letters. Hayter went through them and found one from the News of the World offering £2,000 a year for a weekly column. In the same suitcase was another piece of communication, sent a few months down the line, annulling the offer because there had been no response. Perplexed, Hayter introduced Compton to Bagenal Harvey, who became Britain’s first sportsman’s agent and started representing the batsman. It was Harvey who sealed the famous contract with Brylcreem. Appointed CBE in 1958, Compton was the president of Middlesex County Cricket Club for seven years before passing away in 1997. He continues to be remembered as the indomitable knight of English batting who, according to Cardus, often combined the ‘the Ironside breastplate as well as the Cavalier plume.’ ( Arunabha Sengupta is a cricket historian and Chief Cricket Writer at CricketCountry.

He writes about the history and the romance of the game, punctuated often by opinions about modern day cricket, while his post-graduate degree in statistics peeps through in occasional analytical pieces.

The author of three novels, he can be followed on Twitter at ) First Published on May 23, 2013 1:27 PM IST Last updated on November 20, 2015 4:36 PM IST TOPICS: 20 Jan, 2017 16:00 IST Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai 20 Jan, 2017 21:30 IST SuperSport Park, Centurion 22 Jan, 2017 08:50 IST | 03:20 GMT Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Sydney 22 Jan, 2017 13:30 IST | 08:00 GMT Eden Gardens, Kolkata 22 Jan, 2017 18:00 IST | 12:30 GMT The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg 25 Jan, 2017 21:30 IST | 16:00 GMT Newlands, Cape Town 26 Jan, 2017 08:50 IST | 03:20 GMT Adelaide Oval, Adelaide

 Denis Compton | Arsenal.com Denis Compton Denis Compton In his heyday, Denis Compton was a hero to millions, however his exploits as a cricketer will always be remembered more than what he did as a footballer.

But then you could argue that he would have done much more in the latter sport if he had not been quite so proficient with a bat in his hand. Profile 60 (60 starts, 0 as a sub) Goals 16 He joined Arsenal as a 14-year-old amateur in 1932 and became a regular on the wing in the junior sides. Compton scored on his League debut against Derby in September 1936. But despite that, he was still in and out of the first team. However, he did star for the Reserves and in the 1936/37 season hit five goals in a game on two occasions. He was a slightly unorthodox left winger with power, pace and a redoubtable ability in the air. But, unfortunately, the Second World War arrived just when he was hitting his peak. Despite being stationed in India, Compton played 120 war-time games for the club, scoring 74 goals. He also appeared in 12 England internationals. Unfortunately these games don’t count in the official records.

On the resumption of the Football League proper in 1946/47 he was sidelined with a leg injury and featured in only one game that season. He played 14 games in the following campaign to help Arsenal win the title. But once again, after that, appearances were irregular until he left the club in 1950. However at least he saw success in one of his final games, helping the club lift the FA Cup with a 2-0 win over Liverpool. Injury and opportunity had hampered Denis Compton the footballer. His brother Leslie played for Arsenal virtually at the same time but, tellingly, figured in five times the number of matches. As a cricketer, Denis Compton had few rivals. A dashing, stylish batsman, he amassed 39,000 career runs at an average of 52. His buccaneering attitude won him a legion of admirers as well as a lucrative contract with “Brylcream”. In 1947 he hit 3,816 runs for Middlesex and England at an average of 91, including 18 centuries.

He even missed the start of the football season that year to make sure his county won their championship. He was awarded a CBE in 1958 and, after retirement, became a football and cricket reporter for the Sunday Express. England's Compton to take time out from cricket England's Compton to take time out from cricket Pin it Share England's Nick Compton, in action on June 11, 2016, is to take a break from cricket to "recharge" (AFP Photo/Ian Kington) More London (AFP) - Nick Compton is to take a break from cricket, the under-pressure England batsman's county side Middlesex announced Thursday. Compton repeatedly accepted he was playing for his England place during a recent home Test series against Sri Lanka where the number three managed just 51 runs in three matches at an average of 12.75. The grandson of England batting great Denis Compton, Nick -- a Test specialist who does not play short-form international cricket -- has also struggled to make runs for Middlesex so far this season.

Now the hope is that by taking a break of unspecified length, Compton -- a notably more intense cricketer than his celebratedly carefree grandfather -- will be allowed to "recharge". A statement issued Thursday said: "Middlesex County Cricket Club and the England Cricket Team management have agreed for Nick Compton to be given a period of time away from cricket. "Following a challenging start to the 2016 season, both physically and mentally, it has been agreed that the best way forward is for Compton to spend some time away from the game." Compton's 16 Tests have yielded two centuries but a modest average of under 29 has put his place in jeopardy ahead of England's upcoming four-match series at home to Pakistan, especially as he turns 33 on Sunday. Middlesex managing director of cricket Angus Fraser, also an England selector, backed Compton's decision to take a break. "Nick sets himself very high standards and makes a huge commitment to cricket," said Fraser. "We all believe that some time away from the game now will allow him to refresh, recharge and return to play the sort of cricket we all know he is capable of producing," the former England fast-medium bowler added.

"During this period Nick will receive the full support of Middlesex CCC and the England Cricket Team Management.â Compton's move could pave the way for an England recall for either Scott Borthwick or Ian Bell. Reblog Nick Compton | International Cricket Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia 23/– Source: CricketArchive , 17 December 2012 Nicholas Richard Denis Compton (born 26 June 1983) is a South African-born English cricketer. The grandson of Denis Compton he plays first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club. A right-handed top order batsman and occasional right-handed off spin bowler, he made his List-A debut for Middlesex in 2001 and made his first-class debut three years later. He made his Test debut for England against India at Ahmedabad in November 2012. England recognition Following the retirement of Andrew Strauss and the exclusion of Kevin Pietersen , Compton's weight of runs was enough to earn him a first call-up to the England Test squad for the winter tour to India .

Compton made his England debut opening the batting with captain Alastair Cook in their first tour match against India A but made a third ball duck in England's only innings. The second tour match against Mumbai A saw Compton open the batting with his rival for the Test opening spot Joe Root . Compton scoring just one run in the first innings, but completed his first half century for England in the second innings, as he finished 64 not out. He again made 74 & 79 against Haryana, which included a 166-run opening partnership with Alastair Cook in the first innings, before he was out lbw to Amit Mishra . Compton made his test debut in the first Test against India at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad. He made 9 off 53 balls in the first innings, before being bowled by an off break by Ravichandran Ashwin . He then made 37 runs in a first-wicket, second innings partnership of 123 with Alastair Cook, before being given out LBW to Zaheer Khan.

He made his maiden Test 50 in the 3rd Test at Eden Gardens, going on to his highest test score of 57 before being dismissed lbw by Ojha. England central contracts 2013/14 Cricket: Nick Compton and Denis Compton | Metro UK Gallery: Nick Compton and grandfather Denis in action Thursday 14 Mar 2013 11:10 am Nick Compton made his second successive England century as the tourists took command on day one of the second Test in New Zealand. And in his strokeplay, you can see the similarities with his illustrious grandfather Denis, a true England great who played 78 Tests for his country and made 17 hundreds. Nick Compton of England bats during day one of the 2nd Test match between New Zealand and England at Basin Reserve on March 14, 2013 WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - MARCH 14: Nick Compton of England bats during day one of the 2nd Test match between New Zealand and England at Basin Reserve on March 14, 2013 in Wellington, New Zealand.

(Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - MARCH 14: Nick Compton of England bats during day one of the 2nd Test match between New Zealand and England at Basin Reserve on March 14, 2013 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) Nick Compton of England bats during day one of the Second Test match between New Zealand and England at the Basin Reserve on March 14, 2013 . WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - MARCH 14: Nick Compton of England bats during day one of the Second Test match between New Zealand and England at the Basin Reserve on March 14, 2013 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images) WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - MARCH 14: Nick Compton of England bats during day one of the Second Test match between New Zealand and England at the Basin Reserve on March 14, 2013 in Wellington, New Zealand.

(Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images) England’s Nick Compton walks, out for 100, caught by New Zealand’s Ross Taylor on the first day of the second international cricket test in Wellington, New Zealand. England's Nick Compton walks, out for 100, caught by New Zealand's Ross Taylor off the bowling of Bruce Martin on the first day of the second international cricket test in Wellington, New Zealand, Thursday, March 14, 2013. (AP Photo/SNPA, Ross Setford) NEW ZEALAND OUT England's Nick Compton walks, out for 100, caught by New Zealand's Ross Taylor off the bowling of Bruce Martin on the first day of the second international cricket test in Wellington, New Zealand, Thursday, March 14, 2013.

(AP Photo/SNPA, Ross Setford) NEW ZEALAND OUT Nick Compton New Zealand v England – 2nd Test: Day 1 WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - MARCH 14: Nick Compton of England bats during day one of the Second Test match between New Zealand and England at the Basin Reserve on March 14, 2013 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images) WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - MARCH 14: Nick Compton of England bats during day one of the Second Test match between New Zealand and England at the Basin Reserve on March 14, 2013 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images) England’s Nick Compton celebrates 100 runs in Basin Reserve in Wellington on March 14, 2013. TOPSHOTS England's Nick Compton celebrates 100 runs during day one of the 2nd international cricket Test match between New Zealand and England played at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on March 14, 2013.

AFP PHOTO / Marty MELVILLEMarty Melville/AFP/Getty Images TOPSHOTS England's Nick Compton celebrates 100 runs during day one of the 2nd international cricket Test match between New Zealand and England played at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on March 14, 2013. AFP PHOTO / Marty MELVILLEMarty Melville/AFP/Getty Images English batsman Denis Compton batting at the Oval cricket ground English batsman Denis Compton batting at the Oval cricket ground, London, during the England v Australia Final Test match. England went on to win the Ashes. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images) English batsman Denis Compton batting at the Oval cricket ground, London, during the England v Australia Final Test match. England went on to win the Ashes. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images) Denis Compton hits the winning stroke as England beat Australia and win the Ashes at the Oval, London, 19th August 1953 Denis Compton hits the winning stroke as England beat Australia and win the Ashes at the Oval, London, 19th August 1953.

(Photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Denis Compton hits the winning stroke as England beat Australia and win the Ashes at the Oval, London, 19th August 1953. (Photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Footballer and England and Middlesex cricketer Denis Compton Footballer and England and Middlesex cricketer Denis Compton batting for the Forty Club Side against Eton College at Eton, the first cricket match he has played since his knee operations. Original Publication: People Disc - HC0280 (Photo by Harrison/Getty Images) Footballer and England and Middlesex cricketer Denis Compton batting for the Forty Club Side against Eton College at Eton, the first cricket match he has played since his knee operations. Original Publication: People Disc - HC0280 (Photo by Harrison/Getty Images) > History | London Shenley Club Contact History The Shenley Cricket Ground was designed by the renowned W G Grace. The Porter Family owned the Shenley estate in the latter part of the 19th century and it was they who asked W G Grace to design the ground to the dimensions of The Oval.

Thankfully W G Grace accepted this request and the grounds together with the beautiful 19th century built pavilion are now open for all to enjoy today. On the 22nd June 1997 Denis Compton, the legendary Middlesex and England cricketer unveiled The Denis Compton Oval. Since its unveiling the Denis Compton Oval has rapidly become one of the most attractive cricket venues in the country and a major cricketing centre of excellence. A multitude of national and county teams have played on The Denis Compton Oval including the national teams of South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the West Indies, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Ireland & Scotland. Careers Are you interested in working with us? Please visit the careers page for details of our current vacancies or to apply for a position. Quick Links

Question: England cricketer Denis Compton played for which county club?
Answer: Middlesex