| Player: | JH Edrich |
One of the Norfolk Edriches, cousin of Bill Edrich, John Edrich was a neat compact left-handed opening bat for Surrey and England. Particularly strong off his legs, but a good cutter and cover driver, his greatest asset was an unwavering concentration - he never sold his wicket cheaply. Scorer of a hundred first-class centuries, he made an immediate impact with a hundred in each innings of his second Championship match. He captained Surrey for five seasons, and England once, when Mike Denness dropped himself on the 1974/75 tour of Australia. England lost that match, but Edrich played an immensely brave innings of 33* in 150 minutes with ribs broken by Denis Lillee's first ball to him. He is one of the few players with a Test triple hundred, made against New Zealand in 1965. He was a solid fielder in the gulley, and tidy elsewhere. He was awarded the MBE for services to cricket in 1977.
(Article: Copyright © 1998 Dave Liverman)