Derbyshire Legends 5 - Tommy Mitchell (1902-1996)

Tommy Mitchell was the oldest surviving England cricketer when he died, doubtless a record that he enjoyed.

He has been referred to as quirky, enigmatic, cantankerous and great fun by different people. He was well aware of his own worth, and walked away from Derbyshire when cricket resumed after the Second World War in a row over terms. In so doing he forfeited a benefit he was due, but Tom was a man of principles and he went on to earn decent money in League cricket.

He allegedly learned to spin a ball on a snooker table and was without a doubt the finest spinner that the county has ever produced. There were days, like most leg spinners, when he could be very expensive, days when his many variations didn't come out right. When it worked, however, he could run through sides, and it was always reckoned that if Bill Copson and the Pope brothers could get into the top order that Mitchell's extravagant spin would account for the rest.

In ten years with the county he took 1483 wickets at a shade over 20. Impressive figures, and when one considers that there were times he barely got a bowl because the seamers ran through sides it is especially good. Many thought him the most prodigious spinner of them all in the 30's, more so than Tich Freeman, but this worked against him at the highest level, where his tendency to bowl loose balls was more seriously punished than at County level. Indeed, his eight Test wickets cost him over 60 runs each, and his unwillingness to suffer fools gladly, especially those in positions of seniority, cost him dearly. He allegedly told his England captain Bob Wyatt that he "couldn't captain a team of lead soldiers" and had greater fans amongst the players than the so-called gentlemen.

For all that, he was well liked in the game and was an habitual joker. In his superb book on the Bodyline series, David Frith recounts how the England players hid his false teeth on a rail journey to get him back for countless pranks played on them, while a joke he played on a gnarled old miner there resulted in the man drawing a pistol on him!

Perhaps the best story about him was when he was engaged towards the end of the season as a professional by Blackpool Cricket Club (to great effect). Several weeks after the season ended, his wife met the club secretary and asked politely when he thought Tom would have finished his cricket for the year.... he'd stayed on in the northern town and enjoyed himself!

In his early career he was a poor fielder, but his glasses helped him to look studious and to become an excellent cover point. He was no great batsman, with a career average of under 8, but he enjoyed going down the pitch to bowlers and hitting over the top. He was also capable of holding an end up for a while when required.

We will almost certainly not see another Tom Mitchell, and the game will be all the poorer for that.