FEATURE
DERBYSHIRE CCC WIN COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP ONCE ONLY
D
ERBYSHIRE have only lifted the County Championship trophy on one occasion. It was in 1936 and it was a remarkable achievement, writes John Stone. The team was almost entirely homeproduced. Fourteen of the fifteen professionals on the books were born in the county. As it happened, the fifteenth man was born in Liverpool, but to a Derbyshire family and he was brought up in the county. To put out such a homespun team and be competitive at county level is a notable achievement in itself. For that team to turn out to be the best in the land almost defies belief. ‘Remarkable’ is simply not a strong enough word. It might never have happened. Derbyshire, as a cricket-playing county, might well not even have existed by 1936. On several occasions in the early years of the 20th century the club came within a hair’s breadth of financial oblivion. Matters on the field were no better. In 1920 the club played 18 matches. 17 were lost and the other game was abandoned without a 78 Reflections September 2025
ball being bowled. There had been little or no improvement by 1924. Derbyshire remained winless and firmly rooted at the foot of the championship table. And yet by the end of that decade, Derbyshire suddenly had the makings of a strong side. Despite its ongoing financial predicament, and to its eternal credit, the county club had continued to fund a nursery and had been blessed with a sudden intake of highly promising youngsters from the local area. Former player, Sam Cadman, had been appointed County Coach in 1926 and this proved to be a masterstroke. Cadman’s work with Derbyshire was so impressive that he subsequently became internationally sought after – particularly in South Africa. Sam Cadman’s fingerprints were all over Derbyshire’s dramatic improvement and its eventual championship triumph. In the 1933 season, Derbyshire rose to the dizzy height of sixth in the championship table. They were third in 1934, runners-up in 1935 – rising ultimately to the summit in 1936. Writing on the 50th anniversary of the triumph, John Arlott concluded
Left: The 1936 team. Pictured are, back row from left, Harry Elliott, Leslie Townsend, Bill Copson, Harry Parker (scorer), Alf Pope, Denis Smith, Charlie Elliott; front row from left, Harry Storer, Stan Worthington, Arthur Richardson (capt), Tommy Mitchell and Albert Alderman. that “Derbyshire were undoubtedly the strongest – and their opponents would say the hardest – side in the 1936 competition”. According to Arlott, Derbyshire “made the cricket bristle with competition. Shall we ever see a side of quite such gladiatorial quality in the English county game again? There is no sign of it”, he wrote.
HOW THEY DID IT
Historically, Derbyshire have always been a stronger bowling side than a batting unit and the 1936 Championship team respected this tradition fully. The fast bowlers Bill Copson and Alf Pope were wonderfully complemented by the leg spin and googlies of Tommy Mitchell. By way of an indication To advertise call 01246 550488