W. J. Edrich.

26 March 1916 – 24 April 1986

England, Middlesex and Norfolk 

Right hand bat, right arm fast bowler
 First-class span 1938-1955

Bill Edrich first made his name playing minor county cricket for his home county of Norfolk, making his debut at the age of sixteen in 1932. From a cricketing family - he would turn out for family teams featuring an XI of Edriches - he was destined for a cricketing career. His impressive form saw him score 111 against the 1935 touring South Africans and 1,886 in the Minor County Championship season. Opting to qualify for Middlesex, Edrich scored three centuries for MCC in 1936 and came second in the first-class averages with an average of 55. 

He immediately impressed in his debut season for Middlesex scoring 1,000 runs before the end of May thanks to a generous declaration from Don Bradman, allowing him another innings. He finished the season with a total of 2,154 runs at an average of 44.87. He initially struggled in his England career but in the fifth and final timeless Test of the 1938-39 tour of South Africa, Edrich scored 219 in 7 hours and 40 minutes in the second innings to help draw the match. Despite achieving an average of 49.68 in 1939, he was not selected to play the visiting West Indies. 

Edrich had a distinguished record as a pilot of RAF Bomber Command during the Second World War. Attaining the rank of Squadron Leader, he flew Blenheim Bombers on raids over Germany, including one of the most notorious, targeting power stations in the Cologne area in August 1941 where 12 out of 54 Blenheims were shot down. For his efforts he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Edrich found his best form post-war. A late call-up for the 1946-47 MCC tour of Australia and in a struggling side that failed to win a single Test, Edrich scored a total of 462 runs at an average of 46.20. He followed this up with his annus mirabilis in 1947 scoring a total of 3,539 runs at an average of 80.43, only to be bettered by the player he would forever be linked with, Denis Compton. The pair were totally dominant against the touring the South Africans. Edrich struggled against the visiting West Indians in 1950 and from then on only made intermittent Test appearances, his highly active social life also being partially to blame.

After an unsuccessful experiment of naming Compton and Edrich co-captains for the 1951 and 1952 seasons, Edrich stayed on a sole captain until the 1957 season, where he scored 1000 runs for the fifteenth time, but with only an average of 22.92, felt it best to step down. After only playing in half the matches for 1958 he retired from first-class cricket whereupon he returned to Norfolk, taking up the captaincy and continuing to play for them until 1972. 

Although not as graceful as Denis Compton, Edrich was known for his strong, forceful strokeplay, with the hook shot being a particular favourite. His bravery on the field matched his wartime courage, going back in to bat the following the day after being knocked unconscious by Frank Tyson. He was also a more than capable bowler, particularly in his early career, and always gave his all in the field. His off-field life reflected his cricket, inspired by his war experiences he had a great lust for life and wanted to make every moment count.