AC Smith

AC Smith was described more than once as the "complete cricketer". A solid wicket-keeper, he scored three hundreds – two for Oxford in 1959 – held six catches in an innings in 1970 and in a 1965 match, he removed his pads and immediately took a hat-trick. He won Blues in all three years for Oxford – he captained them in his last two summers – and after a good summer for Warwickshire was picked, to the surprise of many, to tour Australia and New Zealand in 1962-63 where he kept wicket in six of the eight matches. He was an effective all-rounder, a dogged middle-order batsman, a useful right-arm seamer, bowling off the wrong foot, and a competent wicketkeeper and, in later years, a leading administrator. He served Warwickshire with distinction, leading them to the Championship in 1972 and the Gillette Cup in 1968. After retiring, he was a Test selector, an England tour manager, secretary of Warwickshire, and the first chief executive of the Test & County Cricket Board. In his spare time, he was a director of Aston Villa (he was also a football Blue).