Exmouth's 1974 Devon Cup winning team. Graham Smith is in the middle of the front row – full caption below.<br>credit: Tozer family scrapbook

Exmouth's 1974 Devon Cup winning team (back): Bob Harriott, Bruce Ellett, Alan Parsons, Brian Davison, Howard Gatcum, Peter Corney, John Tozer, Mike King. Front: John Bradford, Bob Bridges, Graham Smith, M Strudwick, Peter Brierley

By CONRAD SUTCLIFFE

AN EXMOUTH cricketer who helped spin the club to seven Premier Division titles has died aged 82.

Graham Smith was a permanent fixture in Exmouth’s first team for more than 30 years before he retired at the end of the 1994 season. He carried on playing for one more summer as 2nd XI skipper.

Smith played for Exmouth, captained Exmouth 1st XI to the Devon Cup in 1974, coached Exmouth youth teams, including one that reached the regional final of the national under-15 cup in 1984 and held numerous posts on Exmouth committees.

His cricket career started as a medium-pace trundler in the second team, but an injury on the rugby field forced him to try something else.

“Graham broke his right arm playing rugby and after that could not flex his arm enough to bowl medium pace,” said former team-mate Ashton Collinge.

“Graham decided to take-up off-spin and did far better with that than he ever did bowling seamers.”

Smith was a prodigious wicket-taker throughout the 1960s in the days before league cricket commenced in Devon, often accumulating more than 100 wickets a season in ‘friendly’ games against opposition that could vary in standard dramatically.

League cricket may have made taking wickets tougher, but Smith was still effective and contributed 184 wickets between 1990-1994 – all of which were title-winning seasons for Exmouth.

“I was surprised at first to be told how many wickets Graham took in our title-winning sides of the early 90s as he would have been in his mid-50s by then,” said Charlie Pritchard, who kept wicket to Smith for a decade.

“When I thought about it, Graham was like one of the fine red wines he used to enjoy after a game. He just got better with age.”

League records are incomplete for the 23 years of Smith’s legue career, but those available cannot fail to impress.

  • It has been possible to trace 332 1st XI games Smith appeared in between 1972-1994
  • Smith took 761 league wickets – all of them in the top division of the Devon League
  • His career-best performance with the ball was an eight-for-65 haul against North Devon in 1988. Second best was his eight-for-73 return against Plymouth in 1977. He won the bowler of the month award in June 1981
  • Smith took five wickets or more in match on 44 occasions
  • Smith played in Exmouth’s title winning sides of 1981, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994

Julian Page was one of Exmouth’s title-winning captains in the 1990s when Smith’s wicket-taking contributed hugely to their success.

Page said Smith was ‘a talented off-spinner’ first and foremost, but added there was more to his game than that.

“He was a great competitor who demanded very high standards … as anyone who dropped a catch or mis-fielded off his bowling will remember,” said Page.Graham Smith in the front row of a 1976 Exmouth team group. Also pictured are Steve O'Higgins, Graham's son Mark, Bob Harriott, Alan Parsons, Richard Hope and John Tozer. Front: Smith, Keith Waddhams and Paddy Considine

Pritchard said his former team-mate deserved to be remembered as a ‘true legend’ of the club.

“Graham was a real clubman through and through who was always thinking of ways to improve the club and raise money for it,” said Pritchard.

“He organised three tours to Kent – all of them great fun – and despite being the oldest player in the team by a distance always retained huge enthusiasm for the game.

“Graham played for so long that wherever you went to play in Devon he always knew someone from the opposition he wanted to have a beer with afterwards. If you were travelling with him you knew you would not be home early!”

Nick Folland, who played with Smith at Exmouth before going on to captain Devon, said there were ‘three secrets’ to Smith’s success at an age when most players have chucked their bowling boots in the bin.

“Graham had three secrets,” said Folland. “He genuinely spun the ball; he never bowled short and he was a huge competitor.”

A league title eluded Smith during two spells as captain – 1974-75 and 1985 – but he lifted the Devon Cup in 1974 in unusual circumstances.

The captain was not selected for any of the games on the way to the final, which were played over 18 eight-ball overs a side. The club’s selection committee feared batsmen would slog Smith’s off-breaks all around the ground.

The late Jack Rodgers, who was Exmouth’s historian, explained what happened in the 40-over final against North Devon in his 1975 club brochure Ten Years On.

“His selection for the final was met with a certain amount of criticism, which in the light of subsequent events proved needless. Exmouth batted first and, in a none too convincing display, managed to total 138, which was by no means unattainable as more overs are allowed in the final. North Devon proceeded cautiously to 40 and lost three wickets in the process before Smith took his gamble and went on himself. The result was that the opposition were massacred, being finished off in three overs with Smith completely unplayable and having the astounding final figures of six wickets for four runs.”

Despite his prolific wicket-taking for Exmouth, the Devon selectors never called on Smith for county duty, However he did play for Devon Over-50s between 1990-1992. A seven-wicket haul against Cornwall at Heathcoat CC hinted at what might have been.

Graham Smith was a genuine man for all seasons. He also played rugby for Exmouth in the 1950s and 1960s.

“I remember Graham as a good fly-half who played for us in the early 1960s when we were based at Cranford and also after we moved to the Imperial Ground,” said Roger Holman, the current Exmouth RFC president and a former player.

“Graham was, without being rude, a little on the rotund side for a fly-half. But he had a good boot on him and was a useful in the side.”

Smith never lost his interest in rugby and served on the Devon RFU committee between 1990-1993. His main interest was the county side – he was part of the selection and playing sub-committees for three years – and also sat on the media and support services panels.

Graham Smith, who would have been 83 next month, was born in Exmouth and won a place at the town’s grammar school in 1950.

After leaving school he enlisted in the Royal Air Force and it was during his military service that he married Carol in December 1959. The couple were married for more than 60 years and had three children.

When Smith returned to Civvy Street he trained as an architect. He used his training in a number of building trade-related jobs.

Carol worked for Devon County Council and when she retired around 20 years ago the couple migrated to the Greek island of Zakynthos, where both of them died.

The Smiths made regular visits back to Exmouth to catch up with family old friends and share a drink or two.

Carol died in 2020 after suffering a stroke.

Graham Smith is survived by sons Mark and Simon. A daughter, Sarah, pre-deceased her parents.