Future England Prospects?

[Richard]

Well it wasn’t until last year that he was given a settled role and position in Middlesex’s side. He was played out position in the middle order until Ben Hutton stood down.

So Compton's always been an opener? Interesting, I thought he'd been a middle-order player who did not-much then moved up to open and had success there so was kept at the top. Makes far more sense if it was the former, though.

If so, though, I still maintain that he was doing not-much. Ben Hutton's hardly been an outstanding opener, has he? If Compton was opening in the Seconds and scoring a crateload he'd have been pushing to take the opening slot from a relatively mediocre type like Hutton.

 

[TT Boy]

So Compton's always been an opener? Interesting, I thought he'd been a middle-order player who did not-much then moved up to open and had success there so was kept at the top. Makes far more sense if it was the former, though.

If so, though, I still maintain that he was doing not-much. Ben Hutton's hardly been an outstanding opener, has he? If Compton was opening in the Seconds and scoring a crateload he'd have been pushing to take the opening slot from a relatively mediocre type like Hutton.

He opened the innings for England Under 19’s and in seconds cricket…

And Compton was doing enough for Middlesex. They were a terrible side last year and his performances at batting nearly everywhere in the top seven were about the only encouraging thing the side could cling onto to. Also, Nick couldn’t get the opening slot secured until mid June for Ben Hutton if you had forgotten was Middlesex’s captain and it wasn’t until his form went so bad that he took the decision to drop himself and promote Compton.

 

[Richard]

Hutton should simply never have been made captain ITFP. Compton, as I say, has been playing a few seasons now and should have had the place before Hutton even got the captaincy if his performances demanded it.

 

[Burgey]

God - what England would give to have Compton and Hutton together now!

 

[Perm]

God - what England would give to have Compton and Hutton together now!

 

[Richard]

God - what England would give to have Compton and Hutton together now!

There is a bit of an irony.

Wonder what Den and Len would have said in the 1940s if they knew that one day one's South African-born grandson would knock the other out of the Middlesex side.

More to the point, what would Len have thought if he heard his grandson would play for Middx?