Edmund Crush MC (25 April 1917 – 9 June 2007) was an English cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club between 1946 and 1949.

Eddie Crush
Lt. E. Crush Royal Engineers receiving the Military Cross from Field Marshal Montgomery
Personal information
Full name
Edmund Crush
Born(1917-04-25)25 April 1917
Dover, Kent, England
Died9 June 2007(2007-06-09) (aged 90)
Deal, Kent, England
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium
Right-arm off spin
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1946–1949Kent County Cricket Club
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 45
Runs scored 1,078
Batting average 16.08
100s/50s 0/5
Top score 78
Balls bowled 6,659
Wickets 83
Bowling average 38.10
5 wickets in innings 2
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 6/50
Catches/stumpings 23/–
Source: CricInfo, 26 December 2020

Crush was born in Dover in 1917, the youngest of seven brothers, and was educated at Dover Grammar School for Boys in the 1930s.[1][2] He served during World War II with the Royal Engineers. On D-Day, he was a subaltern and decorated with the Military Cross for his actions during the fight for Caen by Field Marshal Montgomery. His citation read: "As a result of his courage and determined leadership, anti-tank guns, troops and an anti-tank regiment of the Royal Artillery were able to get up to the objective for consolidation at a very early stage in the battle." Crush finished the war with the rank of major.[1][3]

Crush played first-class cricket for Kent as a right-arm swing and off-break bowler. The highlight of his career was dismissing Don Bradman in 1948 when Kent played the touring Australians.[3][4][5] Asked why he hadn't appealed Crush said "He was my hero, thousands of people including me wanted to see him bat" adding "the last time I had seen him was in 1930 when as a 13-year-old I cycled from Dover to Canterbury to watch him ... the words just wouldn't come out". Crush retired after the 1949 season.

Following his playing career, Crush established a sport outfitters shop in Dover. He remained an enthusiastic club cricketer during the 1950s playing for Dover Cricket Club and St Lawrence & Highland Court. He was on the Kent General Committee and was a cricket coach.[3] He served on the Test and County Cricket Board Disciplinary Committee and was a member of MCC.

He married Dorothea Tolputt on Christmas Day 1955 at Lydden Church in Dover. The couple had two sons. Crush died at Dover in 2007 aged 90.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Eddie Crush, CricInfo. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  2. ^ Jeater D (2020) County Cricket: Sundry Extras (second edition), p.41. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 2020-12-27.)
  3. ^ a b c Crush, Edmund, Obituaries in 2007, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 2008. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  4. ^ Eddie Crush dies aged 90, CricInfo, 3 July 2007. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  5. ^ The Sydney Morning Herald