in 1909. With many soft wickets, Smith was frequently unplayable, and the amount of work he got through seemed to shatter thoughts his body was fragile. His success was due in part to a new delivery, a fast kicking leg break in addition to his usual sharp off spinner. Many of his wickets came courtesy of the brave close fielding of Bill Hitch at short leg. Smith took 14 for 29 at the Oval against Northamptonshire, doing the hat-trick in the second innings and being denied one in the first by a dropped catch. In 1911, despite most pitches being totally unhelpful in an exceptionally dry summer, Smith seized his few chances so well that he was second highest wicket-taker in the country with 160. 1912 was a wet summer that suited Smith's bowling, yet prior to the last three games he had been so out of form – bowling when clearly unfit – that he had the poor record of 69 wickets at 21.43 each. Deadly bowling in the last three games improved his record, yet he was a complete failure (aside from his only first-class century at No. 11) on a Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) tour of the West Indies. 1913 was basically a repeat of 1912 – "Razor" came into form only at the tail end of the season – and in 1914 Smith could rarely play due to injuries continuing to recur. After World War I, it was clear "Razor"’s body would not allow him to play more cricket, and he spent the rest of his life working for the bat firm Surridge’s. Smith worked there right up until his death from heart failure in 1946. References External links English cricketers Surrey cricketers Wisden Cricketers of the Year 1877 births 1946 deaths Oxfordshire cricketers London County cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Players cricketers