Cricketer, born in London, UK. He played cricket for England 78 times, and scored 5807 runs at an average of 50·06. His county team was Middlesex. In the 1947 season he scored a record 3816 runs, including a record 18 centuries. During his career (193657) he made 38 942 runs and took 622 wickets. A winger at soccer, he won an England cap during the war years. His career was spent with Arsenal, and along with his brother, Leslie Compton (191284), he won a Football Association Cup-winner's Medal in 1950. He became a journalist and broadcaster when he retired from active sport.
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Denis Compton England (Eng) |
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| Batting style | Right-handed batsman (RHB) | |
| Bowling type | Slow left-arm chinaman (SLC) | |
| Tests | First-class | |
| Matches | 78 | 515 |
| Runs scored | 5807 | 38942 |
| Batting average | 50.06 | 51.85 |
| 100s/50s | 17/28 | 123/183 |
| Top score | 278 | 300 |
| Balls bowled | 2710 | 36640 |
| Wickets | 25 | 622 |
| Bowling average | 56.39 | 32.27 |
| 5 wickets in innings | 1 | 19 |
| 10 wickets in match | 0 | 3 |
| Best bowling | 5/70 | 7/36 |
| Catches/stumpings | 49/0 | 416/0 |
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Test debut: 14 August 1937 |
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Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE (born 23 May 1918 in Hendon, Middlesex, died 23 April 1997 in Windsor, Berkshire) was an English cricketer and footballer.
One of the few people to be both a cricket and a football international, he, together with his brother Leslie, also enjoys the remarkable distinction of being the only individual to be a member of both the champion county side - Middlesex CCC - and the Cup-winning club - Arsenal FC in a single calendar year - 1950.
In 1947 he thrilled a war weary English public by breaking record after record in scoring 3816 runs;
He scored his first Test century as a precocious 19 year old in 1938 against Don Bradman's touring Australians. The match was interrupted by rioting when Compton was on 94 and one of the rioters who had invaded the pitch ran up to Compton and said "Mr Compton, you very good player, but the match must stop now", which Miller gleefully repeated whenever Compton came to the crease subsequently.
In 1946, England toured Australia and although beaten by the powerful Australian team, Compton distinguished himself by scoring a century in each innings of the Adelaide Test. In the series he made 562 runs at 62.44, against fierce fast bowling from Lindwall, Miller and Johnston,
On the MCC tour of South Africa 1948-49 he scored 300 against North-Eastern Transvaal in just a minute over three hours - still the fastest triple-century ever in first-class cricket.
Compton finished his cricket career after playing 78 Test matches with 17 centuries at an average of 50.06.
Compton also played football, spending his entire career at Arsenal.
Peter Parfitt, the Middlesex and England batsman, was a speaker at a major celebration in London for Compton's 70th birthday.
After retiring from sport, Denis Compton became a journalist and later a commentator for BBC Television.
His brother Leslie also played cricket for Middlesex and football for Arsenal and England.
Current England batsman Kevin Pietersen was recently likened to Denis Compton by Geoffrey Boycott.
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