Object number
M.1992.TN.70
Title
Portrait of Denis Compton
Date
1949 - 1955
Creator
Material
Size
86 x 73 cm
Description
Half length, frontal portrait of Compton. Wearing a navy blue MCC touring blazer with scarlet and gold trim and St. George and the dragon embroidered motif on left pocket.
Display caption
Portrait of Denis Compton,1949
Bernard Hailstone (1910–1987)
Oil on canvas
Half length, frontal portrait of Compton. Wearing a
navy blue MCC touring blazer with scarlet and gold
trim and St. George and the dragon embroidered motif
on left pocket.
Denis Charles Scott Compton, the original Brylcreem
Boy, was the shining star of English cricket either side
of the Second World War. Along with Grace, Hammond
and Botham, he is one of only a handful of English
cricketers whose fame and glamour has transcended
the sport which made them famous. Although a regular
in the Test side by 1939, he is mostly remembered for
his post-war exploits as an attacking batsman with
outstanding footwork and an unorthodox range of
strokes. In 1947 Compton, together with Bill Edrich, lit
up what John Arlott called “a summer of joys which, it
had sometimes seemed during the war years, could
never return.” That summer he plundered county
attacks and the South African tourists to the tune of
3,816 runs, including 18 centuries.
MCC Collections: donated by Clare's Court School, Maidenhead,
M.1992.TN.70
Association
Related objects
Exhibitions
Object name
Object Category
