Born at Corsham, Wiltshire in 1906, brother of W.A. (Minor Counties) 'Big Jim' Smith was a right-arm fast bowler and right-handed lower order batsman noted for his prowess as a six hitter. He represented Wiltshire in the minor county championship between 1926 and 1933 and he made his first-class debut for Minor Counties in 1930. He joined Middlesex in 1934 and represented the county 152 times until his retirement in 1939. He bagged 676 wickets (av. 17.75) with a best performance of 8 for 102, he scored 2,977 runs (av. 15.42) with a single century of 101 n.o. versus Kent at Canterbury in 1939 and he held 69 catches. He took 100 wickets in a season four times with a best of 172 (av. 18.88) in 1934. He played five Tests for England between 1934/35 and 1937 and toured once abroad to West Indies in 1934/35. He took 15 wickets (av. 26.20) with a best haul of 5 for 26, scored 102 runs (av. 10.20) with a top score of 27 and he held a single catch. Jim will be remembered for some remarkable hitting at Lord's. A shot through the committee room window; a huge hit over Father Time and a one handed hit on to the pavilion roof, over the Tavern and across the St. John's Wood Road into the adjacent synagogue off the bowling of Yorkshire's George Macauley. After the Second World War despite Middlesex wanting him to return to play matches, he played for East Lancashire and Blackburn Northern between 1945 and 1948. He died at Mellor near Blackburn, Lancashire in 1979.
