Peter Holborn, of Ripley, recalls the memorable occasion his uncle, who played for Derbyshire’s cricket team, introduced him to the legendary Aussie batsman Don Bradman.

I was 11 at the time of the 1947 cricket season when my uncle, Albert Alderman (right) played for Derbyshire. During that season, on Saturdays and Bank Holidays, my grandfather used to take me to watch and I was able to obtain all the autographs of the players pictured above.

On going through the gates, in those days, you were issued with a scorecard. I had instructions to take two pencils, a rubber and a pencil sharpener (there were no biros then).

When the bowler was coming up to bowl, my grandfather would put his forefinger to his lips and say “Shush”, adding, “the bowler is coming up to bowl”.

So then I could not talk. I had to concentrate on recording everything that went on, until the next ball. But I really enjoyed it and never missed a ball being bowled, recording it all.

My biggest thrill was to come the following season, in 1948, when the Australians were here. To my mind, to this day, collectively they were the finest team ever. They were so good, you would think they were all all-rounders.

Even down to number 11 in the batting order they were capable of scoring a century and they could all bowl with great distinction.

My Uncle Albert was my mother’s brother. He and my mother had arranged for me to meet him on Shardlow Road at the top of Lindon Drive, in Alvaston.

We lived in Elvaston Lane, towards Elvaston Castle, and he lived at Aston-on-Trent. As I recall, he picked me up at about 10am as he was playing. He also had another passenger, a lad from Aston. His name was Bill Smith.

I did not know him at the time as I was quite young and he was six or seven years older, which was quite a difference in those days. But we did get to know one another as time went on. Bill was a very fine cricketer and footballer for Aston. He still resides there. I played cricket for Elvaston for many years.

But to go back to the Australian match – I was fortunate enough to see Don Bradman bat. He wasn’t lavish with his shots but he did seem to be taking his time. His timing must have been good as they hit the boundary at great speed. He made it look easy, until he mistimed a ball from E J Gothard, the Derbyshire captain, and was out.

I read in the paper where Bradman was saying that young Les Jackson was a great prospect and would soon be playing for England.

During the match, when Derbyshire were batting, I met up with a group of school pals. We were sitting on the grass close to the boundary rope and Neil Harvey was fielding nearby. He was 19 at the time and the baby of the team – a brilliant left-hand batsman and still around.

The ball came to him. He collected it just before it hit the rope but, instead of throwing the ball over-arm to the wicket keeper, he threw it under arm with a flick of his wrist. The ball went miles into the sky. We kids thought it would never come down.

The wicketkeeper was standing over the wicket with his gloves ready to catch the ball and was teasing young Neil. The ball seemed to take an eternity to fall but, of course, it eventually did, right in the middle of the wicketkeeper’s gloves. The wicketkeeper didn’t even have to move his feet. To me that was fantastic. The County Ground was renowned for having a big boundary.

At the end of the day’s play on the Saturday, I sat on the bottom step of the old pavilion, which faced due south in those days. Everyone else had gone home and I was waiting for my uncle. It was his testimonial season. He was going to retire at the end of the season after joining Derbyshire in 1926.

As I waited there, he eventually appeared and with him was Don Bradman. I watched as they came down the steps, both deep in conversation as they were both about the same age. They arrived at where I was sitting on the bottom step and my uncle introduced me to Don Bradman, saying: “This is my nephew.”

Bradman said: “Hello, how are you?” He put his hand out and we shook hands. What a moment!

When I arrived home, I went to my mother and said: “You shake my hand.” As she did so, I said: “That’s the hand that shook Don Bradman’s hand.”

What memories! It was a long time before I washed my right hand.

Albert Alderman, if still alive, would have been 100 on October 30, 2007. He died 17 years ago.

An undefeated Australian touring side came to Derby in 1948 and, despite high hopes, went away still unbeaten after scoring more than 400 runs in their first and only innings. But the highlight of the match was when amateur Derbyshire bowler E J Gothard dismissed the legendary Aussie batsman Don Bradman for just over 60 runs – which many Derbeians recall to this day.

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My father, Albert Alderman, played for Derbyshire from 1928-48. The Australian visit of 1948 caused great excitement and was also my father's testimonial year. I remember helping to sell programmes around the various grounds.

We lived in Aston-on-Trent but left the county for a new life in a strange part of England known as the South. There he took up a post as sports coach at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and we lived in Camberley.

My parents never forgot their roots and we spent many fume-filled hours in an old Rover car, making the pilgrimage back up to the Midlands.

My twin brothers, Rodney and David Alderman, played local cricket and my two sons, Timothy and Christopher, both love the game – the former gained a blue at Oxford in 1986 – which pleased my father immensely.

My cousin, Peter Holborn, recalls not only my father's cricketing skills but his ability as a young footballer for Derby County and, briefly, for Burnley in 1926/27.

Valerie Ann Dawson (nee Alderman).

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