As a cricketer he played in 78 Test matches and spent his whole career with Middlesex. As a footballer , he played as a winger and spent most of his career at Arsenal. A right-handed batsman and left-arm unorthodox spin bowler, Compton is regularly credited as one of England's most remarkable batsmen. Compton was born and brought up in what was then the urban district of Hendon , which later became part of Greater London ; his father had moved there in hopes of finding more work.
The previous summer he had begun to make a name for himself when, at that same venue, he scored as captain of an Elementary Schools XI, impressing Test selector Sir Pelham Warner.
By the late s, Compton was one of England's finest batsmen, and remained at the top of his profession for some twenty years. His dashing approach to batting and the sheer enjoyment he exuded endeared him to a generation of cricket lovers. As an all-rounder Compton was a right-hand bat and a slow left-arm wrist-spin bowler. Compton earned his first England cap against New Zealand in At 19 years and 83 days, he remains the third youngest England debutant ever.
Hearne in , for the youngest Test century by an England batsman, and remains the record to this day. Later in the same series he scored a match-saving 76 not out at Lord's; this innings was scored on a rain-affected pitch and greatly impressed Don Bradman. In , he scored runs for the season, including against the West Indies at Lord's. As with many other sportsmen of his generation, he lost some of his best years to the Second World War , during which he served in the army in India.
He was posted at Mhow , Central India. He was granted permission to play for the Holkar team in the Ranji Trophy , India's national cricket tournament. It was in India that he began his close friendship with his Australian counterpart, Test cricketer, footballer and national hero, Keith Miller.
