Maurice Edelston

Maurice Edelston (27 April 1918 – 30 January 1976)[2] was an English footballer, who later became a sports commentator.[3] Born in Hull, England,[1] he was son of the Hull City footballer Joe Edelston.[3] At the age of 18, he played in the football tournament in the 1936 Berlin Olympics for Great Britain.

Maurice Edelston
Personal information
Full name Maurice Edelston[1]
Date of birth 27 April 1918
Place of birth Hull, England
Date of death 30 January 1976(1976-01-30) (aged 57)[1]
Place of death Tilehurst, England[1]
Position(s) Inside forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1935–1937 Fulham 3 (0)
Wimbledon
1937–1938 Brentford 21 (6)
Corinthian
1939–1952 Reading 205 (72)
1952–1953 Northampton Town 40 (17)
National team
1936 Great Britain 2 (0)
1937–1947 England Amateurs 8 (7)
1941–1942 England (wartime) 5 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Edelston played league football with Fulham and Brentford (following his father, Joe Edelston, then a coach, to both clubs), non-league football with Wimbledon and Corinthian and in April 1939 he joined Reading (where his father was manager) and played for them successfully as an inside forward until 1952.[3] At international level, he represented Great Britain at the 1936 Summer Olympics, scored seven goals in eight games for England Amateurs and won five wartime caps for England.[4] He finished his playing career at Northampton Town in 1953.[5]

Broadcasting career

Around the late 1950s he went into broadcasting and was a regular BBC radio commentator by 1960. During the 1960s he also commentated for BBC television and Southern Television. Although most of his commentaries were on football, he also covered tennis, especially Wimbledon.

He was a summariser on England's 1966 FIFA World Cup victory as well as the FA Cup Final in 1967 and 1968. He commentated on the event from 1969 to 1975. He reached his peak around the late 1960s and early 1970s, when he was broadcasting almost every week, covering European finals and England matches, as well as a number of league title deciders (Arsenal's victory at Tottenham Hotspur in 1971, and Wolves' defeat of Leeds which handed the title to Derby County in 1972). He also co-wrote the books Masters of Soccer and Wickets, Tries and Goals.

By the mid-1970s, his career was somewhat in decline as the emergence of Alan Parry was denying him the chance to commentate on matches such as England vs Scotland in 1975, and the controversial European Cup final in which Bayern Munich beat Leeds United four days later. However, he continued to cover tennis during the summer of 1975 and was still broadcasting regularly when he died suddenly from a heart attack in Tilehurst on 30 January 1976,[6] aged 57.[1]

Legacy

A library at the Reading Blue Coat School is named after him,[7] as is an award that Reading present to the outstanding schoolboy in their Academy.[8]

References
  1. "Maurice Edelston". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  2. "English National Football Archive". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  3. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-9552949-1-4.
  4. "Maurice Edelston". 11v11.com. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  5. Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-905891-61-0.
  6. "The Glasgow Herald – Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  7. http://ourportal.rbcs.org.uk/Docs/General%20School%20Information/School%20Library%20information%20for%20Parents/LibParentsGuide.pdf
  8. "Awards for our future stars". www.readingfc.co.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
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