- David Clark (cricketer)
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David Clark Personal information Full name David Graham Clark Born 27 January 1919
Barming, Kent, EnglandBatting style Right-handed Bowling style Right arm slow Domestic team information Years Team 1946–1951 Kent Career statistics Competition First-class Matches 75 Runs scored 1,959 Batting average 15.79 100s/50s 0/10 Top score 78 Balls bowled 52 Wickets 1 Bowling average 44.00 5 wickets in innings – 10 wickets in match – Best bowling 1/19 Catches/stumpings 46/– Source: Cricinfo, 11 April 2009 David Graham Clark (born 27 January 1919) is a former English cricketer and cricket administrator.
Clark was born in Barming, Kent. He played first-class cricket for five years, appearing for Kent. He was Kent's captain for the last three years of his career. He retired at the end of the 1951 season. He was President of the MCC in 1977-8.[1]
He is likely to be best remembered for chairing the committee set up in 1965 to "examine the future of county cricket in the widest possible terms and if thought fit to recommend alterations in the structure and playing conditions of the County Championship". However the first-class counties rejected most of the recommendations made in the so-called "Clark Report".[2]
Clark was the tour manager of the 1970-71 English Ashes tour of Australia. The England fast bowler John Snow wrote that the tour "emphasised the gulf between players and administrators" and "I was sick of the biased attitude and incompetence which was apparent in cricket administration".[3] Clark was described by the England captain Ray Illingworth as "an amiable, but somewhat ineffectual man"[4] and there were soon divisions between him and the players.
John Snow had bowled over 50 eight-ball overs in the First Test and was rested for the state match against Western Australia, but Clark insisted that he practice in the nets with the others. Snow bowled a couple of desultory overs and Clark berated him for five minutes after which Snow told him "that as far as my good conduct money was concerned he could swallow it" and went walkabout until the next day.[5] Ray Illingworth smoothed things over, but after the Second Test Clark criticized both captains for cautious play, England for their short-pitched bowling and indicated that he would prefer to see Australia win 3-1 than see four more draws. Ray Illingworth only discovered this when he was asked for a comment by a journalist in the morning and the rest of the team when they read the newspapers at the airport.[6] As a result Illingworth effectively took over the running of the tour with the support of the players and Clark's influence declined.[7]
Clark's only ally was the vice-captain Colin Cowdrey, also from Kent, who became isolated as a result.[8] In the final Test at Sydney Clark tried to push Illingworth back onto the field when he took the team off because of the crowd throwing beer cans after the Snow-Jenner incident. A furious Illingworth said he would not return until the playing area had been cleared and the crowd had calmed down and objected to Clark constantly siding with the Australians against his own team. When the team returned to England Illingworth said that "all hell would break loose" if anyone was denied his good conduct bonus (as with Fred Trueman in the West Indies in 1953-54),[9] but this did not happen. However, Geoffrey Boycott and John Snow had to report to Lords for a dressing down by the Secretary of the M.C.C. Billy Griffith for their behaviour.[10]
Notes
- ^ Wisden Cricketer's Almanack, 2005 edition, "Births and Deaths of Other Notables",p183.
- ^ Wisden Cricketer's Almanack, 1967 edition: "Counties reject the Clark plan"
- ^ Snow, p. 3.
- ^ Freddi, Criss (1996). The Guinness Book of Cricket Blunders. Guinness Publishing. pp. 147.
- ^ Snow, pp. 93–94.
- ^ Snow, p. 88.
- ^ Snow, pp. 94–95.
- ^ Snow, p. 110.
- ^ Trueman, Fred (2004). As It Was. Pan Books. pp. 171.
- ^ Snow, p. 136.
References
- Snow, John A. (1976): Cricket Rebel: An Autobiography. Hamlyn. ISBN 9780600319320.
External links
Sporting positions Preceded by
Bryan ValentineKent County Cricket Club captain
1949–1951Succeeded by
William Murray-WoodCategories:- 1919 births
- Living people
- Kent cricketers
- Kent cricket captains
- English cricketers
- Cricket administrators
- Presidents of the Marylebone Cricket Club
- People from Barming
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