David Walker (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
David Frank Walker was an English
cricket
er. He was a right-hand batsman and slow left-arm bowler who played first-class cricket
for Oxford University
and minor counties cricket
for Norfolk
.
Born in Loddon
, Norfolk
, Walker began his cricket career with Uppingham
XI topping the batting averages in his three seasons (1930-1932) with them.
At this time Walker also played for Norfolk, in his second match scoring 73 not out
against Kent Second XI
in the Minor Counties Championship
, the innings was the highest for Norfolk that season. He scored his maiden century for Norfolk two seasons later against the same opposition. Walker continued to play for Norfolk until the Second World War, in nine seasons scoring 4034 runs at an average
of 62, seven times he topped the County averages and three times heading the Minor Counties Competition's. His highest score came in 1939 when he made an innings of 217 against Northumberland
, he shared in a Minor Counties record first-wicket partnership of 323 with Harold Theobald.
While attending Oxford University Walker played 34 first-class matches for the team between 1933 and 1935, scoring 1799 runs at 30.49 with two centuries. The first came against Gloucestershire
in only his second appearance, the second against Worcestershire
in 1934. He was appointed captain of the team in 1935, his highest score of that season came against the touring South Africans, he scored 83 having shared in a 198 run stand with Mandy Mitchell-Innes
.
After undertaking an educational role in Sudan, Walker joined the RAF
in South Africa. He died in military action when his Lockheed Hudson
was shot down off the Norwegian coast, and was buried at Trondheim
, Norway
. Aged 28 at the time of his death, he had married three months earlier.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er. He was a right-hand batsman and slow left-arm bowler who played first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
for Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
and minor counties cricket
Minor counties of English cricket
The Minor Counties are the cricketing counties of England and Wales that are not afforded first-class status. The game is administered by the Minor Counties Cricket Association which comes under the England and Wales Cricket Board...
for Norfolk
Norfolk County Cricket Club
Norfolk County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Norfolk and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
.
Born in Loddon
Loddon, Norfolk
Loddon is a small market town about southeast of Norwich on the River Chet, a tributary of the River Yare within The Broads in Norfolk, England. The name "Loddon" is thought to mean muddy river in Celtic in reference to the Chet.-Origins:...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, Walker began his cricket career with Uppingham
Uppingham School
Uppingham School is a co-educational independent school of the English public school tradition, situated in the small town of Uppingham in Rutland, England...
XI topping the batting averages in his three seasons (1930-1932) with them.
At this time Walker also played for Norfolk, in his second match scoring 73 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
against Kent Second XI
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
in the Minor Counties Championship
Minor Counties Cricket Championship
The Minor Counties Cricket Championship is a season-long competition in England that is contested by those county cricket clubs that do not have first-class status...
, the innings was the highest for Norfolk that season. He scored his maiden century for Norfolk two seasons later against the same opposition. Walker continued to play for Norfolk until the Second World War, in nine seasons scoring 4034 runs at an average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 62, seven times he topped the County averages and three times heading the Minor Counties Competition's. His highest score came in 1939 when he made an innings of 217 against Northumberland
Northumberland County Cricket Club
Northumberland County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northumberland and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
, he shared in a Minor Counties record first-wicket partnership of 323 with Harold Theobald.
While attending Oxford University Walker played 34 first-class matches for the team between 1933 and 1935, scoring 1799 runs at 30.49 with two centuries. The first came against Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
in only his second appearance, the second against Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
in 1934. He was appointed captain of the team in 1935, his highest score of that season came against the touring South Africans, he scored 83 having shared in a 198 run stand with Mandy Mitchell-Innes
Mandy Mitchell-Innes
Norman Stewart Mitchell-Innes, known as Mandy Mitchell-Innes was an English cricketer who played in one Test in May 1935. He became England's oldest surviving Test cricketer on 7 October 2001, on the death of Alf Gover. Following his own death, that distinction passed to Ken Cranston, who...
.
After undertaking an educational role in Sudan, Walker joined the RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in South Africa. He died in military action when his Lockheed Hudson
Lockheed Hudson
The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
was shot down off the Norwegian coast, and was buried at Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Aged 28 at the time of his death, he had married three months earlier.