Jack Davey (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Jack Davey is a former English
cricket
er. Davey was a left-handed batsman who bowled left-arm fast-medium
. An opening bowler, Davey had a successful career with Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
which spanned from the 1966 season
to the 1978 season
. His name sometimes appeared in reports and on scorecards as J.J. Davey, although this was not accurate: the second initial was a mischievous creation by the writer Alan Gibson
whose campaign to embellish Davey's name even extended to the production of a commemorative tie, in Davey's testimonial season, with the initials JJ on it.
, Davey was the son of an auctioneer's clerk who played and administered club cricket for over 30 years, as well as playing for Devon. He was educated at Tavistock Grammar School, where when playing cricket for the school, as well as in his early club cricket days, Davey wanted to be a slow left-arm bowler. It wasn't until when he was playing for his village club side, Milton Abbot, that the team found itself short of a seam bowler. Davey, who at the time was 14, was given the new ball. He performed so well in his new role, that for the rest of his career he would become a seam bowler.
Upon leaving school, he began an apprenticeship as a compositor for the Tavistock Gazette
. After performing well in club cricket, he later made his debut in county cricket
for Devon
in the 1964 Minor Counties Championship against Cornwall
. Davey played Minor counties cricket for Devon on four more occasions in 1965.
attention, appearing for the county Second XI on a couple of occasions in that year. The following season
, Davey made his first-class
debut for the county against Cambridge University
, although he spent the majority of 1966 in the county Second XI. 1967 saw Davey establish himself in the Gloucestershire team, making regular first-class appearances, as well as making his List A debut against Lancashire
in the Gillette Cup
. His first full season playing for Gloucestershire was a successful one, with his left-arm bowling taking 60 wickets at a bowling average
of 27.65. He took his first five wicket haul, one of two that season, against Surrey
when he took 5/40. However, it was in that season that he took his career best bowling figures, 6/95 against Nottinghamshire
.
Standing over 6 feet tall, Davey was an opening bowler, often sharing the new ball with South Africa Test cricket
er Mike Procter
, who had joined Gloucestershire in the season before Davey's debut. With South Africa being banned from international cricket due to their governments apartheid policies, this ended Procter's international career, thus allowing him and Davey to form a highly productive partnership over the next decade. Throughout the 1970s, Davey played an important support role for Procter, taking over 40 wickets in 1971 and 1972, plus chipping in with 26 in 1973. Davey was just as successful in the limited-overs arena. He was played in the famous semi-final of the 1971 Gillette Cup
, which didn't end until five-to-nine, with Davey bowling 11 overs
for the cost of 22 runs. Despite this, Lancashire won the match and proceeded to the final. He considers this the bowling performance he is most proud of. Davey made a notable performance in the semi-final of the 1972 Benson & Hedges Cup
against Yorkshire
, when he bowled 9 overs, conceding just 6 runs. 7 of his maidens overs came with Geoffrey Boycott
at one end, a batsman though not known for his fast scoring rate. He won the 1973 Gillette Cup
with Gloucestershire, playing through the majority of the tournament with painkilling injections in both his knees, a fact kept quiet among his contemporaries in cricket. The lumps of fat under both his kneecaps were removed in an operation, which cased Davey to miss a large part of the 1974 season
. He consistently averaged in the mid to low twenties with the ball in hand between over 20 wickets for 4 straight seasons from 1972 to 1974.
Following his most successful first-class season in 1975
, in which he took 64 wickets at an average of 26.26, which included his highest quantity of five wicket hauls, claiming 5 of them in 20 matches. However, after the 1976 season
, in which his bowling performances dipped in both forms of the game when compared to preceding seasons, he played less often for Gloucestershire thereafter. With his time at the county coming to an, Davey had his benefit year in 1978, alongside teammate and close friend David Shepherd
. He did though make 15 first-class appearances in his last season in 1978, taking 30 wickets at a respectable average of exactly 30. His final first-class match came against Yorkshire at North Marine Road Ground, Scarborough. This was his 175th first-class match for Gloucestershire. His career with Gloucestershire spanned 13 seasons, during which time he took 411 wickets at an average of 28.51, with Davey taking a five wicket haul on 9 occasions, although he never took a ten wicket haul in a match. Davey generally batted at number 11 in the Gloucestershire batting order, and was well known as a blocker. An example of his defensive nature came against Glamorgan
on the last day of the 1973 season. Davey came to the crease with Gloucestershire 210/9, still requiring 57 runs to win. Davey scored 17 runs off of 94 balls, supporting number 10 John Mortimore
, who scored the majority of the runs in their partnership as Gloucestershire went on to win. He scored 918 runs during his first-class career, at a batting average
of 7.77. He made a solitary half century, which came against Glamorgan in 1977, which was his only first-class appearance that season. His final season also saw him play 9 List A matches, the last coming against Lancashire in the 2nd round of the 1978 Gillette Cup
. His List A career with the county spanned 12 season, during which time he took 170 wickets at an average of 26.21, with best figures of 4/11.
in 1975, he stated his desire to become a heavy goods vehicle driver on a full-time basis, having worked as one for the winters of 1973 and 1974 after acquiring his licence. In previous winters he had worked as a carpet salesman in Bristol
, where he had made his home with his wife, Melora, who herself was originally from Princetown
, Devon. The end of his professional cricketing career did not bring an end to his cricketing endeavours. He appeared for Devon in a single Minor Counties Championship match in 1981 against Cornwall, as well as making 2 List A appearances in the 1983 NatWest Trophy
against Leicestershire
and Warwickshire
in the 1985 NatWest Trophy
. He later ran the Court Farm pub in Abbotskerswell
for many years.
Davey appeared in the 1997 documentary Grace & Favour: A Portrait of Gloucestershire CCC, alongside former teammates Zaheer Abbas
and David Allen
, and later Gloucestershire player Mark Alleyne
. In 2009, he appeared in a short comedy film entitled Dow Jones, where he played the part of Dow Jones' girlfriend. When his lifelong friend and former teammate David Shepherd, Davey described him as being "like a brother". At the time of Sherpherd's funeral, Davey was semi-retired and living in Topsham, Devon
.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
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. Davey was a left-handed batsman who bowled left-arm fast-medium
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
. An opening bowler, Davey had a successful career with Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
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....
which spanned from the 1966 season
1966 English cricket season
The 1966 English cricket season featured an entertaining Test series between England and West Indies. The great West Indian all-rounder Gary Sobers had an outstanding series....
to the 1978 season
1978 English cricket season
The 1978 English cricket season was played amidst growing concerns about the impact of World Series Cricket. On the domestic front, Kent was the most outstanding county team despite Alan Knott and Derek Underwood having joined WSC.-Honours:...
. His name sometimes appeared in reports and on scorecards as J.J. Davey, although this was not accurate: the second initial was a mischievous creation by the writer Alan Gibson
Alan Gibson
Norman Alan Stanley Gibson was an English journalist, writer and radio broadcaster, best known for his work in connection with cricket, though he also sometimes covered football and rugby union...
whose campaign to embellish Davey's name even extended to the production of a commemorative tie, in Davey's testimonial season, with the initials JJ on it.
Early life
Born in Tavistock, DevonDevon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, Davey was the son of an auctioneer's clerk who played and administered club cricket for over 30 years, as well as playing for Devon. He was educated at Tavistock Grammar School, where when playing cricket for the school, as well as in his early club cricket days, Davey wanted to be a slow left-arm bowler. It wasn't until when he was playing for his village club side, Milton Abbot, that the team found itself short of a seam bowler. Davey, who at the time was 14, was given the new ball. He performed so well in his new role, that for the rest of his career he would become a seam bowler.
Upon leaving school, he began an apprenticeship as a compositor for the Tavistock Gazette
Tavistock Times Gazette
Tavistock Times Gazette is a weekly newspaper which serves the Tavistock area in West Devon, England. It is published in tabloid format every Thursday.The paper exists as the result of the merging of two rival papers in 1986...
. After performing well in club cricket, he later made his debut in county cricket
County cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
for Devon
Devon County Cricket Club
Devon 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 Devon and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy....
in the 1964 Minor Counties Championship against Cornwall
Cornwall County Cricket Club
Cornwall 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 Cornwall and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
. Davey played Minor counties cricket for Devon on four more occasions in 1965.
Gloucestershire
It was in 1965 that he came to Gloucestershires'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....
attention, appearing for the county Second XI on a couple of occasions in that year. The following season
1966 English cricket season
The 1966 English cricket season featured an entertaining Test series between England and West Indies. The great West Indian all-rounder Gary Sobers had an outstanding series....
, Davey made his first-class
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...
debut for the county against Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
, although he spent the majority of 1966 in the county Second XI. 1967 saw Davey establish himself in the Gloucestershire team, making regular first-class appearances, as well as making his List A debut against Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
in the Gillette Cup
1967 Gillette Cup
The 1967 Gillette Cup was the fifth Gillette Cup, an English limited overs county cricket tournament. It was held between 23 April and 2 September 1967...
. His first full season playing for Gloucestershire was a successful one, with his left-arm bowling taking 60 wickets at a bowling average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 27.65. He took his first five wicket haul, one of two that season, against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
when he took 5/40. However, it was in that season that he took his career best bowling figures, 6/95 against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire 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 Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
.
Standing over 6 feet tall, Davey was an opening bowler, often sharing the new ball with South Africa Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
er Mike Procter
Mike Procter
Michael John Procter is a former South African cricketer. A fast bowler and hard hitting batsman, his chances for a long and productive test career were wrecked by South Africa's banishment from world cricket in the 1970s and 1980s...
, who had joined Gloucestershire in the season before Davey's debut. With South Africa being banned from international cricket due to their governments apartheid policies, this ended Procter's international career, thus allowing him and Davey to form a highly productive partnership over the next decade. Throughout the 1970s, Davey played an important support role for Procter, taking over 40 wickets in 1971 and 1972, plus chipping in with 26 in 1973. Davey was just as successful in the limited-overs arena. He was played in the famous semi-final of the 1971 Gillette Cup
1971 Gillette Cup
The 1971 Gillette Cup was the ninth Gillette Cup, an English limited overs county cricket tournament. It was held between 15 May and 4 September 1971...
, which didn't end until five-to-nine, with Davey bowling 11 overs
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
for the cost of 22 runs. Despite this, Lancashire won the match and proceeded to the final. He considers this the bowling performance he is most proud of. Davey made a notable performance in the semi-final of the 1972 Benson & Hedges Cup
1972 Benson & Hedges Cup
The 1972 Benson & Hedges Cup was the first competing of cricket’s Benson & Hedges Cup. The competition was won by Leicestershire County Cricket Club.-Midlands Group:-Northern Group: -Southern Group:-Western Group: -Quarter-Finals:...
against Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
, when he bowled 9 overs, conceding just 6 runs. 7 of his maidens overs came with Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott OBE is a former Yorkshire and England cricketer. In a prolific and sometimes controversial playing career from 1962 to 1986, Boycott established himself as one of England's most successful opening batsmen...
at one end, a batsman though not known for his fast scoring rate. He won the 1973 Gillette Cup
1973 Gillette Cup
The 1973 Gillette Cup was the eleventh Gillette Cup, an English limited overs county cricket tournament. It was held between 30 June and 1 September 1973...
with Gloucestershire, playing through the majority of the tournament with painkilling injections in both his knees, a fact kept quiet among his contemporaries in cricket. The lumps of fat under both his kneecaps were removed in an operation, which cased Davey to miss a large part of the 1974 season
1974 English cricket season
The 1974 English cricket season continued the recent pattern of joint tours with India and Pakistan again playing three Tests each against England.-Honours:*County Championship - Worcestershire*Gillette Cup - Kent...
. He consistently averaged in the mid to low twenties with the ball in hand between over 20 wickets for 4 straight seasons from 1972 to 1974.
Following his most successful first-class season in 1975
1975 English cricket season
The 1975 English cricket season was notable for hosting the first-ever Cricket World Cup which was won by West Indies, who defeated Australia in an exciting final.-Honours:*County Championship - Leicestershire*Gillette Cup - Lancashire...
, in which he took 64 wickets at an average of 26.26, which included his highest quantity of five wicket hauls, claiming 5 of them in 20 matches. However, after the 1976 season
1976 English cricket season
The 1976 English cricket season saw Clive Lloyd's new approach to Test cricket as a battery of pace bowlers was used to intimidate the England batsmen. Lloyd adopted the tactic after his own team's experiences against Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee the previous year...
, in which his bowling performances dipped in both forms of the game when compared to preceding seasons, he played less often for Gloucestershire thereafter. With his time at the county coming to an, Davey had his benefit year in 1978, alongside teammate and close friend David Shepherd
David Shepherd (umpire)
David Robert Shepherd MBE was one of the cricket world's best-known umpires. He stood in 92 Test matches, the last of them in June 2005, and officiated in three World Cup finals.- Playing career :...
. He did though make 15 first-class appearances in his last season in 1978, taking 30 wickets at a respectable average of exactly 30. His final first-class match came against Yorkshire at North Marine Road Ground, Scarborough. This was his 175th first-class match for Gloucestershire. His career with Gloucestershire spanned 13 seasons, during which time he took 411 wickets at an average of 28.51, with Davey taking a five wicket haul on 9 occasions, although he never took a ten wicket haul in a match. Davey generally batted at number 11 in the Gloucestershire batting order, and was well known as a blocker. An example of his defensive nature came against Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan 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 Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
on the last day of the 1973 season. Davey came to the crease with Gloucestershire 210/9, still requiring 57 runs to win. Davey scored 17 runs off of 94 balls, supporting number 10 John Mortimore
John Mortimore (cricketer)
John Brian Mortimore is a former English cricketer, who played in nine Tests for England from 1959 to 1964, and captained Gloucestershire between 1965 and 1967....
, who scored the majority of the runs in their partnership as Gloucestershire went on to win. He scored 918 runs during his first-class career, at a batting 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 7.77. He made a solitary half century, which came against Glamorgan in 1977, which was his only first-class appearance that season. His final season also saw him play 9 List A matches, the last coming against Lancashire in the 2nd round of the 1978 Gillette Cup
1978 Gillette Cup
The 1978 Gillette Cup was the sixteenth Gillette Cup, an English limited overs county cricket tournament. It was held between 5 July and 2 September 1978...
. His List A career with the county spanned 12 season, during which time he took 170 wickets at an average of 26.21, with best figures of 4/11.
Later life
With the end of his career with Gloucestershire, Davey embarked on new pursuits. In an interview for the Wisden Cricketers' AlmanackWisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
in 1975, he stated his desire to become a heavy goods vehicle driver on a full-time basis, having worked as one for the winters of 1973 and 1974 after acquiring his licence. In previous winters he had worked as a carpet salesman in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, where he had made his home with his wife, Melora, who herself was originally from Princetown
Princetown
Princetown is a town situated on Dartmoor in the English county of Devon.In 1785, Sir Thomas Tyrwhitt, Secretary to the Prince of Wales, leased a large area of moorland from the Duchy of Cornwall estate, hoping to convert it into good farmland. He encouraged people to live in the area and suggested...
, Devon. The end of his professional cricketing career did not bring an end to his cricketing endeavours. He appeared for Devon in a single Minor Counties Championship match in 1981 against Cornwall, as well as making 2 List A appearances in the 1983 NatWest Trophy
1983 NatWest Trophy
The 1983 NatWest Trophy was the 3rd NatWest Trophy. It was an English limited overs county cricket tournament which was held between 29 June and 3 September 1983. The tournament was won by Somerset County Cricket Club who defeated Kent County Cricket Club by 24 runs in the final at...
against Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire 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 Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
and Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire 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 Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
in the 1985 NatWest Trophy
1985 NatWest Trophy
The 1985 NatWest Trophy was the 5th NatWest Trophy. It was an English limited overs county cricket tournament which was held between 3 July and 7 September 1985...
. He later ran the Court Farm pub in Abbotskerswell
Abbotskerswell
Abbotskerswell is a village and civil parish in the English county of Devon. The village is in the north part of the parish and is located two miles south of the town of Newton Abbot, from the seaside resort of Torquay and from the city of Plymouth...
for many years.
Davey appeared in the 1997 documentary Grace & Favour: A Portrait of Gloucestershire CCC, alongside former teammates Zaheer Abbas
Zaheer Abbas
Syed Zaheer Abbas Kirmani , popularly known as Zaheer Abbas, is a former Pakistani cricketer, regarded as one of the finest batsman produced by that country. He is widely known as the "Asian Bradman", a reference to former Australian great Sir Donald Bradman...
and David Allen
David Allen (cricketer)
David Arthur Allen is a former English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire between 1953 and 1972. He also played 39 Test matches for England.-Life and career:...
, and later Gloucestershire player Mark Alleyne
Mark Alleyne
Mark Wayne Alleyne MBE is an English all-round cricketer who made ten One Day International appearances for England between 1998/99 and 2000/01...
. In 2009, he appeared in a short comedy film entitled Dow Jones, where he played the part of Dow Jones' girlfriend. When his lifelong friend and former teammate David Shepherd, Davey described him as being "like a brother". At the time of Sherpherd's funeral, Davey was semi-retired and living in Topsham, Devon
Topsham, Devon
Topsham is a suburb of Exeter in the county of Devon, England, on the east side of the River Exe, immediately north of its confluence with the River Clyst and the former's estuary, between Exeter and Exmouth. Although village-sized, with a current population of around 5,023, it was designated a...
.
External links
- Jack Davey at ESPNcricinfo
- Jack Davey at CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...