Former Wisden Cricketer of the Year David Green dies
21 March 2016
Former Gloucestershire batsman David Green has died aged 76 following a short illness.
He joined the club from Lancashire in 1968 and proved an instant hit, scoring 2,137 in his first season – a feat that saw him named as one of Wisden’s Cricketers of the Year.
An entertainer on and off the pitch, Green also played rugby for Bristol, Sale and Cheshire and wrote about both cricket and rugby for the Daily Telegraph for more than 30 years.
Born north Wales but raised in Manchester, he made his first-class debut for Oxford University against Gloucestershire in May 1959.
He made his Lancashire bow two months later and after a brief spell out of the game in 1963 he became a mainstay of the Red Rose’s batting through the 1960s.
In 1965 he achieved the unique feat of scoring 2,000 first-class runs without making a century.
He went on to enjoy a successful spell with Gloucestershire, forging close friendships with Arthur Milton and Mike Proctor.
He retired to join the catering business run by former Gloucestershire skipper Ken Graveney but continued to play occasional one day matches in 1972 and 1973.
In total he scored 13,381 runs in 266 first-class matches and a further 1,706 in 65 limited overs innings.
He scored 14 first-class centuries with his 233 for Gloucestershire against Sussex at Hove in 1968 being his highest score.
Following his retirement he took up cricket writing with the support of former England captain Tony Lewis and was a regular county correspondent for the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph until 2008.
He published his first book, A Handful of Confetti, in 2013 – an irreverent part autobiographical, volume that covered both his cricket and rugby playing days.
To read an obituary from ESPN CricInfo’s David Hopps please click here.
His funeral is scheduled for Friday 8 April at 12.20pm at the North Devon Crematorium, Barnstaple, EX31 3NW. This will be followed by a get together to commemorate David’s life both on and off the field. This will be held at the Barnstaple Hotel, Braunton Road, Barnstaple, EX31 1LE – all are welcome to attend.
