Dave Elder
Encyclopedia
David Alexander Elder – 22 April 1954 at Deepdene, Victoria
) was a cricket Test match umpire.
He umpired twelve Test match
es, all between Australia and England
. He made his debut in the match played at Melbourne
on 30 December 1911 to 3 January 1912, won by England by 8 wickets. All Elder's other matches were after the First World War. His last match was played at Adelaide
on 1 February to 8 February 1929, won narrowly by England in spite of Archie Jackson
's 164 on debut. His colleagues were Bob Crockett
and George Hele
.
His most controversial decision was to give Alan Kippax
out bowled from square-leg in the second Test of the 1928-29 series. Kippax tried to glance a ball and missed, and the bails were seen to fall off. Hele, at the bowler's end, gave it not out, and an appeal was made to Elder, who made a decision he had no right to. This decision, the absence of the young Don Bradman who had been dropped, a serious injury to Bill Ponsford
and 251 to Wally Hammond
of England, made this a miserable game for Australia. Perhaps it affected Elder, as his Test career ended later that season.
Johnnie Moyes
thought that, after Crockett...
Off the field, Elder was a brass
worker. He was married twice and had one son. He died of heart failure, aged 88.
Deepdene, Victoria
Deepdene is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara....
) was a cricket Test match umpire.
He umpired twelve Test match
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...
es, all between Australia and England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
. He made his debut in the match played at Melbourne
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
on 30 December 1911 to 3 January 1912, won by England by 8 wickets. All Elder's other matches were after the First World War. His last match was played at Adelaide
Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
on 1 February to 8 February 1929, won narrowly by England in spite of Archie Jackson
Archie Jackson
Archibald "Archie" Jackson , occasionally known as Archibald Alexander Jackson, was an Australian cricketer who played eight Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1929 and 1931. A teenage prodigy, he played first grade cricket at only 15 years of age and was selected for New South Wales at 17...
's 164 on debut. His colleagues were Bob Crockett
Bob Crockett
Robert Maxwell Crockett , was an Australian Test match umpire.Crockett umpired a total of 32 Test matches, the highest number by an Australian umpire until passed by Tony Crafter in his last match in 1992...
and George Hele
George Hele
George Alfred Hele was a cricket Test match umpire.-Biography:Hele was born in 1891 to Andrew William Hele and Elizabeth Ann Hele, née Patterson...
.
His most controversial decision was to give Alan Kippax
Alan Kippax
Alan Falconer Kippax was a cricketer for New South Wales and Australia. Regarded as one of the great stylists of Australian cricket during the era between the two World Wars, Kippax overcame a late start to Test cricket to become a regular in the Australian team between the 1928–29 and...
out bowled from square-leg in the second Test of the 1928-29 series. Kippax tried to glance a ball and missed, and the bails were seen to fall off. Hele, at the bowler's end, gave it not out, and an appeal was made to Elder, who made a decision he had no right to. This decision, the absence of the young Don Bradman who had been dropped, a serious injury to Bill Ponsford
Bill Ponsford
William Harold "Bill" Ponsford MBE was an Australian cricketer. Usually playing as an opening batsman, he formed a successful and long-lived partnership opening the batting for Victoria and Australia with Bill Woodfull, his friend and state and national captain...
and 251 to Wally Hammond
Wally Hammond
Walter Reginald "Wally" Hammond was an English Test cricketer who played for Gloucestershire in a career that lasted from 1920 to 1951. Beginning his career as a professional, he later became an amateur and was appointed captain of England...
of England, made this a miserable game for Australia. Perhaps it affected Elder, as his Test career ended later that season.
Johnnie Moyes
Johnnie Moyes
Alban George "Johnny" Moyes MBE MC was a cricketer who played for South Australia and Victoria. Following his brief playing career, Moyes, a professional journalist, he later gained greater fame as a writer and commentator on the game.As a right-hand batsman Moyes scored 883 runs at an average of...
thought that, after Crockett...
Off the field, Elder was a brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
worker. He was married twice and had one son. He died of heart failure, aged 88.