David Skinner (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
David Anthony Skinner was an English
cricket
er who played first class cricket for Derbyshire
in 1947 and captained the side in 1949.
Skinner was born in Duffield and educated at The Leys School
. From 1938 he played various games for Derbyshire second XI and for the Club and Ground until 1947, apart from in the interruption of the Second World War. Skinner made his first class debut in one match in 1947, but in 1948 played only for the second XI.
Skinner was appointed as county captain for the 1949 season in accordance with the tradition of amateur captaincy. Skinner himself was a modest performer, though in this he was no different from the other amateurs – Gilbert Hodgkinson
and Edward Gothard
– who had captained an otherwise entirely professional side since the Second World War. The move was not successful, and Derbyshire, missing the all-round skills of George Pope, fell to 15th place in the County Championship
. Towards the end of the season other amateurs appeared after fulfilling their schoolmastering commitments, and Skinner did not play in the last few matches of the season and never played first-class cricket again. Skinner was a right-handed batsman in the lower-middle-order and played 36 innings in 23 first class matches with an average of 13.57 and a top score of 63. He was a right-arm off-break bowler who bowled occasionally taking 2 first class wickets at an average of 91.
In 1950, Derbyshire registered the former Cambridge University
and Nottinghamshire
amateur Guy Willatt
to take over as captain, and though the registration was delayed until August and then scuppered by an immediate injury to Willatt, the county preferred to operate under the temporary captaincy of Pat Vaulkhard
than to renew Skinner's tenure, Vaulkhard having at least a reputation for successful hard-hitting batsmanship. Willatt finally took over in 1951.
Skinner continued to play in the Second XI Championship from 1951 until 1958.
Skinner died in Thorpe Bay
at the age of 77. His brother, Alan
, also played first-class cricket
for Derbyshire, having made his debut sixteen years before David.
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 who played first class cricket for Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
in 1947 and captained the side in 1949.
Skinner was born in Duffield and educated at The Leys School
The Leys School
The Leys School is a co-educational Independent school, located in Cambridge, England, and is a day and boarding school for about 550 pupils aged between 11 and 18 years...
. From 1938 he played various games for Derbyshire second XI and for the Club and Ground until 1947, apart from in the interruption of the Second World War. Skinner made his first class debut in one match in 1947, but in 1948 played only for the second XI.
Skinner was appointed as county captain for the 1949 season in accordance with the tradition of amateur captaincy. Skinner himself was a modest performer, though in this he was no different from the other amateurs – Gilbert Hodgkinson
Gilbert Hodgkinson
Gilbert Frank Hodgkinson was an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 1935 and 1946 and captained the team in 1946....
and Edward Gothard
Edward Gothard
Edward James Gothard was an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire in 1947 and 1948 and captained the side in both years....
– who had captained an otherwise entirely professional side since the Second World War. The move was not successful, and Derbyshire, missing the all-round skills of George Pope, fell to 15th place in the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
. Towards the end of the season other amateurs appeared after fulfilling their schoolmastering commitments, and Skinner did not play in the last few matches of the season and never played first-class cricket again. Skinner was a right-handed batsman in the lower-middle-order and played 36 innings in 23 first class matches with an average of 13.57 and a top score of 63. He was a right-arm off-break bowler who bowled occasionally taking 2 first class wickets at an average of 91.
In 1950, Derbyshire registered the former 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...
and 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...
amateur Guy Willatt
Guy Willatt
Guy Longfield Willatt was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Cambridge University from 1938 to 1947, for Nottinghamshire from 1939 to 1948, for Scotland from 1948 to 1950 and for Derbyshire from 1950 to 1956. He was captain of Derbyshire from 1951 to 1954 and also played for...
to take over as captain, and though the registration was delayed until August and then scuppered by an immediate injury to Willatt, the county preferred to operate under the temporary captaincy of Pat Vaulkhard
Pat Vaulkhard
Patrick Vaulkhard was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Nottinghamshire in 1934 and for Derbyshire between 1946 and 1952, being captain in 1950....
than to renew Skinner's tenure, Vaulkhard having at least a reputation for successful hard-hitting batsmanship. Willatt finally took over in 1951.
Skinner continued to play in the Second XI Championship from 1951 until 1958.
Skinner died in Thorpe Bay
Thorpe Bay
Thorpe Bay is an affluent area within the Borough of Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England, situated on the Thames Estuary.Thorpe Bay is situated within the Southend ward of Thorpe. It is around 4 miles to the east of Southend. Originally the area was called Thorpe, but was renamed Thorpe Bay after its...
at the age of 77. His brother, Alan
Alan Skinner
Alan Frank Skinner was an English cricketer who played for first class cricket for Derbyshire, Cambridge University and Northamptonshire between 1931 and 1949....
, also 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 Derbyshire, having made his debut sixteen years before David.