Ray Tolchard
Encyclopedia
Raymond 'Ray' Charles Tolchard (13 October 1953 – 31 July 2004) was an English
cricket
er and umpire
. Tolchard was a right-handed batsman. He was born in Torquay
, Devon
.
in the 1975 Minor Counties Championship against Cornwall
. From 1975 to 1984, he represented the county in 84 Championship matches, the last of which came against Buckinghamshire
. Tolchard captained
the county in a number of Minor Counties matches. In the 1978 Minor Counties Championship final, he helped Devon to their maiden Championship by scoring a century
off of 356 balls. He also represented Devon in 3 MCCA Knockout Trophy
matches between from 1983 to 1984. Tolchard played List A cricket for Devon, at a time when they were permitted to take part in the domestic one-day competition, making his debut against Staffordshire
in the 1978 Gillette Cup
1st round. The following season he played 4 List A matches for Minor Counties South in the 1979 Benson & Hedges Cup
. In that same season he played a List A match for Devon against Leicestershire
in the 1979 Gillette Cup
. He played three further List A matches for Devon, the last of which came against Sussex
in the 1984 NatWest Trophy
. In total, he played 10 List A matches, scoring just 92 runs at a batting average
of 13.14, with a high score of 42.
He also played a number of Second XI fixtures for the Leicestershire Second XI
between 1970 and 1978. In 1988, Tolchard was included on the first-class
umpires list, standing in his first first-class match which was played between Oxford University
and Kent
. He stood in 40 first-class matches between 1988 and 1992, as well as standing in 35 List A matches between 1990 and 1992.
, which claimed his life on July 31, 2004 at Marldon
, Devon. Tolchard came from a well known cricketing family; his brother Roger
played Test
and One Day International cricket for England. His eldest brother, Jeffrey
, played first-class cricket for Leicestershire
and football for Torquay United
and Exeter City
. His extended family included his nephew's Roger Twose
, who played Test and One Day International cricket for New Zealand and Richard Twose
who played for 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 and umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
. Tolchard was a right-handed batsman. He was born in Torquay
Torquay
Torquay is a town in the unitary authority area of Torbay and ceremonial county of Devon, England. It lies south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, north-east of Plymouth and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the...
, Devon
Devon
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...
.
Cricket career
Tolchard made his debut for DevonDevon 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 1975 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...
. From 1975 to 1984, he represented the county in 84 Championship matches, the last of which came against Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire County Cricket Club
Buckinghamshire 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 Buckinghamshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy. The Minor Counties play...
. Tolchard captained
Captain (cricket)
The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player...
the county in a number of Minor Counties matches. In the 1978 Minor Counties Championship final, he helped Devon to their maiden Championship by scoring a century
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
off of 356 balls. He also represented Devon in 3 MCCA Knockout Trophy
MCCA Knockout Trophy
The Minor Counties Cricket Association Knockout Cup was started in 1983 as a knockout one-day competition for the Minor Counties in English cricket...
matches between from 1983 to 1984. Tolchard played List A cricket for Devon, at a time when they were permitted to take part in the domestic one-day competition, making his debut against Staffordshire
Staffordshire County Cricket Club
Staffordshire 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 Staffordshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
in 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...
1st round. The following season he played 4 List A matches for Minor Counties South in the 1979 Benson & Hedges Cup
Benson & Hedges Cup
The Benson & Hedges Cup was a one-day cricket competition for first-class counties in England and Wales that was held from 1972 to 2002, one of cricket's longest sponsorship deals....
. In that same season he played a List A match for Devon 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....
in the 1979 Gillette Cup
1979 Gillette Cup
The 1979 Gillette Cup was the seventeenth Gillette Cup, an English limited overs county cricket tournament. It was held between 27 June and 8 September 1979...
. He played three further List A matches for Devon, the last of which came against Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
in the 1984 NatWest Trophy
1984 NatWest Trophy
The 1984 NatWest Trophy was the 4th NatWest Trophy. It was an English limited overs county cricket tournament which was held between 4 July and 1 September 1984...
. In total, he played 10 List A matches, scoring just 92 runs 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 13.14, with a high score of 42.
He also played a number of Second XI fixtures for the Leicestershire Second XI
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....
between 1970 and 1978. In 1988, Tolchard was included on the 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...
umpires list, standing in his first first-class match which was played between 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 Kent
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...
. He stood in 40 first-class matches between 1988 and 1992, as well as standing in 35 List A matches between 1990 and 1992.
Personal life
In his latter year, Tolchard struggled with Motor neurone diseaseMotor neurone disease
The motor neurone diseases are a group of neurological disorders that selectively affect motor neurones, the cells that control voluntary muscle activity including speaking, walking, breathing, swallowing and general movement of the body. They are generally progressive in nature, and can cause...
, which claimed his life on July 31, 2004 at Marldon
Marldon
Marldon is a village in the South Hams in Devon, United Kingdom, lying just west of Paignton. It is the easternmost Civil Parish in the South Hams. Its population is about 2,300.-History:Church records date back to 1598...
, Devon. Tolchard came from a well known cricketing family; his brother Roger
Roger Tolchard
Roger William Tolchard is an English former cricketer, who played in four Tests and one One Day International for England in the late 1970s.-Life and career:Tolchard was a wicket-keeper...
played Test
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...
and One Day International cricket for England. His eldest brother, Jeffrey
Jeffrey Tolchard
Jeffrey Graham Tolchard is a former English cricketer and footballer. Tolchard was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace and who occasionally kept wicket. As a footballer, Tolchard played for Torquay United, Exeter City and Loughborough...
, played first-class cricket for 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 football for Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
and Exeter City
Exeter City F.C.
Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003...
. His extended family included his nephew's Roger Twose
Roger Twose
Roger Graham Twose played 16 Tests and 87 One Day Internationals for New Zealand in the mid-1990s.Born in England, Twose moved to play in New Zealand in 1991-92, as it became clear he would struggle to ever force his way into the England side...
, who played Test and One Day International cricket for New Zealand and Richard Twose
Richard Twose
Richard Twose was an English cricketer. He was a left-handed batsman who played for Devon. He was born in Torquay.Twose, who made his debut for Devon in the Minor Counties Championship in 1985, made his only List A appearance in the 1988 NatWest Trophy, against Nottinghamshire...
who played for Devon.
External links
- Ray Tolchard at ESPNcricinfo
- Ray Tolchard 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...