John Clay

Who was John Clay?

John Desmond Clay was a right-handed batsman who played for Nottinghamshire between 1948 and 1961, captaining the side in his final year.

John's leadership was historic: for the only time in the 20th century before Gentlemen became players a professional, John D Clay, was chosen to captain the Trent Bridge side.

A first-class all-rounder, John scored 9,991 runs in 236 matches at 26.08 for Nottinghamshire during his career. His highest score came in 1952 when he made 192 against Hampshire at Trent Bridge. John was also an excellent slip fielder, holding a further record of six catches in a match against Derbyshire.

After his first-class cricket career, John went on to captain and mentor Nottinghamshire's second team. Writing in Wisden Cricketers magazine in 2011, Peter Wynne-Thomas, NCCC's archivist, said: 'This was an ideal role for an ideal cricketer who always saw the best in his fellow players.'

John followed NCCC all his life. He played for Notts Public Schools while a pupil at the West Bridgford School in the 1930s. This took him during tournaments to Nottingham's world-renowned Test arena.