David Clark

Who was David Clark?

David Graham Clark was an English cricketer and cricket administrator.

Clark was born in Barming, Kent. He played first-class cricket for five years, appearing for Kent. He was Kent's captain for the last three years of his career. He retired at the end of the 1951 season. He was President of the MCC in 1977-8.

During World War Two he was a parachute instructor at Ringway during the formation of the British Airborne Forces, and was then attached to 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, with whom he fought in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. During the attack on Sicily his glider landed in the sea and he swam to shore with 3 other survivors. He was then posted to HQ 1st Airborne Division and ended up at the bridge in Arnhem with 2 Para, where he was eventually taken prisoner. A very modest man, he never mentioned his wartime service.

He is likely to be best remembered for chairing the committee set up in 1965 to "examine the future of county cricket in the widest possible terms and if thought fit to recommend alterations in the structure and playing conditions of the County Championship". However the first-class counties rejected most of the recommendations made in the so-called "Clark Report".