Roger Davis (cricketer)
Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox cricketer Roger Clive Davis (born 15 January 1946) is a Welsh former county cricketer who played for Glamorgan for 13 years as an all-rounder.<ref name=pro/> While having a quiet career from his debut in 1964 until 1970, he then enjoyed five years of greater success, including scoring over 1,000 runs in the 1975 season, before a rapid decline in 1976 which saw him dropped from the team. He nevertheless enjoyed a successful career, with over 7,000 runs and 241 wickets in first-class cricket.<ref name=pro/> He became headline news in 1971, when a ball hit him on the side of the head while he was fielding in the dangerous "short leg" position, causing his heart and breathing to stop.<ref name=pro/><ref name=fam/>
County career
Early years
Born in Cardiff, Wales, Davis attended Blundell's School. His older brother, John Davis, who was born in 1939, also went to school there. Both enjoyed successful sports careers in the school's cricket 1st XI. John Davis debut for Glamorgan in 1959 having graduated from the University of Oxford and played in 13 matches before retiring to teaching in 1967. Roger Davis, in contrast, did not debut until five years after his older brother.<ref>John Davis at Cricket Archive retrieved 12 April 2008</ref>
Debut for Glamorgan
Davis first played for Glamorgan in 1964 as an all-rounder in first-class matches. Batting in the middle of the order and bowling off-spin, he was to move up the order later in his career, he took 241 first-class wickets and hit five centuries.<ref name=pro/> In his first year, he only played one match, scoring three runs,<ref name=fcbat>Roger Davis First-Class batting, season by season at Cricket Archive retrieved 12 April 2008</ref> and taking one wicket.<ref name=fcbowl>Roger Davis First-Class bowling, season by season at Cricket Archive retrieved 12 April 2008</ref> In 1967, he played his first List-A match for his county.<ref name=pro/> He was not chosen for the 1965 season, but returned in 1966 for 12 matches, hit 273 runs at 13.00 with one half-century,<ref name=fcbat/> and taking six wickets at 28.50.<ref name=fcbowl/> The following season was his most successful so far, taking 16 wickets at 22.37 and scoring 373 runs at 12.43 over 19 matches.<ref name=fcbat/><ref name=fcbowl/> He also played his first one-day match for the club, scoring five runs,<ref name=labat>Roger Davis List-A batting, season by season at Cricket Archive retrieved 12 April 2008</ref> and faced the International Cavaliers on 5 June 1966, scoring 43 before being caught and bowled by Jim Standen.<ref>Glamorgan v International Cavaliers – June 5 1966 at Cricket Archive retrieved 12 April 2008</ref>
Gary Sobers and the championship
In 1968, he came close to preventing the record-breaking 36 runs in one over, scored by Gary Sobers in a match at Swansea, when he caught the ball but fell over the boundary rope, giving Sobers another six.<ref name=pro>Roger Davis at CricInfo retrieved 12 April 2008</ref><ref>Record price for Sobers bat BBC News retrieved 12 April 2008</ref> During that season, he scored 877 runs off 22 matches at 21.92, with four fifties,<ref name=fcbat/> but only took two wickets at 50.50.<ref name=fcbowl/> In one day cricket, he again played only one match, scoring six runs.<ref name=labat/>
In 1969, he helped Glamorgan to their County Championship victory, taking 33 catches, often in dangerous positions close to the batsman.<ref name=pro/> He scored 835 first-class runs at 22.56 including his maiden century, 116.<ref name=fcbat/> He also took 32 wickets at 23.43, including his first five-wicket haul.<ref name=fcbowl/> He again failed in one day matches, however, playing 15 but scoring only 45 runs at 3.21.<ref name=labat/> He did, however, take 11 wickets at 16.18.<ref name=labowl>Roger Davis List-A bowling, season by season at Cricket Archive retrieved 12 April 2008</ref> Over the winter of 1969/1970 Davis toured the West Indies, however he found playing difficult there during the two first-class matches. He scored 47 runs at 11.75,<ref name=fcbat/> and took only two wickets at 62.50.<ref name=fcbowl/>
Peak
The early 1970s, in contrast to his first six years at Glamorgan, were to be the peak of Davis's cricketing career. In 1970, Davis enjoyed a successful season. In 27 first-class matches he scored 823 runs at 20.07, hitting four half centuries for the third time in his career.<ref name=fcbat/> In one day matches his batting was of a lower standard, however, hitting 101 runs at 9.18 over 14 games.<ref name=labat/> Despite this mixed batting performance, his bowling was at its peak. In first-class cricket, Davis took a career best 54 wickets in the season at 25.42, including career-best figures of 6/82 and one five-wicket haul.<ref name=fcbowl/> This was supported by one day efforts resulting in five wickets at 25.20.<ref name=labowl/>
The 1971 season saw both great success and great difficulty for Davis. There was little difference in his one-day bowling, with six wickets at 24.83,<ref name=labowl/> and his first-class bowling was greatly reduces, 12 wickets at 35.83.<ref name=fcbowl/> His one-day batting was also fairly average, hitting only 57 runs at 11.40.<ref name=labat/> It was his first-class batting that excelled during the season. Davis hit 528 runs at 25.14, a career best average at that point, and scored his highest first-class total, 134.<ref name=fcbat/>
In contrast to this success, the most difficult time of his career began in May 1971 during a match against Warwickshire at Cardiff. Davis was struck on the head by a cricket ball, while fielding close to the batsman at short leg. Cricket players wore little protective equipment at the time,<ref name=fam/> and Davis began to suffer convulsions before being given CPR by a doctor from the crowd.<ref name=fam>Template:Cite web</ref> He was then rushed to hospital, where it transpired that both his heart and his breathing had stopped when he was hit.<ref name=fam/> After making a full recovery, Davis continued to play for Glamorgan.<ref name=pro/> Later that year, he also played for the England Under-25s.<ref name=team>"Teams played for by Roger Davis", Glamorgan County Cricket Club retrieved 12 April 2008</ref>
He followed his career best 134 in the 1971 season with 114 in 1972, ending the season with 617 first-class runs at 22.85, and two half centuries to go with his hundred.<ref name=fcbat/> He also found some success in his one-day batting, reaching his highest score thus far, 46*, and hit a career best 219 at 16.84.<ref name=labat/> He also enjoyed his second best first-class bowling performance after the 1970 season, this time taking 41 first-class wickets at 37.63,<ref name=fcbowl/> and his best one day bowling figures, 15 wickets at 24.86 with his lowest economy figure, 3.74 runs an over.<ref name=labowl/>
Success continued in 1973. Davis took 10 one day wickets at 33.80,<ref name=labowl/> and 24 first-class wickets at 29.87.<ref name=fcbowl/> His one-day batting reached its peak, when he hit a career best 101 against the touring West Indies.<ref name=pro/> He finished the season with 291 runs at 29.10, including his one and only one day century.<ref name=labat/> These figures were paired with his 721 runs at 20.60 in first-class cricket, with three half centuries.<ref name=fcbat/>
In 1974, Davis hit 752 runs at 24.25<ref name=fcbat/> and took 22 wickets at 43.45 in first-class cricket.<ref name=fcbowl/> His one-day success continued, with another career best 301 at 17.70, including hit first half centuries.<ref name=labat/> His nine wickets at 44.55 in one day cricket, however, were his worst in terms of average.<ref name=labowl/> Good form continued, nevertheless. In 1975, Davis enjoyed his greatest season, hitting 1,243 runs in first-class cricket.<ref name=pro/> These runs came at an average of 31.07, the only time he would reach an average of over 30, and including two centuries, the most of any of his season, and a high score of 131.<ref name=fcbat/> His one-day batting also reached new heights, with a career best 555 at 27.75 and four fifties. It was only the second season that Davis had scored over 50 in the one day form.<ref name=labat/> With the ball, Davis took 29 first-class wickets at 37.75, with two five-wicket hauls, another careed best statistic.<ref name=fcbowl/> In one day matches, he took 11 wickets at 27.72.<ref name=labowl/>
Decline
From 1971 until 1975, Davis had hit 3,861 first-class runs at 24.89, hit four centuries and 17 half-centuries, and taken 182 wickets. His success came to an abrupt end, however, with his form deteriorating rapidly in 1976.<ref name=pro/> While he enjoyed a good average in one day bowling, four wickets at 17.17, three of those came in one match,<ref name=labowl/> and he failed to take a first-class wicket for the first time in his career.<ref name=fcbowl/> With the bat, he scored 275 runs at 21.15, with two half centuries compared to the six of the two previous seasons.<ref name=fcbat/> In one day matches, he scored 150 runs at 18.75, compared to the 555 of the previous season.<ref name=labat/> Glamorgan quickly refused him a contract for the following year, prompting his resignation.<ref name=pro/>
He did, however, return to play for an old Glamorgan team in 1989.<ref name=team/> On 17 May 1989 old Glamorgan players formed Glamorgan 1969 to face the current team, Glamorgan 1989, in a 30-over day/night match. Davis took three wickets for 44 runs off of four overs, those of Michael Cann, John Derrick and the century maker Matthew Maynard. Davis then opened the batting for Glamorgan 1969 with Alan Jones, scoring three before being bowled by Steve Watkin.<ref>Glamorgan 1989 v Glamorgan 1969 – May 17 1989 Cricket Archive retrieved 12 April 2008</ref>