Brian Davison
Encyclopedia
Brian Fettes Davison is a former cricketer who played 467 first-class
matches for Rhodesia, Gloucestershire
, Leicestershire
and Tasmania
, and former member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly
.
Described as "an aggressive, fast-scoring right-handed batsman", Davison was also a useful right-arm medium-pace bowler and an outstanding fielder who captained Rhodesia in 25 matches.
in what was then Rhodesia
, Davison attended Gifford Technical High School
in Bulawayo, where his sporting skills were first evident (he also represented Rhodesia in field hockey
). Davison made his first-class debut for Rhodesia on 25 November 1967, against Natal B in Salisbury
, scoring 47. Davison soon attracted the attention of English county club Northamptonshire
, playing for their Second XI in 1969 before switching to rival club Leicestershire in 1970.
for a 63 minute century, named the South African Cricket Annual Cricketer of the Year in 1973 and led Rhodesia to their first major South African trophy, scoring an unbeaten 102 at the 1977/78 Datsun Shield final.
Davison was enticed to captain
Tasmania
in 1979/80 and transferred from Leicestershire to rival county side Gloucestershire for the 1985 season. His leadership of a Tasmania newly inducted into the Sheffield Shield proved crucial to an inexperienced side and he continued to alternate between Leicestershire and Tasmania until his retirement from first-class cricket at the conclusion of the 1987/88 Australian domestic season.
By his retirement, Davison had scored 27453 first-class runs, with 53 centuries, which remained the most by any Rhodesian or Zimbabwean until surpassed by Graeme Hick
. 37 of those were for Leicestershire; the second most by any Leicestershire player, while his 18537 runs for Leicestershire puts him ninth of their all time highest runscorer list.
Davison was also a successful one day player, making 8343 List A runs, including 6744 for Leicestershire (bettered by only four other Leicestershire players). This included an unbeaten 158 in 1972, which remained the highest List A score for the county until 1996, and at the time the highest score for any one day competition in the world.
and was elected as a Liberal
representative to the Tasmanian House of Assembly
Division of Franklin
in 1990, where he served until his defeat at the 1996 election.
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...
matches for Rhodesia, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire 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 Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
, 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 Tasmania
Tasmanian Tigers
The Tasmanian cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket tournaments. They compete annually in the Australian domestic senior men's cricket season, which currently consists of the first-class Sheffield Shield, the limited overs Ford Ranger Cup, and...
, and former member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly
Tasmanian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House...
.
Described as "an aggressive, fast-scoring right-handed batsman", Davison was also a useful right-arm medium-pace bowler and an outstanding fielder who captained Rhodesia in 25 matches.
Early life
Born in BulawayoBulawayo
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...
in what was then Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
, Davison attended Gifford Technical High School
Gifford High School
Gifford High School is a government-owned boys only high school in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The school was founded in 1927 as Bulawayo Technical School led by Mr P.H. Gifford and four teachers, with an enrollment of about 39 pupils....
in Bulawayo, where his sporting skills were first evident (he also represented Rhodesia in field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
). Davison made his first-class debut for Rhodesia on 25 November 1967, against Natal B in Salisbury
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
, scoring 47. Davison soon attracted the attention of English county club Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire 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 Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
, playing for their Second XI in 1969 before switching to rival club Leicestershire in 1970.
First-class career
Through the 1970s, Davison played for Leicestershire and Rhodesia, serving as captain of both, won the 1971 Walter Lawrence TrophyWalter Lawrence Trophy
The Walter Lawrence Trophy is an annual award made to the player who has scored the fastest century in English domestic county cricket that season, in terms of balls received...
for a 63 minute century, named the South African Cricket Annual Cricketer of the Year in 1973 and led Rhodesia to their first major South African trophy, scoring an unbeaten 102 at the 1977/78 Datsun Shield final.
Davison was enticed to captain
Tasmanian cricket captains
The Australian state of Tasmania has one of the longest traditions of cricket-playing in the southern hemisphere. Cricket is recorded as having first been played in Tasmania very shortly after the arrival of British settlers on the island on 12 September 1803, however it wasn't until nearly fifty...
Tasmania
Tasmanian Tigers
The Tasmanian cricket team, nicknamed the Tigers, represents the Australian state of Tasmania in cricket tournaments. They compete annually in the Australian domestic senior men's cricket season, which currently consists of the first-class Sheffield Shield, the limited overs Ford Ranger Cup, and...
in 1979/80 and transferred from Leicestershire to rival county side Gloucestershire for the 1985 season. His leadership of a Tasmania newly inducted into the Sheffield Shield proved crucial to an inexperienced side and he continued to alternate between Leicestershire and Tasmania until his retirement from first-class cricket at the conclusion of the 1987/88 Australian domestic season.
By his retirement, Davison had scored 27453 first-class runs, with 53 centuries, which remained the most by any Rhodesian or Zimbabwean until surpassed by Graeme Hick
Graeme Hick
Graeme Ashley Hick MBE is a Zimbabwean-born cricketer who played 65 Test matches and 120 One Day Internationals for England. He played county cricket for Worcestershire for his entire English domestic career, a period of well over twenty years, and in 2008 he surpassed Graham Gooch's record for...
. 37 of those were for Leicestershire; the second most by any Leicestershire player, while his 18537 runs for Leicestershire puts him ninth of their all time highest runscorer list.
Davison was also a successful one day player, making 8343 List A runs, including 6744 for Leicestershire (bettered by only four other Leicestershire players). This included an unbeaten 158 in 1972, which remained the highest List A score for the county until 1996, and at the time the highest score for any one day competition in the world.
Later life
Following his retirement from cricket, Davison remained in TasmaniaTasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
and was elected as a Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
representative to the Tasmanian House of Assembly
Tasmanian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House...
Division of Franklin
Division of Franklin (state)
The Electoral Division of Franklin is one of the five electorates in the Tasmanian House of Assembly. The division is named after Sir John Franklin, the arctic explorer who was Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land 1837-43...
in 1990, where he served until his defeat at the 1996 election.