David Allen

David Arthur Allen (29 October 1935 – 24 May 2014) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire between 1953 and 1972. He also played 39 Test matches for England between 1960 and 1966.

Life and career A right-arm off-break bowler, using a very short run, Allen was first selected for England in 1959 and in 1960 was selected as the Cricket Writers' Club Young Cricketer of the Year. Allen toured all the then-current Test-playing nations. He was a decent bat, his Test average higher than the all-rounders Fred Titmus and Ray Illingworth, and in the 1963 Lord's Test against the West Indies, he notably played out the final two balls of Wes Hall's last over for a draw. Allen had protected Colin Cowdrey at the other end, who was pressed in to bat with his broken arm in plaster. In the 1965–66 Ashes series Allen made 50 not out in the Third Test at Sydney, adding 93 for the last two wickets, and took 2/42 and 4/47 as England won by an innings and 93 runs.

Allen was also famous for being taken off against Australia. In the decisive Fourth Test at Old Trafford in 1961 he took three quick wickets to have Australia nine wickets down, but Alan Davidson hit him for 20 runs in an over and Peter May took him off. Davidson and Graham McKenzie added 98 for the last wicket and Australia won by 54 runs. Nevertheless, in six winters, Allen completed the set of playing against all the other Test playing nations of the time. He was a member of the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club committee, and was elected club president in 2011. He died in May 2014, survived by his wife Joyce and their son and daughter.