Peter Denning (cricketer)

Peter William Denning (16 December 1949 – 17 July 2007) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Somerset County Cricket Club between 1969 and 1984. He was known to Somerset cricket fans as 'Dasher' due to his "pace over the ground",[1] and he was also known for an unorthodox stroke called the 'Chewton carve' or 'Chewton chop', a stroke that cut the ball away between the slips and the covers.[2] Denning was a left-handed top order (often opening) batsman and scored 1,000 runs in a season on six occasions.[2]

Peter Denning
Personal information
Full namePeter William Denning
Born(1949-12-16)16 December 1949
Chewton Mendip, Somerset, England
Died17 July 2007(2007-07-17) (aged 57)
Taunton, Somerset, England
NicknameDasher
BattingLeft-handed
BowlingRight-arm offbreak
RoleOpening batsman
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1969–1984Somerset
FC debut28 June 1969 Somerset v Glamorgan
Last FC30 June 1984 Somerset v Northants
LA debut6 July 1969 Somerset v Lancashire
Last LA9 September 1984 Somerset v Notts
Career statistics
Competition First-class List A
Matches 269 280
Runs scored 11,559 6,792
Batting average 28.68 28.06
100s/50s 8/69 5/32
Top score 184 145
Balls bowled 157 21
Wickets 1 0
Bowling average 96.00 –
5 wickets in innings 0 –
10 wickets in match 0 –
Best bowling 1/4 –
Catches/stumpings 132/– 94/–
Source: CricketArchive, 13 October 2009

Cricket career

Denning was born in the village of Chewton Mendip in Somerset,[3] where his father was the butcher. He was educated at Millfield, where he was captain of cricket and also played tennis, rugby and football.[4] He later studied at St Luke's College, Exeter (now part of the University of Exeter), and qualified as a teacher.

He made his first-class cricket debut for Somerset against Glamorgan in June 1969.[5] He played much of his career as an opener in partnership with Brian Rose.[2]

He joined Somerset when they were struggling. However, Somerset later became a strong one-day side with Brian Close as captain and a team containing three world-class players in Viv Richards, Ian Botham and Joel Garner.[6] He was awarded his Somerset cap in 1973. He made his top score, 184, against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge. He hit two centuries in the match against Gloucestershire in 1977,[7] and his 145 in a one-day game against Glamorgan in 1978.

His most prolific year came in 1979, when he made 1,222 runs at a batting average of 42.13. It was a memorable year for Somerset as well as they won the Gillette Cup and Sunday League under Rose's captaincy. Denning was a good limited overs player having the ability to run quick singles.[6] The following year, in partnership with Ian Botham, he added 310 for the fourth wicket against Gloucestershire at Taunton in 1980, which remains a record for Somerset.[8]

He was a member of the Somerset team that won the NatWest Trophy in 1983. He won seven man-of-the-match awards in the one-day game.[7] Denning retired in 1984 after suffering problems with a cartilage and became a grain merchant in Somerset.[9]

Denning died of cancer in Taunton in 2007.[6] He is survived by his wife and two daughters. Brian Rose, Denning's former opening partner and Somerset Director of Cricket paid the following tribute to his former team mate: "To me Peter epitomised all that should be good in a professional cricketer. He was hard, stubborn and made it difficult for the opposition – especially when he growled at them. His sad death is a tremendous loss to Somerset cricket."

References
  1. Green, David (21 July 2007). "Sports Section". The Daily Telegraph. p. 17.
  2. Foot, David (19 July 2007). "Somerset stalwart Denning dies at 57". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  3. Gibson, Alan (3 December 2009). "A master's celebration that captures the full flavour of Somerset". The Times. London. Retrieved 4 December 2009.
  4. Foot, David (25 July 2007). "Peter Denning: Batsman at home in the one-day game". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  5. "Scorecard: Somerset v. Glamorgan". Cricket Archive.
  6. "Somerset opener Peter Denning dies at 57". ESPNcricinfo. 18 July 2007. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  7. "Obituary". The Times. 21 September 2007.
  8. "Somerset mourn stalwart Denning". BBC Sport. 18 July 2007. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  9. Hodgson, Derek (23 July 2007). "Peter Denning, Somerset cricketer". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
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