Donald Carr facts for kids

Donald Bryce Carr was an English cricketer born on December 28, 1926. He was known for his skills as an all-rounder, meaning he was good at both batting and bowling. Donald played for Derbyshire from 1946 to 1967 and for Oxford University from 1948 to 1951. He even played for the England national team twice in 1951 and 1952.

Donald Carr was the captain of the Derbyshire team between 1955 and 1962. During his time with Derbyshire, he scored more than 10,000 runs, which is a huge achievement in cricket! After his playing career, he took on important roles in cricket administration. He worked for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and later became the secretary of the Test and County Cricket Board. He was honored with the OBE for his contributions. Donald Carr passed away on June 12, 2016.

Early Life and Cricket Beginnings

Donald Carr was born in Wiesbaden, Germany. His father, John Carr, was an officer in the Royal Berkshire Regiment and was serving in Germany at the time. Donald went to boarding school in Swanage, where his headmaster, a former cricketer, helped coach him.

He later attended Repton School, where his father worked. At Repton, Donald became one of the best young all-rounders. He was coached by famous cricketers Lionel Blaxland and Garnet Lee. In his final year at Repton in 1944, he captained important school cricket teams.

Joining the Army and First-Class Debut

On January 1, 1945, Donald Carr joined the British Army. He was sent to Northern Ireland, which meant he didn't get to play much serious cricket. However, in the summer, he was chosen to play for England in a special "Victory Test" match against the Australian Services team at Lord's.

In February 1946, he became an officer in the Royal Berkshire Regiment after attending the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. Later that year, in the 1946 season, he made his first appearance for Derbyshire in the County Championship. He also played for the Combined Services.

University Cricket and International Play

Donald Carr left the army in April 1948 and went to Worcester College, Oxford. He continued to play for Derbyshire in the 1948 season. In 1949, he joined the Oxford University team. That year, he scored 1,210 runs and hit three centuries (scoring 100 runs or more in one innings). His highest score was 170 runs for Oxford University against Leicestershire.

In 1950, he became captain of the Oxford team. In his last year at Oxford, his batting helped his team beat Cambridge in the important "Varsity match." He also had the best batting average for Derbyshire in the 1951 season.

After university, Donald Carr was given permission to tour India, Pakistan, and Ceylon with the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) team. He was the vice-captain. During this tour, he played in two Test matches against India in 1951–52. In one match, he and Allan Watkins batted together for over five hours, scoring 158 runs to save the game. He even captained England in one Test match, which was the first time England lost to India.

Cricket Highlights and Administration

Donald Carr captained an MCC "A" team in Pakistan in 1955-56. During this tour, a funny incident happened. Donald and two other players played a prank on an umpire, Idris Baig, by soaking him with water. The umpire took it well, but the opposing captain was not happy. Donald took responsibility for the prank.

In the 1959 season, Donald Carr scored 2,292 runs, averaging over 44 runs per innings. Because of his excellent performance, he was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1960, which is a very special honor in cricket.

Throughout his career, Donald Carr played in 446 first-class matches. He scored 10,257 runs and took 328 wickets. His best bowling performance was taking 7 wickets for only 53 runs.

Donald Carr was also a talented football player. He played for Oxford University and helped his team, Pegasus, win the FA Amateur Cup final twice, in 1951 and 1953.

After retiring from playing cricket, Donald Carr became an ICC match referee. He also served as the assistant secretary of the MCC from 1963 to 1976. Later, he became the secretary of the Cricket Council and the Test and County Cricket Board, which are now part of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). He managed several MCC tours in the 1960s and 1970s.

Donald Carr's son, John, also became a cricketer and played for Middlesex.

See also

• List of Test cricketers born in non-Test playing nations