He was a skilful wicketkeeper-batsman however suffered from his predilection for drug and alcohol abuse
An obituary from London’s Telegraph.
David Murray, who has died aged 72, was a extremely regarded Barbadian cricketer who performed 19 Check matches for West Indies within the late Nineteen Seventies and early Nineteen Eighties earlier than becoming a member of two insurgent excursions of apartheid South Africa. His choice to take the Krugerrand not solely ended his profession however introduced him pariah standing within the Caribbean, contributing to a tragic private descent into drug habit and destitution.
As a wicketkeeper Murray had a easy, unhurried method, with such gentle fingers that the ball appeared to enter his gloves noiselessly, even when delivered at blistering tempo by the likes of Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding. Off the sphere, nevertheless, his contact was not practically so assured, as the choice to play in South Africa attested.
Coming dwelling to search out that he was regarded by many as a traitor to the reason for black nationalism, Murray blew a lot of his $125,000 rebel-tour cash on medicine and alcohol, tousled his private life, and spent a lot of the remaining 4 a long time wandering across the vacationer seashores of Barbados, making a hand-to-mouth existence by way of begging and small-time drug-dealing
Murray’s fast unravelling might need occurred even with out the fall-out from the 2 insurgent excursions between 1982 and 1984. However it actually didn’t assist issues. He and the 19 different West Indian cricketers who travelled to South Africa did so regardless of a worldwide prohibition on cricketing relations with apartheid that was strongly supported by most individuals within the Caribbean. On their return they have been banned from enjoying first-class cricket and located themselves ostracised from well mannered society, many discovering that the one method out was to maneuver overseas.
Although the response to the insurgent vacationers in Barbados was not as visceral as in another Caribbean territories, what made Murray’s plight much more tough was an present predilection for drug and alcohol abuse. Steadfastly refusing to specific regret for his actions, he discovered it exhausting to rehabilitate himself within the public consciousness, and descended into shambolic dereliction.
David Anthony Murray was born on Might 29 1950 in Bridgetown, Barbados, an illegitimate youngster of the nice West Indies cricketer Everton Weekes. When his mom emigrated to England with out him, he was introduced up within the care of his maternal grandmother, who struggled to maintain him in verify. By the age of 13 he had develop into an everyday marijuana smoker.
Inheriting cricketing expertise from his father, Murray started enjoying for Spartan membership in Bridgetown as a wicketkeeper-batsman, making his debut for Barbados aged 20 and later turning into deputy within the West Indies aspect to the Trinidadian keeper Deryck Murray (no relation), together with the tour to Australia in 1975-76, when solely the kindly intervention of a senior participant, Lance Gibbs, prevented him from being despatched dwelling after his drug consumption got here to the discover of administration.
When Deryck Murray defected to the Kerry Packer cricket circus in 1978, David was in a position to make his Check debut, towards Australia in Guyana, on the late age of 28. On tour in India in 1978-79 he took 18 dismissals in six Exams and scored 261 runs at a mean of 29, together with his highest first-class rating of 206 not out, towards East Zone in Jamshedpur. However he additionally got here throughout a prepared provide of the native cannabis, admitting later that “I’d eat a bit and I’d be excessive for the entire day.” His attendance at necessary crew conferences was sketchy, and if he did seem, typically barely coherent.
When Deryck Murray returned from exile after Packer, David once more turned understudy, however took over as No 1 in late 1980 when the older man lastly retired. He then performed 4 of the 5 dwelling Exams towards England in 1981, and on the 1981-82 tour of Australia took 9 catches within the first Check at Melbourne, nonetheless a West Indies document, regardless of having a damaged finger. He performed with the identical damage within the second Check, however was then rested for a collection of sooner or later matches, through which Jeffrey Dujon took over his duties.
Dujon impressed a lot in his stead that he retained the function for the third Check, at Adelaide, and Murray was dropped. Murray partly misplaced his place as a result of his finger had not totally healed, but in addition as a result of Dujon had proved to be a greater batsman and, maybe crucially, the West Indies board most popular Dujon’s extra skilled perspective on and off the sphere.
Taking the choice badly, Murray refused to do his duties when named as twelfth man at Adelaide, and was despatched dwelling with out ceremony. Feeling that his West Indies profession was over, he turned ripe for plucking by Ali Bacher, the executive mastermind behind the apartheid insurgent excursions.
Nothing a lot of observe occurred in South Africa – the 2 excursions Murray participated in have been of little consequence, aside from for the outrage they triggered. However the aftermath was painful.
Spending most of his tour cash on frivolities, Murray went on to foul up his marriage to an Australian forensic scientist, Kerry McAteer, by having an affair. On his subsequent return to Barbados, and by now hooked on cocaine, he took a room with two aunts on the household dwelling in Station Hill, Bridgetown, and shifted into an extended downward spiral of poverty.
In his later years a skeletal determine with matted gray dreadlocks, he existed primarily by promoting small parcels of medication to vacationers, taking hand-outs from members of the family, and accepting occasional funds from overseas journalists who confirmed as much as interview him about his unhappy decline.
He’s survived by a daughter from his marriage to Kerry, which led to divorce, and a son, Ricky Hoyte, from an earlier relationship, who turned a first-class cricketer.
David Murray, born Might 29 1950, died November 25 2022