Former England seamer David Smith dies at 69

David Smith, the Gloucestershire seam bowler who won five England caps, died in Bristol on December 17, 2003. He was 69.

Smith made 357 first-class appearances for Gloucestershire between 1956 and 1970, taking 100 wickets in a season five times, including 143 in 1960. He contributed many marathon bowling spells for Gloucestershire, and slogged a few handy runs down the order. In all first-class cricket he took 1250 wickets, at the excellent average of 23.72. His best return was 7 for 20, against Sussex at Stroud in 1962. He hit 4970 runs (12.30), with a highest of 74 against MCC at Lord's in 1961.There were also 292 catches, many of them at slip.

His Tests all came under Ted Dexter in India in 1961-62. Smith didn't find the unforgiving pitches there to his liking, and ended up with only six wickets at 59.83 although, in the absence of senior fast bowlers like Fred Trueman and Brian Statham, he toiled through a lot of overs - 162 in eight innings.

A team-mate on that tour was David Allen, the Gloucestershire offspinner who had been a friend from an early age. Said Allen: "We both came through Stapleton CC together, and I had a great regard for him. As a bowler he was always quicker than you thought, and bounced the ball on the seam. David was one of the best of his kind in county cricket."

Smith was also a handy footballer, patrolling the wing for Bristol City and Millwall. After retiring from cricket, he helped his wife Peggy run their fancy-goods shop in Fishponds, not far from where he was born. According to the Bristol Evening Post, on Saturdays he tended to remain in the shop, saying "Never was much good at sitting and watching."