Grahame Clarke

Grahame Jeffrey Clarke (born 1 August 1965) is a former English cricketer. Clarke was a right-handed batsman. He was born in Lancaster, Lancashire.

Clarke made his debut for Cumberland in the 1985 Minor Counties Championship against Bedfordshire. Clarke played Minor counties cricket for Cumberland from 1985 to 1998, including 64 Minor Counties Championship matches[1] and 13 MCCA Knockout Trophy matches.[2] In 1985, he made his List A debut against Middlesex in the NatWest Trophy. He played six further List A matches for Cumberland, the last of which came against Northamptonshire in the 1997 NatWest Trophy.[3] In his seven List A matches, he scored 132 runs at a batting average of 18.85, with a high score of 61.[4] His highest score came against Sussex in the 1987 NatWest Trophy.[5]

He also played Second XI cricket for the Lancashire Second XI.[6]

However, the vast majority of Clarke's cricket was played for Netherfield Cricket Club in Kendal , Cumbria in the top flight of the recreational game, in this case the Northern Premier Cricket League centred around North Lancashire and the Southern half of Cumbria. In a glittering career he notched 13,021 league runs facing quality professional bowlers on often uncovered, damp, awkward pitches and accumulated 20,598 runs in all competitions. Numerous injuries and an industrial accident foreshortened his senior club career but rather than retire he moved to Torrisholme Cricket Club near Morecambe to fulfil a role for many years as a shock batsman in the front five of their Palace Shield first XI, then on to captain the 2nd XI as a mentor for their rich seam of younger players. In 2020 he was rated No 38 in the all time Wisden Club Cricket Hall of Fame. He is still regularly involved in the sport in North West England and retains the firm enthusiasm to bring cricket to each new generation.