Dave wasn't just a close friend he also became a  trusted adviser when our business lives crossed. He was my friend for the best part of sixty years, we must have played some 300 cricket matches together and for the last 30 years or so we have spent at least two days a season at Test cricket courtesy of Dave's MCC membership. Over all these years many stories have accumulated and it's been hard to decide to tell just one. I'll try.

Dave had a very dry wit and his deadpan delivery drew many of us in - even with the most preposterous tales. One favourite was during the drought summer of 1976. In those days, before covers, groundsmen were very protective of their cricket pitches and would often call off matches at the slightest suggestion of rain. Dave had arrived early for a home match and was greeting each of us arriving including our opponents with the news that the match was off. With a clear blue sky and temperatures around 30 degrees it didn’t seem possible but Dave made it sound plausible with “it’s so dry the ground has cracked up and it’ll be too dangerous to play”. If that wasn’t ludicrous enough, he added “but the groundsman says if we hang around and it rains the game maybe be able to go ahead.”

Recalling memories like this one will continue to amuse me but at the same time it is sad there'll be no more.  Rest in Peace, old friend.

Greg Stevens