David Thomas

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THOMAS, DAVID JAMES, died of multiple sclerosis on July 28, aged 53. There was a time in the early 1980s when David "Teddy" Thomas looked as if he was shaping up to be just the sort of cricketer England were looking for. A left-arm quick bowler who threw everything into his delivery stride following an energetic run-up, he might have added useful variety to the attack, and contributed rapid runs down the order. But he never got the chance to be the new Botham, perhaps because the old Botham was still in full working order. Thomas was named in squads for home Tests, and was twelfth man at Trent Bridge against New Zealand in 1983. It was as close as he came.

Not that he was a man to let it spoil his fun. Thomas - the "Teddy" sobriquet was bestowed because of a hairstyle that had echoes of the 1950s - was a valued member of the Surrey team for ten years, not just for his wickets and runs but for his sense of humour.

He also spent one season with Gloucestershire, and in South Africa played for Natal and North Transvaal. But his career ended at 29 when he was diagnosed with MS. He spent his final years in a wheelchair, but remained a jocular, upbeat figure who relished reunions with former colleagues. He had been a chairman of Surrey's former players' association.

Thomas came to the attention of Surrey while playing for Beaconsfield, and made his first-class debut in 1977, aged 18. Micky Stewart had captained him in club and ground games, and thought him "hyperactive but a loveble, likeable lad. He couldn't do anything slowly". Stewart also recognised his talent: "He had quick hands with the bat and he could whack it. He was an exciting cricketer." Three appearances for England Under-19s against West Indies in 1978 underlined his potential, but progress for Surrey was no more than steady. Robin Jackman remembered: "He bowled his left-armers at a lively pace and with aggression, but he struggled to swing the ball back into the right-hander, which would have produced many more wickets. Against left-handers, bowled and lbw became serious options."

Thomas had two exceptional summers for Surrey. In 1983, he took 57 wickets at 31 and scored 937 runs at 36, including centuries against Nottinghamshire and Sussex. The following season he took 60 wickets at 27, including a career-best six for 36 against Somerset at The Oval. Another great moment came in the 1982 NatWest final, when Surrey at last won a one-day trophy after three successive defeats. Thomas took the match award for his 3 for 26, including Dennis Amiss and Geoff Humpage for ducks.

But after 1984 his returns became more modest as injuries reduced his effectiveness. He moved to Gloucestershire in 1988, but MS was discovered when he was examined for a neck injury sustained in a car accident while he had been at Surrey. He retired after making 150 first-class appearances, in which he took 336 wickets at just under 34, and scored 3,044 runs at 20. He was, however, a cricketer remembered for more than bare statistics. "He brought life and soul into any dressing room," said Jackman.