David William Hookes (3 May 1955 – 19 January 2004) grew up in
Torrensville
Torrensville is a western suburb west of the centre of Adelaide, South Australia. It was named after Irish-born economist and chairman of the South Australian Colonisation Commission, Robert Torrens.
Torrensville is in the City of West Tor ...
and was a
South Australian
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
and Australian
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
er, broadcaster and coach of the
Victorian cricket team. An aggressive left-handed batsman, Hookes usually batted in the middle order. His international career got off to a sensational start in the
Centenary Test at
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
in 1977 when he hit England captain
Tony Greig
Anthony William Greig (6 October 194629 December 2012) was a South African-born Test cricket captain turned commentator. Greig qualified to play for the England cricket team by virtue of his Scottish parentage. He was a tall () all-rounder w ...
for five consecutive boundaries, but a combination of circumstances ensured that he never became a regular in the
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal A ...
team. He wrote in his autobiography, "I suspect history will judge me harshly as a batsman because of my modest record in 23 Tests and I can't complain about that".
[Cricinfo.com: David Hookes player profile.]
/ref>
For many years, he was a leading figure in Australian domestic cricket, most notably in his role as captain of South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
(SA). ''Wisden'' called him "a first-class destroyer of second-rate bowling".[ Angered by Victorian captain ]Graham Yallop
Graham Neil Yallop (born 7 October 1952) is a former Australian international cricketer. Yallop played Test and One Day International cricket for the Australia national cricket team between 1976 and 1984, captaining the side briefly during the W ...
's late declaration in a Sheffield Shield match at the Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby le ...
in October 1982, Hookes, who normally batted at number 3 or 4, promoted himself to opening batsman and proceeded to score a century from 34 balls in just 43 minutes (including 18 fours and two sixes), at the time the fastest century scored in first-class cricket. He finished his career as the highest run-scorer in Sheffield Shield
The Sheffield Shield (currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Marsh Sheffield Shield) is the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Sheffield Shi ...
history.
An outspoken man who had several brushes with the game's officials, Hookes retired at the end of the 1991–92 season and pursued his media career. He moved to Melbourne in 1995 and broadcast on Radio 3AW. His popularity among players and his reputation for strong leadership led to his appointment as coach of the Victorian team in 2002. The team enjoyed success under his tutelage, but he died after being punched by a hotel bouncer outside a pub where he had been drinking with Victorian players following their victory in a match earlier in the day.
Cricket career
Hookes played for the West Torrens Cricket Club
The West Torrens District Cricket Club ("Western Eagles") is a
Premier Grade Cricket Club in Adelaide, South Australia. It competes in the West End Premier Cricket Competition, which is administered by the South Australian Cricket Association ( ...
and made his A-Grade debut at the age of just 15. When he came in to bat he faced Adelaide Cricket Club
Adelaide Cricket Club or is a semi-professional cricket club in Adelaide, South Australia. It competes in the South Australian Grade Cricket League, which is administered by the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA). The Adelaide Cricket ...
bowler and local Australian rules football and media personality Ken "KG" Cunningham
Kenneth George (KG) Cunningham (born 26 July 1939 in Adelaide, South Australia) is an Australian radio personality, and a former cricketer and football umpire.
Sporting career
Cunningham had a first-class cricket career from the 1960/61 to 1 ...
. KG said later in a Channel 9 tribute to Hookes that after the first two balls went past the edge of the bat, he walked down the wicket and attempted to upset the youngster in his first game and "gave him a huge spray". Hookes then sent the next four balls to the fence and after the over walked up to Cunningham and said: "Listen old man, if you continue to bowl those wobbly little inswingers the next four will go over the fence and not into the fence." In later years KG became one of Hookes's close friends and on Adelaide television and radio one of his strongest supporters even after his move to Melbourne to become coach of the Victorian state side.
David Hookes made his first-class debut in 1975–76 for South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. A rush of form in February 1977, when he scored five centuries from six innings in 17 days, led to his selection for the Centenary Test in March, 1977, at the age of 21.
Test debut and WSC
During Australia's second innings of the match, Hookes made 56, and hit Tony Greig for five consecutive boundaries. Soon after, he signed a contract with World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket (WSC) was a commercial professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 which was organised by Kerry Packer and his Australian television network, Nine Network. WSC ran in commercial competition to establish ...
(WSC) and then toured England. Playing all five Tests, Hookes compiled 283 runs at 31.44, with scores of 85 at The Oval
The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...
and 50 at Lord's.
Australian Captain Ian Chappell
Ian Michael Chappell (born 26 September 1943) is a former cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. He captained Australia between 1971 and 1975 before taking a central role in the breakaway World Series Cricket organisation. Born ...
described World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket (WSC) was a commercial professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 which was organised by Kerry Packer and his Australian television network, Nine Network. WSC ran in commercial competition to establish ...
(WSC) as the toughest cricket he ever played (with all the best players in the world involved)
Hookes was one of the key personalities marketed by the breakaway WSC organisation. In a Supertest at the Sydney Showground in 1977, a bouncer
A bouncer (also known as a doorman or door supervisor) is a type of security guard, employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs, cabaret clubs, stripclubs, casinos, hotels, billiard halls, restaurants, sporting events, schools, concerts, or ...
from Andy Roberts broke his jaw, and his confidence never fully recovered from the injury. Nevertheless, he was the third-best performed Australian batsman behind Ian
Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...
and Greg Chappell
Gregory Stephen Chappell (born 7 August 1948) is a former cricketer who represented Australia at international level in both Tests and One-Day Internationals (ODI). The second of three brothers to play Test cricket, Chappell was the pre-eminen ...
with 770 runs (at 38.5 average) across the Supertests played during the 1977–78 / 78-79 and was in fact the best performed Australian batsmen across the 1978–79 Supertests with 392 runs (at 56 average). His future in the Australian team following the rapprochement between WSC and official cricket seemed assured.
Problems post-WSC
However, Hookes managed just one Test and two ODIs when injury curtailed his 1979–80 season. Returned to fitness, he toured Pakistan in 1980, but made a pair in the first Test at Karachi, dismissed twice by spin bowler Iqbal Qasim. His play against slow bowling had not developed and he was vulnerable to the well-flighted delivery as his footwork was non-existent. Dropped from the Australian team, his form failed to improve in the following Australian season, and he lost his place in the South Australia team as well.
The SACA took a gamble by appointing Hookes as South Australia captain at the start of the 1981–82 season. He responded to the challenge and led the state to the Sheffield Shield. Improved confidence and form led to his reinstatement in the Australian team for the 1982–83 Ashes series, and he batted consistently for 344 runs at 49.14 average with a best score of 68 in the fourth Test at Melbourne. Continuing his good form on the following tour of Sri Lanka, Hookes scored 143 off 152 balls in the first Test between the nations.
Last seasons
Hookes's performances were more subdued during the 1983 World Cup in England. Australia played poorly in the tournament. When the team returned home, Hookes criticised the team's captain, Kim Hughes
Kimberley John Hughes (born 26 January 1954) is a former cricketer who played for Western Australia, Natal and Australia. He captained Australia in 28 Test matches between 1979 and 1984 before captaining a rebel Australian team in a tour of ...
. This earned him a fine and he was dropped from the 1983–84 Test series against Pakistan. He returned for five Tests in the West Indies during the 1984 tour and passed 20 in seven of his ten innings, yet made only one half-century, 51 at Antigua in the fourth Test.
Frustrated by Hookes's failure to turn regular starts into big scores, the Australian selectors ignored him for the next 18 months. He was not selected for the 1985 tour of England, although there had been an exodus of Australian players on a rebel tour of South Africa. His last international appearances were in 1985–86, when he played two Tests against both New Zealand and India, and two ODIs in the World Series Cup. Thereafter, Australia pursued a selection policy of giving prolonged opportunities to younger players and passing over older players with inconsistent records.
Domestic performances
Despite his failure to live up to expectations at the highest level, Hookes continued to captain South Australia until 1990, when he was sensationally sacked. In October 1982, Hookes thrashed a 43-minute, 34-ball century, which in some respects is the fastest hundred in first-class history.
On 7–8 March 1987, Hookes and Wayne Phillips shared an unbroken fourth wicket stand of 462 for South Australia against Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
, with Hookes making his highest ever score of 306 not out coming in just 385 minutes from only 314 balls faced (Phillips scored 213 not out). Hookes' innings also included 40 fours and 2 sixes. Hookes and Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being watchful of the batsman and ready to take a catch, stump the batsman out and run out a batsman when occasion arises. ...
Phillips, both left-handed batsmen, broke the previous first-class partnership record of 456 set by Victorian pair Bill Ponsford
William Harold Ponsford MBE (19 October 1900 – 6 April 1991) was an Australian cricketer. Usually playing as an opening batsman, he formed a successful and long-lived partnership opening the batting for Victoria and Australia with Bill ...
and Edgar Mayne
Edgar Richard "Ernie" Mayne (2 July 1882 – 26 October 1961) was an Australian cricketer who played as a right-handed batsman and bowler.
Mayne played in four Test matches for Australia between 1912 and 1921. He made his Test debut on 15 July ...
in the 1923–24 season against Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
at the MCG
The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hem ...
.
Hookes also formed a devastating partnership with fellow South Australian left-hander Darren Lehmann
Darren Scott Lehmann (born 5 February 1970) is an Australian cricket coach and former cricketer who coached the Australian national team. Lehmann made his ODI debut in 1996 and Test debut in 1998. He was on the fringes of national selection fo ...
, the pair often entertaining spectators at the Adelaide Oval in Shield matches with their attacking play. In all first-class cricket, Hookes scored 12,671 runs in 178 matches at an average of 43.99.
Batting style
Hookes was an aggressive strokeplayer against fast bowling, and was known to play the hook shot
In basketball, a hook shot is a play in which the offensive player, usually turned perpendicular to the basket, gently throws the ball with a sweeping motion of the arm farther from the basket in an upward arc with a follow-through which ends ov ...
effectively. However he had problems playing spin. He was known as an "eye" player – or one who relied more on his eye than on sound batting technique.
After retirement
After his retirement, he became involved in the media, making appearances on television and hosting a radio programme on Melbourne radio station 3AW with fellow sportscaster Gerard Healy
Gerard Healy (born 1 March 1961) is a former Australian rules footballer and commentator.
Healy attended St Bede's College in Mentone, where he was the senior football captain. Gerard is a trained physiotherapist.
VFL career
Melbourne Dem ...
.
In 2002, he was selected as the new coach of the Victorian cricket team, a team he had grown up hating. He led a revival of the team, which had struggled in previous years. The team subsequently rose back to the top of the Australian domestic competition.
During August 2003, Hookes was criticised after his comment in reference to Helen Cohen Alon, a South African woman who had claimed Australian cricketer Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne (13 September 1969 – 4 March 2022) was an Australian international cricketer, whose career ran from 1991 to 2007. Warne played as a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-handed batsman for Victoria, Hampshire and Australi ...
had sexually harassed her via telephone. Commenting on her as "some dopey, hairy-backed sheila who has dobbed arne
Arne may refer to:
Places
* Arne, Dorset, England, a village
** Arne RSPB reserve, a nature reserve adjacent to the village
* Arné, Hautes-Pyrénées, Midi-Pyrénées, France
* Arne (Boeotia), an ancient city in Boeotia, Greece
* Arne (Thessa ...
in across the other side of the world. If that's what she wants to do to earn some cash that's her decision. Let's find out the facts before we hang Warney on this one".
He accused the Australian selectors of bias towards players from New South Wales stating that "when they give out the baggy blue cap in New South Wales, they give you a baggy green one in a brown paper bag as well to save making two presentations."
Personal life
Hookes married his childhood sweetheart and first wife Roxanne, but left her for his second wife, Robyn Gellman. They were married for 22 years. Hookes had two stepchildren. Hookes and Robyn separated in late 2003 due to Hookes's infidelities
Infidelity (synonyms include cheating, straying, adultery, being unfaithful, two-timing, or having an affair) is a violation of a couple's emotional and/or sexual exclusivity that commonly results in feelings of anger, sexual jealousy, and riva ...
.[Australian Story – In the Midnight Hour](_blank)
/ref> At the time of his death he had been in a two-year relationship with Christine Padfield, then marketing coordinator at Cricket Victoria
Cricket Victoria (CV) is the governing body for the sport of cricket in the Australian state of Victoria. It was formed on 29 September 1875 as the Victorian Cricket Association. It is integrated with the Victorian Women's Cricket Association to ...
, who was present when he died.
Death
On the night of 18 January 2004, Hookes went to the Beaconsfield Hotel in West St Kilda, Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, with members of the Victorian and South Australian cricket teams, including future Australian coach Darren Lehmann
Darren Scott Lehmann (born 5 February 1970) is an Australian cricket coach and former cricketer who coached the Australian national team. Lehmann made his ODI debut in 1996 and Test debut in 1998. He was on the fringes of national selection fo ...
, to celebrate a win by the former over the latter in a one-day match. Christine Padfield was also with Hookes, as was a friend of Padfield's, Tania Plumpton. Soon after midnight, a brawl erupted between the party and hotel staff. There are conflicting stories about the reason. It seemed to have been generated by a "last drinks" call by hotel staff. It is also unclear whether the party left voluntarily or were forced to leave.
The hotel's security staff continued following the party for a short distance outside the hotel. In the altercation that followed, one of the bouncers, Zdravko Mićević, punched Hookes. He fell to the ground, hitting his head in the process, and went into cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and poss ...
. He was revived by paramedics but did not regain consciousness. He was taken to Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
's Alfred Hospital and placed on life support. The following evening, after family and friends had said their sad goodbyes, Hookes was taken off life support and died soon after. Hookes was an organ donor and 10 people received transplanted organs.
A memorial service was held on Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby le ...
on 27 January 2004, attended by all members of the Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal A ...
, South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
and Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
cricket teams, as well as the Premier of Victoria
The premier of Victoria is the head of government in the Australian state of Victoria. The premier is appointed by the governor of Victoria, and is the leader of the political party able to secure a majority in the Victorian Legislative Assemb ...
, Steve Bracks.[Silence and applause: a cricketer's farewell for David Hookes – www.theage.com.au](_blank)
/ref> Attendance was estimated at 10,000. His estranged wife, Robyn, declined to participate in his memorial service, but sat in one of the outer grandstands.
Mićević was charged with manslaughter. The death of Hookes generated public outrage, with numerous death threats being received by Mićević and his lawyers. Mićević's home was also subjected to an arson attack. Business at the Beaconsfield Hotel plummeted and the hotel closed its doors at the end of 2004.
During Mićević's trial, witnesses gave conflicting testimony of what occurred and who started the fight. The jury acquitted Mićević.
References
External links
*
David Hookes Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hookes, David
Australian cricketers
1955 births
2004 deaths
Australia Test cricketers
Australian cricket captains
Australia One Day International cricketers
Cricketers at the 1983 Cricket World Cup
Australian cricket coaches
Australian cricket commentators
World Series Cricket players
South Australia cricketers
Cricketers from Adelaide
People murdered in Victoria (Australia)