David Boyd (cricketer)

David Laurence Boyd (born 21 November 1955) is a former Australian cricketer who played several seasons for Western Australia during the early 1980s.

Born in Kalgoorlie,[1] Boyd played a number of matches for the Australian under-19 cricket team in 1972, at a time when underage cricket when relatively unorganised and international matches were rare.[2] For Western Australia, he played a number of matches at colts level from the late 1970s onwards,[3] but did not play at state level until the 1981–82 season, when he made both his first-class and List A debuts.[4][5] Bowling left-arm fast-medium, Boyd was more regularly selected the following season, taking eight wickets from five Sheffield Shield matches as part of a pace attack that at various stages included Dennis Lillee, Ken MacLeay, Wayne Clark, and Terry Alderman.[6]

Boyd was more successful in the limited-overs McDonald's Cup, which at the time was played as a knockout competition. He took 10 wickets from four games, including the tournament's final, in which Western Australia defeated New South Wales.[7] In the semi-final against Victoria, held in March 1983 at the WACA Ground, Boyd took match figures of 5/15 from seven overs, helping Western Australia bowl out Victoria for 112.[8] Named man of the match, his performance was the first five-wicket haul taken at List A level for Western Australia, and remains the best bowling figures overall for the state.[9] Failing to maintain his form over the following seasons, he played six further matches for Western Australia (three first-class and three limited-overs), all during the 1983–84 season.[4][5] Boyd subsequently spent time playing cricket in England. After returning to Australia, he gained coaching certification from the Australian Cricket Board, and went on to serve as a coach in the Northern Territory. In 1990, he spent a period playing and coaching for the Johor Cricket Association in Malaysia, as part of a reciprocal agreement with the Northern Territory Cricket Association.[2]