THE Cornwall Cricket League is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Life Member and former chairman Keith Davis on January 7, 2026, following a short illness. A month after celebrating his 90th birthday on December 5.

Robert Jobson notes: “He was one of three cricketing brothers (Peter, Keith and John) synonymous with Gerrans CC on the Roseland Peninsula until Keith’s work with Farm Industries Ltd took him to Wadebridge. There he was to prove a trophy-winning asset, in partnership with Wadebridge and Cornwall mainstays Bill Murphy and Gerald Parsons.

“Keith’s skills as a right arm pace bowler - fearsome in his youth - top order left-handed batsman and astute captain made him one of the league’s leading cricketers for decades, regularly to be found at the top of the League’s Senior One East bowling and batting averages in the 1960s and 1970s.”

The Wadebridge club adds: “Keith was the club’s most successful ever captain, leading the club in two spells from 1963-1967 and 1972-1974 in the ‘Golden Era’ of Wadebridge Cricket Club, picking up the County Champions trophy in 1965 and 1966 and the Hawkey Cup in 1964 and 1967 as well as many other Eastern League honours”.

Keith played ten championship games for Cornwall between 1963 and 1972, scoring 172 runs with a top score of 42 and taking 14 wickets at 21.79.

In 1970, he played in Cornwall’s first Gillette Cup tie, against Glamorgan at Truro. Davis bowled 12 overs in the match, taking 2-30. Future England captain Tony Lewis captained the Welsh county, who were restricted to 171-7 in their 60 overs. Cornwall were bowled out for 99 with Davis, batting at number six, one of Peter Walker’s 5-21.

Keith joined the Cornwall Cricket League’s Eastern Sectional Committee in 1967 and ran the Hawkey Cup competition for a number of years. He went on to become chairman of the Eastern Section in 1987 when Col Ronnie Potts stepped up to become league president following the passing of Jack Littlejohns.

Keith also took on the role of league vice-chairman. He was deputy to Syd Trembath for 11 years until Syd retired in 1998.

Keith stepped up to become league chairman for four years before retiring in January 2002.

It was one of the league’s more interesting periods, particularly in 2000. The East and West Sectional Committees merged to become a single administrative body. On top of that, an ECB Cornwall Premier League was formed following much debate and various meetings of clubs, formal and informal, not all of whom were in favour.

Keith oversaw it all, and despite conflicting views, it all came together, and things moved forward.

Following 35 years as a league official, Keith retired and was made a life member in 2003. However, he continued as a League Management Committee member until January 2008 – 41 years of continuous service. He was very much instrumental in working on the Centenary Season celebrations in 2005, and was a great help and encouragement to Martin Gilbert, who wrote the '100 not out’ centenary book.

He moved from Chapel Amble to Barnstaple in North Devon to be closer to his family. However, his interest in Cornish cricket remained and he would ring me a couple of times each year to catch up with things.

He was particularly pleased to spend a day at Wadebridge in 2023 as his club closed in on a first county title since 1968.

A great servant of East Cornwall cricket, RIP Keith!