 Danny Livingstone in 1961 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Daintes Abbia Livingstone | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1933-09-21)21 September 1933 St. John's, British Leeward Islands | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 8 September 1988(1988-09-08) (aged 54) St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Danny | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Left-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-armmedium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1959–1972 | Hampshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source:Cricinfo,28 May 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Daintes Abbia "Danny" Livingstone (21 September 1933 — 8 September 1988) was an Antiguancricketer who playedfirst-class cricket forHampshire as a left-handedmiddle order batsman in nearly 300 first-class matches from 1959 to 1972. The first black West Indian to play for Hampshire, he was a member of their1961 County Championship winning team and played in their first everone-day match in 1963. In first-class cricket for Hampshire, he scored over 12,500 runs. He later managed theCombined Islands cricket team in the West Indies, and worked for theGovernment of Antigua and Barbuda as their Director of Sports.
Livingstone was born atSt. John's on the island ofAntigua in September 1933. He was educated there at the Antigua Grammar School, before continuing his education in Canada at theCollegiate School, Toronto.[1] In 1953, he moved toLondon to undertake his two years ofNational Service with theRoyal Air Force (RAF). While serving with the RAF, he played minor matches for theRoyal Air Force cricket team.[1] Having come to the attention ofWarwickshire during his National Service, Livingstone played a full season for their second eleven in the 1957Minor Counties Championship.[2] However, he was not engaged by Warwickshire at the end of the season, with the county feeling they had too many batsmen in their squad, coupled with concerns over Livingstone's stroke play.[1]
Livingstone spent 1958 in London playingclub cricket, before coming toHampshire for anets trial at the start of the 1959 season.[1] In July 1959, he made his debut infirst-class cricket againstOxford University atBournemouth,[3] thus becoming the first black West Indian to play for Hampshire.[1] He qualified to play for in theCounty Championship for Hampshire through residency prior to the1960 County Championship, with Livingstone expected to press for a place in the Hampshiremiddle order.[4] He played regularly for Hampshire in 1960, but did not fully establish himself in the team.[5] At the end of the season, he played for theCommonwealth XI against anEngland XI atHasting.[3] In 1961, the year in which Hampshirewon their first County Championship, Livingstone established himself in the side with 35 appearances.[3] It was also the first season in which he passed a thousand runs, making 1,643,[6] and made his maidencentury (102not out) againstNorthamptonshire.[7] Later in the season, againstDerbyshire in Hampshire's penultimate match of the season, it was Livingstone who caughtBob Taylor to make certain of their County Championship title.[5]
In 1962, he made a further 31 first-class appearances.[3] Livingstone had his most successful season as a batsman,[5] scoring 1,817 runs at anaverage of 37.08.[6] AgainstSurrey he made his highest career score of 200. His innings began in fortuitous circumstances, when he was dropped first ball. With Hampshire having reached 128 for 8,Alan Castell (76) joined Livingstone at the crease, with the pair putting on 230 for the ninth wicket.[5][8] This remains, as of 2025, a Hampshire record partnership for that wicket.[9] Earlier in the season he had made an unbeaten century against the touringPakistanis, an innings in which according toWisden, he was "untroubled".[5] Further success followed in 1963, with Livingstone again passing a thousand runs (1,503) for the season.[6] He made 151 runs against the touringWest Indians, which helped to set up and enthralling end to the match which saw the West Indians reduced to their last two batsman and ten Hampshirefielders close-in to them;[5] the match ended in a draw.[10] He was a member of the Hampshire eleven who played in the county's inauguralList A one-day match againstDerbyshire in the1963 Gillette Cup.[11]
Livingstone's consistent form continued into 1964,[5] where in his thirty matches he scored 1,671 runs at an average of 35.55.[6] AgainstKent in August 1964, he made back-to-back centuries with scores of 117 and 105 not out atCanterbury;[12] in doing so, he became Hampshire's leading run scorer for the season, supplantingRoy Marshall who been Hampshire's leading run-scorer in the two previous seasons.[5] Despite a consistent start to his Hampshire career,[5] his form badly fell away in 1965 with him scoring 680 runs at an average of 18.88, from 23 matches.[6] His returns in 1966 were only slightly better in first-class cricket. Notably at Bournemouth in aCounty Championship match againstMiddlesex, Livingstone (116) andHenry Horton (148 not out) put on 272 runs for the third wicket,[13] which as of 2025 remains a Hampshire record for that wicket against Middlesex.[14] AgainstLincolnshire in the1966 Gillette Cup first round, he made his highest career one-day score with 92, and shared in a partnership of 124 runs for the third wicket with Horton, who made 54. Livingstone was declaredMan of the Match for his performance, for which he was awarded £50 byBill Edrich.[15]
Livingstone passed a thousand runs for the season in 1967,[5] the first time had had done so since 1964, and scored two centuries.[6] AgainstNottinghamshire in theCounty Championship in May, he deputised midway through the match forwicket-keeperBrian Timms, who had broken his nose when keeping toPeter Sainsbury. TheNottingham Guardian remarked that he "performed very creditably" keeping-wicket.[16] After featuring in only eighteen first-class matches in 1968,[3] Livingstone featured 26 times in first-class cricket in 1969,[3] while featuring extensively in the first season of theone-day Sunday League.[11] He also played forD. H. Robins' personal team against Oxford University atEastbourne.[3] During the off-season in November 1969, he managed to secure himself employment for the winter back in London at theHackneyEmployment Exchange.[17] Livingstone made 1,020 runs in 1970,[3] which would be the final time he would reach the milestone of a thousand runs in a season.[6] At the beginning of the season, he made his final first-class century, making 103 runs against Middlesex in a partnership of 263 for the fourth with Marshall; as of 2024 this remains a Hampshire record for that wicket against Middlesex.[14] He once again featured extensively for Hampshire that season in one-day cricket, making fourteen appearances inJohn Player League.[11]Wisden noted that by 1970, his consistency as a batsman had deserted him.[5] During the season, he voiced his concerns on theproposed South African tour of England in 1970, following theD'Oliveira affair.[18]
Midway through the 1970 season, Livingstone was charged by theMetropolitan Police with conspiring between 6 November 1969 and 26 March 1970 to cheat and defraud theDepartment of Social Security of £1,095.15s.[19] It was alleged that he had conspired to submit false and fraudulent claims for supplementarybenefit.[20] After an initial hearing at Old Street Magistrates Court, his case was sent for trial at theOld Bailey for June 1971.[19] Following a trial he was found not guilty, reportedly sobbing when the verdict was delivered.[17] Hampshire had been due to grant Livingstone hisbenefit worth "many thousands of pounds" in 1971, but the trial had put this on-hold.[17] Prior to the trials commencement, he featured in seven first-class matches, but just two more after its conclusion.[3] He also featured in five matches in the1971 John Player League.[11] He was granted his benefit the following season,[21] but did not even play in his benefit match againstSurrey.[22] In 1972, he featured in just three first-class and two one-day matches.[11] It had been decided earlier in the season that the contracts of Livingstone andfast bowlerButch White would not be extended.[23]
In 299 first-class matches for Hampshire, Livingstone scored 12,660 runs at an average of 27.94; he made sixteen centuries, alongside 65 fifties.[24] He was described byWisden as "an attacking batsman".[5] He took one first-class wicket, that ofKen Barrington in the final match of his career in 1968.[1] A capable fielder, he took 240 catches and occasionally kept-wicket.[24][1] In one-day cricket, he made 54 appearances, scoring 1,044 runs at an average of 25.46.[25]
Livingstone returned to Antigua when he retired from playing, and worked for thegovernment as Director of Sports, where he did much to further the development of cricket andfootball in Antigua and Barbuda.[5] He continued to play cricket at a minor level forAntigua in the inter-island Hesketh Bell Shield, brieflycaptaining the side.[5] In 1973, he played an important role alongsideLester Bird in persuading Len Creed, vice chairman atSomerset, who was in Antigua at the time as part of aWest Country touring side, to takeViv Richards.[26] Later in the 1970s, he managed theCombined Islands cricket team.[1] With the Combined Islands team being divided into theLeeward Islands andWindward Islands cricket team's in 1981, Livingstone would later coach the Leeward Islands team.[27] After returning to Antigua he married, becoming the father of five children.[1] Livingstone died at St John's in September 1988, aged 54.[5]