David Anthony Jerome Holford (16 April 1940 – 30 May 2022) was a West Indiancricketer who played in 24Test matches between 1966 and 1977.

Holford was born on 16 April 1940^[1] atUpper Collymore Rock,Saint Michael,Barbados, and was a middle-order batsman and leg-spinner. In his second Test, atLord's in 1966, he and his cousinGarry Sobers^[1][2] put on an unbroken partnership of 274 for the sixth wicket after West Indies had lost five for 95 in their second innings and were leading by only nine runs. Holford scored 105 not out, his only Test century.^[3] He took 5 wickets and made 80 in the First Test againstIndia in 1966–67, but then suffered an attack ofpleurisy and had to return home.^[4] He never had a regular place in the Test team after that. His best Test bowling figures came in 1975–76 when he took 5 for 23 on the first day against India in the First Test atBridgetown.^[5]

Holford played forBarbados from 1960–61 to 1978–79 (apart from a season inTrinidad in 1962–63), captaining the team in most matches from 1969–70 until 1978–79. His highest first-class score was 111 for Barbados against the touring Indians in 1970–71, when he put on 213 with Sobers for the fourth wicket. His best first-class bowling figures were 8 for 52 (12 for 115 in the match) for the West Indian touring team againstCambridge University in 1966.^[6] He also took 4 for 89 and 6 for 61 for Barbados against CombinedLeeward andWindward Islands in 1969–70. He was the first player in theShell Shield to score 1000 runs and take 100 wickets.^[7]

He later played inKerry Packer'sWorld Series Cricket.^[8] He served on the West Indies selection panel and also served as team manager.^[9] During his time as a selector he discoveredShivnarine Chanderpaul, who went on to become West Indies' second highest run scorer of all time.^[7][10]

Holford had a degree in agriculture and worked as a soil scientist, and another degree in computer studies.^[11] After retiring, he became the president ofHarrison College in Barbados.^[7]

On 30 May 2022, Holford died at the age of 82 in Barbados.^[12][7]

• Martin-Jenkins, C. (1983),The Complete Who's Who of Test Cricketers, Rigby: Adelaide.ISBN 978-0-7270-1870-0.

• David Holford atESPNcricinfo

• 1940 births
• 2022 deaths
• Soil scientists
• Barbadian cricketers
• Barbados cricketers
• North Trinidad cricketers
• People educated at Harrison College (Barbados)
• Cricketers from Saint Michael, Barbados
• Trinidad and Tobago cricketers
• West Indies Test cricketers
• World Series Cricket players

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from June 2022