David Knox - unquestionable ability

By Lyall Gardner

The word “enigma” is described in the Collins Dictionary as “mystery, conundrum, problem, puzzle, riddle, teaser”. David Knox was probably all of those. An athlete of unquestionable ability, he could have been a star in any sport he chose. Rugby was his passion however, and he was certainly a star in that code playing 13 times for Australia between 1985 and 1997 and being a member of the 1991 World Cup squad. He also played in eight 1st Grade Randwick Rugby premierships while scoring a record 2,842 points–the highest point scorer in Australian club rugby. In 1994 he kicked 12 goals against Drummoyne. He also scored 130 points for the Australian Wallabies.

Cartwright Insurance Brokers are one of the proud sponsors of Randwick Petersham Cricket Club

David Knox could also have been a top-class cricketer. Born at Coogee on 3 August 1963, David John Knox was educated at Matraville High, a school which had already produced the champion Ella brothers and Eddie Jones of rugby fame. His reputation as a junior cricketer was known to club officials and although he was only 13, David was included in the Randwick A W Green Shield squad of 1976-77. He played only one match but the main reason for his inclusion was for developmental purposes and to familiarise him with the team.

After a quiet initiation season, David topped the batting with 288 at 36 in the 1978-79 Green Shield team leading to his selection in the representative Combined A W Green Shield Firsts team. The right-hander also made his Grade Cricket debut that season hitting 38 in his second match in 5th Grade before being promoted to the premiership-winning 4th Grade team. With a half-century in just his third game and some useful scores thereafter, he completed the season in 3s playing in the semi-final. His first season with Randwick at just 15 years of age had brought him a total of 587 runs across four competitions.

Having won the Cartwright Insurances Award for the most promising junior player in the club in his first season, young Knox stepped up a notch the following summer to take out the coveted Keith Austin Memorial Trophy for the most promising player in the club. He was a member of the 3rd Grade team which won the competition under the captaincy of John Johnson. Despite his tender years he was the team’s leading bat with 389 runs. He made two half-centuries hitting 86* against North Sydney and 53* playing Gordon. In just two seasons, he had scored more than 1,000 runs across all competitions. An interesting scenario occurred in the Wests match with David making 40 and Eddie Jones 38* in a partnership of almost 80. Both these players would become giants of Australian Rugby in the years which followed.

While David made his 1st Grade debut in 1980-81 scoring nine runs against Mosman at Coogee in his only match, he did not make any real impact until two years later when he was brought into the team making 53 against Manly in his first match and 59 playing Penrith in his second. He went on to win the 1st Grade batting average with 251 runs at 41.83 while he did the same in 2nds with 318 at 35.33. With 114 in Poidevin-Gray it was yet another season of excellent run-making with an overall tally of 683. And sandwiched between his first and second 1st Grade appearances was his maiden century–133 against North Sydney in 2nd Grade.

From 1983-84 David was firmly entrenched in 1st Grade. He began that season with 72 against Bankstown going on to make 51 against Sutherland and 83 playing Manly in a season total of 450. However, his finest innings occurred in the Grand Final against Balmain at Hurstville Oval. Batting no. 3 after Peter Clifford was dismissed, Knox was a power of concentration for the next seven hours as he defied the Tigers’ attack to top-score with 78 in a total of 344. And in a surprise twist, skipper Gary Bensley threw him the new ball and he responded with three wickets including the captain, former Test opening bat Ian Davis, bowled for a duck!

It was a slow start for the 21 year old in 1984-85 but he really hit his straps in the second half hitting 385 runs in eight matches including a maiden 1st Grade century with an even 100 made in 173 minutes with 10 fours and a six against Parramatta at Coogee. Knox surpassed that score the following summer with a determined 107 playing Mosman at Mosman Oval. Chasing 249 he carried the innings for 311 minutes hitting 14 boundaries along the way to overtake the target and record a great win eight down. He made 384 that season following his brilliant 574 the previous summer.

Prior to the commencement of the 1986-87 season David received an offer which he accepted, to play rugby in Italy where he remained for the following six years. That decision brought to an end a promising career in cricket at the age of 23. He had played the first of his 13 Australian Rugby Tests in 1985 and seemed destined for a future in rugby which duly occurred. He was the first Randwick 1st Grade cricketer to play rugby for Australia since Gordon Stone in 1938. In a 10 season’s career, David Knox played in all five grades and the two age competitions scoring a total of 4,028 runs of which 1,737 were in 1st Grade. He also took 38 wickets and held 44 catches. Had he continued in cricket one can only wonder what successes awaited. He certainly had the talent.