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David Foot

デイビッド・フット

Deibiddo Futto

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1929-04-24 （East Coker, Somerset）
Died
2021-05-25 （Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol） age 92
Nationality
United Kingdom
Languages
English
Residence History
East Coker, Somerset → Yeovil, Somerset → Bristol, Gloucestershire → Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol

Career

Occupations
journalist, cricket journalist, historian
Active Years
1950-2021
Affiliations
Western Gazette, Bristol Evening World, The Guardian, Western Daily Press
Influenced By
R. C. Robertson-Glasgow

Awards

Cricket Society Book of the Year
1993
Work: Beyond Bat & Ball: Eleven Intimate Portraits
Organization: The Cricket Society
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Harold Gimblett: Tormented Genius of Cricket

1984 cricket biography

Biography of Somerset cricketer Harold Gimblett, using his pre-suicide tapes to reveal mental anguish, pioneering discussion of mental health in cricket.

cricketmental healthSomerset

Beyond Bat & Ball: Eleven Intimate Portraits

1993 cricket literature

Intimate portraits of eleven cricketers, exploring the essence of the game and players' humanity.

character studieslove of cricketWest Country cricket

Wally Hammond: The Reasons Why: A Biography

1996 cricket biography

Biography of legendary Gloucestershire cricketer Wally Hammond.

cricketbiographyGloucestershire

Sunshine, Sixes and Cider: The History of Somerset Cricket

1986 cricket history

History of Somerset cricket.

Somerset cricketregional history

Bibliography

  • Game for Anything (1972; with Alan Gibson and Derek Robinson)
  • Ladies' Mile by Victoria Hughes (1977; edited)
  • Gardening My Way by John Abrams (1978; edited)
  • Famous Bristolians: And Others Having Strong Associations with the City (1979)
  • Viv Richards by Viv Richards, with David Foot (1979, 1982)
  • From Grace to Botham: Profiles of 100 West Country Cricketers (1980)
  • Zed: Zaheer Abbas by Zaheer Abbas, with David Foot (1983)
  • Harold Gimblett: Tormented Genius of Cricket (1984)
  • Learn Cricket with Viv Richards: A Young Player's Guide by Viv Richards, with David Foot (1985)
  • Cricket's Unholy Trinity (1985)
  • Sunshine, Sixes and Cider: The History of Somerset Cricket (1986)
  • Viv Richards (1987)
  • Country Reporter (1990)
  • 40 Years On: The Story of the Lord's Taverners (1990)
  • Strange Dorset Stories (1991)
  • Somerset Cricket: A Post-War Who's Who (1993; with Ivan Ponting)
  • Beyond Bat & Ball: Eleven Intimate Portraits (1993)
  • Wally Hammond: The Reasons Why: A Biography (1996)
  • Fragments of Idolatry: Twelve Character Studies (2001)
  • Shep: My Autobiography by David Shepherd, with David Foot (2001)
  • Sixty Summers: Somerset Cricket since the War (2006; with Ivan Ponting)
  • Footsteps from East Coker (2010)
  • Footprints – David Foot’s Lifetime of Writing (2023; edited by Stephen Chalke)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
intimate portraitureregional perspectiveprolific and high-quality writing
Recurring Motifs
West Country cricketSomerset and Gloucestershire cricketersmental health in sport

Legacy

Renowned British journalist specializing in West Country cricket, particularly Somerset and Gloucestershire. His biographies delved into players' humanity and mental health issues, producing classics in cricket literature and winning the Cricket Society Book of the Year.

Quotes

  • If the cricket lover is not quite clear about why he loves the game, he will become much clearer after reading this book.
    Source: Foreword to Beyond Bat & Ball (Dennis Silk) (1993)
  • As a writer Foot is as good as R. C. Robertson-Glasgow at his best.
    Source: Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (Geoffrey Moorhouse) (1994)

Trivia

  • Grew up in a Somerset cottage without electricity or running water.
  • Appeared as an extra in the TV series Softly, Softly after becoming freelance.
  • Contributed to The Guardian from 1971 to 2011.
  • Lived with wife Anne; had a son and a daughter.