Darren Berry

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Darren "Chuck" Berry (born 10 December 1969), is a former Australian cricketer who was known for his sharp skills as a wicketkeeper with Victoria in the Pura Cup and ING Cup domestic competitions. Recently he has emerged as a media personality.

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[edit] Cricket career

Making his first-class debut for South Australia in the 1989/90 season, Berry moved back to his native Victoria to play with the Bushrangers in the 1990/91 season, and enjoyed a large degree of success. One of the high points of his career came in the 1997 Ashes tour, when he was selected to replace the injured Adam Gilchrist as the team's second-string wicketkeeper. Unfortunately, Berry did not represent Australia in a Test match on that tour.

In 2003/04, Berry ended his career on a high, captaining Victoria to a Pura Cup title against Queensland.

In terms of pure keeping ability, Berry was rated extremely highly, particularly his ability "keeping up" both to leg-spinner Shane Warne and to medium (and even fast-medium) paced bowlers. Warne, his Victorian teammate, said that "Darren Berry up to the stumps has probably been the best keeper that I've ever seen in my time...I really wish he did get the opportunity to show how good a keeper he was, with a baggy green cap playing for Australia." [1] Berry has often talked about his leg-side stumping off the bowling of paceman Paul Reiffel as one of his best achievements.

The reasons why Berry did not play for Australia included not only Australia's entrenched and effective keeper, Ian Healy, but his comparatively modest batting ability. Berry averaged only 21.58 in first-class cricket, with four centuries and 11 fifties in a long career, compared with Healy's 27 at Test level and 30 at first-class level, let alone current keeper Adam Gilchrist's outstanding batting. Berry has been a long-time critic of Gilchrist, often making light of what he considers poor keeping ability, and being able to get by on his batting prowess. He criticised Gilchrist's inclusion in Richie Benaud's Greatest XI, saying it was "an insult to Ian Healy, Rod Marsh, Don Tallon and the greatest of them all, the Englishman Allan Knott." [2] He once said, "I would suggest Gilly misses a chance in most Test matches...but it's all forgotten when he smashes a century with the bat". [3]

[edit] Post-cricket career

In 2002, preparing for his retirement from cricket, Berry was the runner for the St Kilda Football Club, for which he played at Under 19 level, a team which he passionately supports. That year he also took up boundary riding for Triple M before he graduated to the role of match-day play-by-play commentator on matches following his retirement from cricket in 2004.

Today, in addition to his role with Triple M, Berry writes a column in The Sunday Age and coaches the Carlton Cricket Club in the Victorian Premier League. He is also the Team Manager for the Rajasthan Royals franchise in the Indian Premier League.

[edit] Other

Steve Waugh has commented in his autobiography that Darren Berry is the best player in Australia to not wear the baggy green hat in a test match.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Warne names Berry master keeper, Malcom Conn, The Australian, 4 December 2004
  2. ^ Doyen fails the selection test, Darren Berry, The Age, December 19, 2004.
  3. ^ Why Gilly is Not Berry Good, Geoff McClure, The Age, November 22, 2004.
Persondata
NAME Berry, Darren Shane
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Cricketer
DATE OF BIRTH 10 December 1969
PLACE OF BIRTH Melbourne, Victoria
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH