DDCA: Lyndale Cricket Club great Daryl Taylor dies at the age of 70

Lyndale’s great paceman formed a Lillee-Marsh combination with wicketkeeper Graeme Downe as he piled up Turf 1 wickets.

Daryl Taylor celebrates with Lyndale’s 2013-2013 Turf 2 premiership team. Pic: Rodney Keyaerts

Lyndale Cricket Club has lost its greatest player with the death of Daryl Taylor at the age of 70.

Taylor was a formidable fast bowler in the Dandenong District Cricket Association, piling up wickets in Turf 1 through the 1970s and 80s.

As a junior and senior cricketer he grabbed 1002 wickets from 188 matches, a Lyndale record.

There were 338 wickets at an average of 13.97 in Turf 1, where he formed a Lillee-Marsh combination with Lyndale’s great wicketkeeper Graeme Downe.

Talk of the Taylor-Downe pairing and the quality and hostility of Taylor’s bowling echoed down the years in the DDCA.

He was invited to play District cricket with Footscray and his many admirers thought there was no doubt he could have made a success of it.

But he was happy to continue playing at Lyndale with his mates.

Among his many deeds, Taylor:

* won the First XI bowling average six times.

* captained the club’s 1976-77 Turf 1 premiership team against Buckley Ridges, capturing 8-77, including a hat-trick.

* took eight wickets or more 11 times.

* was a regular DDCA representative player.

Lyndale stalwart Rodney Keyaerts said Taylor started with the club as a junior.

He played five matches in Turf 1 in 1970-71, grabbing 21 wickets at 8.95, with a best of 8-11.

Taylor was away.

His Turf 1 wicket aggregates were 47, 50, 60, 39, 38, 39 and, in his last full season (1983-84), 28.

DDCA stalwart Anthony Hamilton said Taylor was part of association “folklore’’.

He said he “played it hard’’ and, at 6’4, was an intimidating figure to batsmen.

“He was like a big steam train coming at you … he was a big fellow, he had the tattoos and the rolled-up sleeves … he was a pretty imposing character,’’ Hamilton said.

“But he was a great fast bowler, a tough competitor, very respected and a great guy to have a beer with after the game.’’

One leading former Turf 1 batsman recalled playing against Taylor one year and snicking the ball through slip early in his innings.

He went on to make a century, with Taylor needling him all the way.

But after stumps the fast bowler was quick to congratulate him on his knock and buy him a drink.

Taylor was a regular at Lyndale’s past players’ day.

This season’s function was held last Saturday, when word came through of the champion paceman’s death.

He had been battling cancer for some time, Keyaerts said.

He said Lyndale would push up Daryl Taylor for inclusion in the DDCA hall of fame.

Hamilton said there was no doubt Taylor belonged in the top bracket of DDCA players.