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Active Tasmania

David Clarence Boon MBE

Member 1998 - Born 29 December 1960

English professional cricket coach Jack Simmons spotted David as a 13 year old and said ‘he had more talent than any kid of that age I have ever seen’.

Coached and nurtured by Simmons, Boon made his first class debut for Tasmania in 1978 as a 17 year old against Queensland.

His maiden first class century came against Victoria in Hobart in 1980 and his first overseas trip was with the Young Australian team on a tour to Zimbabwe in 1983 where he scored a century in both first class matches against the Zimbabwe senior team.

Australian test cricket teams have a chant, part of which reads ‘Underneath the Southern Cross I stand, a sprig of wattle in my hand, a native of my native land, Australia you.....beauty’. That great wicketkeeper Rod Marsh used to be in charge of leading this chant and when he retired, he passed on the honour to Boon in the well held belief that this pugnacious little Tasmanian embodied the fighting spirit of Australian cricket. Boon did typify all that was great in an Australian sportsman and many a time he led the victorious Australians with a bellowing rendition of that “Sacred” chant. He deserved to because he so often saved his side with gritty determination.

His test record is outstanding and is thoroughly documented elsewhere. Suffice to say that in 106 test matches against the 6 major cricketing nations in the world, ‘Boonie’ played 188 innings, had 20 not outs, scored 7344 runs, with a highest score of 200 an average of 43.71 runs and scored 21 centuries and 32 half centuries. He ranks second to the great Alan Border as the leading run scorer of all time test match players for Australia.

He also played 181 one day international matches for Australia. Tasmania’s greatest ever cricketer - dubbed ‘Tasmania’s favourite son’ by the media, Boon was honoured with the award of an M.B.E. for his services to cricket and retired on 24 January 1995, after an illustrious 11 year Test cricket career.