‘Tosey’, as he was affectionately known, was a tall right-arm spin bowler who dominated for both club and county in the 70s, 80s, and 90s.
He was a one-club man, having played for Falmouth and lived and worked in the town throughout his career.
When his playing days ended, he was still very much part of the Falmouth club, with his wife of 48 years, Sue.
Tosey played a big part in the Falmouth success story of the period between 1983 and 1994 when they won five County titles and were runners-up twice.
In the days before bowler restrictions, he would bowl 24 overs unchanged in tandem with Ricky Perry, with around 400 overs or more each League season – and as many as 476 in 1985.
He would take 60 wickets plus and in 1984 took a remarkable 80 in Senior One West at an average of 12.
Falmouth also won the Vinter Cup in 1977, 92, 93, and 95.
It was not just League cricket, however, as he will be remembered as one of the all-time County Club greats.
He made his debut at the age of 20 against Somerset Seconds at Falmouth on July 15, 1973.
He was not the only Minor Counties debutant that day. A certain IT Botham made his Somerset debut, making 36 and 34 before taking the wicket of Nigel Cock, who had hit 101 in the first innings.
That was the start of a county career that saw Tosey make 162 Championship appearances – only bettered by Harry Tresawna’s 167 made between 1904-34.
Tosey sent down 4,598 overs, 1,229 maidens, taking 440 wickets for 12,373 runs. On 16 occasions he took five wickets in an innings.
David (back row, third from left) in his playing days (Image: Falmouth Cricket Club)
His last championship game came, fittingly, at Falmouth in July 1994 against Wiltshire, when current team manager Godfrey Furse was skipper.
Cornwall won by ten wickets with Steve Williams and Gary Thomas knocking off the 68 required.
One of the umpires was another Cornwall bowling legend – David Halfyard.
It was not quite the end of Tosey’s county career as six years later he was recalled to play in the 2000 NatWest Trophy tie against Norfolk at Truro. He sent down ten overs for 32 in a game Cornwall lost by four wickets.
Back in June 1977, he played in the famous Gillette Cup tie at Truro against the then all-conquering one-day kings – Lancashire.
Tosey played a key role, removing England players Barry Wood (49) and Frank Hayes (0) along with Bernard Reidy.
With Halfyard accounting for David Lloyd, Harry Pilling, and Bob Ratcliffe, Lancashire were reduced to 120-7 before Jack Simmons hit 37 not out to get to 180. Victory followed by 118 runs.
Nine years later in the 1986 NatWest Trophy, Cornwall went down to a heavy defeat at Derbyshire.
Tosey came out with respect, however, bowling his 12 overs for 41 runs and taking the wickets of centurions Iain Anderson and Alan Hill.
Derbyshire lost to Surrey in the next round with Cornishman Jack Richards top scoring with 53 not out.
News of Tosey’s passing came on the second day of Cornwall’s National Counties Championship game with Wales NC at Ebbw Vale.
Cornwall last played at Ebbw Vale’s Eugene Cross Park 35 years ago in 1991. David Toseland’s match figures were 48.2-9-124-7.
In January 2025, Falmouth Cricket Club renamed the gate end at Trescobeas as “The David Toseland End”: the most fitting of tributes for a true legend of the Cornish game. RIP Tosey.
Cornwall Cricket League vice-chair Robert Jobson said in tribute: “David was one of Cornwall’s finest slow bowlers: for decades a skilled operator of infinite patience, with subtle variations of flight, pace, drift, and cut who bowled 24 overs most Saturdays and whose tight lines were seldom mastered by even the best of batters.
“Nurtured as a shy young sportsman by Nick Barrington, not just his Falmouth CC captain but his lifelong employer in the offices of solicitors Hine, Barrington and Stonehouse, he was afforded every possible opportunity to develop his bowling skills for Falmouth, Falmouth Wayfarers, Cornish Choughs and Cornwall.
“He came to the fore in the 1970s, in partnership with Falmouth slow left-armer Tom Meneer and Cornwall’s serial match-winner David Halfyard, an era which saw Cornwall climb dramatically from the foot of the Minor Counties Championship table almost to the top, as one David kept an end tight and the other wreaked havoc.
“Falmouth, with David Toseland and paceman Ricky Perry a formidable bowling combination, and ‘Digger’ Williams, Phil Stephens and Sean Hooper top-class batters, and the wily Barrington and then Terry Willetts in charge, became champions of Cornwall six times and Vinter Cup winners on 4 occasions in the 1980’s and early 1990’s.
“How many thousands of overs and maidens David bowled, and how many hundreds of batters succumbed to his wiles at miserly cost will be for the statisticians.
“For those who had the pleasure of playing alongside and against him, he will be cherished as one of the fairest, most sporting of cricketers – and the best of company in the bar.”
Falmouth Cricket Club said in a statement: “It is with an incredibly heavy heart and a profound sense of sadness that we announce the passing of David Toseland.
“‘Tosey’ passed away peacefully this morning, at home, surrounded by his family.
“Tosey was our club president, the most loyal, dedicated servant to our great club, a legend of Cornish Cricket and a friend to so many.
“He will be sorely missed.
“On behalf of the club and the wider cricketing family, we send our love and heartful condolences to Sue and James and the wider family.
“We play in his honour. We cherish the great times we had with him, both on and off the field and he will remain forever our greatest.
“Rest in peace Tosey.
“We will share the funeral details in due course.”