Hypocorism – Wikipedia
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Duckham is perhaps best remembered for his performances for the British and Irish Lions and Barbarians teams under the Welsh coach Carwyn James.[4] James had admired Duckham’s abilities (despite playing in an era when England struggled for consistency and results) and selected him as a winger for the 1971 British Lions tour to New Zealand. Under James’ tutelage, Duckham was given an attacking freedom that he had not experienced with England and this brought the best out of his remarkable talent. Duckham would score 11 tries in his 16 games on the tour, featuring in three tests.[5] Duckham’s six tries in the match against West Coast-Buller set a record for a visiting player in a single match in New Zealand.[6]
In 1973, Duckham was reunited with James and many of his teammates from the 1971 Lions tour, when he was named as the only English back in the Barbarians side to play the All Blacks at Cardiff Arms Park. In the match, Duckham’s counter-attacks broke the All Black’s defence, even wrong-footing a cameraman with one outrageous dummy. The match is remembered as a classic, with the Barbarians winning 23–11. Duckham’s transformation under James, together with his status as the lone Englishman in a backline dominated by Welsh players, would see him became a favourite among both Welsh players and supporters, with many regarding him as one of their own. This earned him the life long nickname Dai (an affectionate Welsh hypocorism of David).[3][4]Duckham would even name his autobiography, Dai for England.[7]
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