Background
He was born in Lancaster, Lancashire.
He was born in Lancaster, Lancashire.
Clarke was a right-handed batsman. Clarke made his debut for Cumberland in the 1985 Minor Counties Championship against Bedfordshire. Clarke played Minor counties cricket for Cumberland from 1985 to 1998, including 64 Minor Counties Championship matches and 13 MCCA Knockout Trophy matches.
In 1985, he made his List A debut against Middlesex in the National Westminster Trophy.
He played six further List A matches for Cumberland, the last of which came against Northamptonshire in the 1997 National Westminster Trophy. In his seven List A matches, he scored 132 runs at a batting average of 18.85, with a high score of 61.
His highest score came against Sussex in the 1987 National Westminster Trophy. He also played Second XI cricket for the Lancashire Second XI.