George Davidson (cricketer)

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George Arthur Davidson (29 June 1866 — 8 February 1899) was an English cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler who played for Derbyshire between 1886 and 1898 and Marylebone Cricket Club between 1888 and 1898.

Davidson was born in Brimington, Derbyshire, the son of Josh Davidson, a coal miner and his wife Elizabeth.^[1] His father played one game annually for Derbyshire from 1871 to 1875.

Davidson's first-class career began for Derbyshire in 1886 playing against Marylebone Cricket Club, a game which saw him occupy the lower order. He performed steadily over the following season, scoring the first two half-centuries of his career, though Derbyshire finished the season with nine losses from nine games. Derbyshire lost first class status in 1888 and Davidson's few first-class appearances in the subsequent six years were mainly for MCC. He scored two further half-centuries, once in 1890 and once in 1892.

In 1894 Davidson played in nineteen first-class games for the re-promoted Derbyshire side although they did not play in the County Championship until the following season. In 1895 they finished fifth, and Davidson achieved career-best single-innings bowling figures of 9-39, figures which are even better than they look when one considers they were achieved against a strong Warwickshire batting side on a pitch better than most of the period. Davidson in 1895 became the first English cricketer since W.G. Grace in 1886 to achieve the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets, and played for the Players at Lord's though without success even on a fiery pitch against the brilliant amateur batting he was opposed to. Still, but for the special portrait of Grace, George Davidson would probably have been a Cricketer of the Year in the 1896 Wisden.

Derbyshire came seventh in the 1896 season, and Davidson only remained two more years beyond this in first-class cricket. Derbyshire finished joint-ninth in the 1898 season, debuting Billy Bestwick, though handing appearances to four players who only played once for the team.

Davidson once took 15-116 in a match against Essex, the fourth-best bowling analysis in a match for Derbyshire, though Essex won easily on a fiery pitch.

Davidson's highest first-class score was 274, one of three centuries he achieved during his career, equating to one in each of his final three seasons as a Derbyshire player. This innings was over 150 runs greater than any other tally he recorded during his first-class career, and remains as of 2007 Derbyshire's best single innings from an individual batsman in first-class cricket.^[2]

Davidson died in Tividale at the age of 32 from pneumonia, following on influenza shortly beforehand.^[3] At the time it was thought he would continue to play for many more years and his bowling average for 1898 was even better than in 1895, in spite of very poor support.

As well as his father, his brother Frank also played for Derbyshire during the 1890s.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• George Davidson at Cricket Archive