George Davidson (cricketer)

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George Davidson (June 29, 1866 — February 8, 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. Davidson was born in Brimington Common and died in Tividale.

Davidson's first-class career began nine years prior to Derbyshire's debut in the County Championship, 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.

Davidson played only intermittently over the following eight seasons, between 1887 and 1894, though he scored two further half-centuries, once in 1890 and once in 1892. Davidson's big break came in 1894 when he played in nineteen first-class games, though Derbyshire did not play in the County Championship until the following season. In 1895 they finished fifth, and Davidson hit career-best single-innings bowling figures of 9-39, and three ten-wicket matches, from the ten he hit overall.

Derbyshire slipped to seventh in the 1896 season, and Davidson only lasted 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 hit 15-116 in a match against Essex, the fourth-best tally for wickets bowled in a match for Derbyshire.

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.^[1] Davidson's father, Joseph, and brother Frank also played for Derbyshire during the 1870s and 1890s respectively.

Davidson died just one year after the end of his first-class career, at the age of 32.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• George Davidson at Cricket Archive