Evershed Sydney Image 2 Derbyshire 1896

Description

Stapenhill, Derbyshire born Sydney Evershed was educated at Clifton College where he was in the School cricket XI and rugby XV. Evershed played cricket for Burton on Trent and for Staffordshire in the 1870’s.

His Derbyshire career began in 1880 and he appeared in a Gentlemen of Derbyshire team during the 1880 season, in which he made 85 in the first innings before being bowled. Three days later he made his first appearance for Derbyshire against Yorkshire, though he was out for a duck in his first innings. Evershed did not appear for Derbyshire during 1882, but returned to play two games in 1883. Against Marylebone Cricket Club (M.C.C.), in a rare spell of bowling, he took 5-19. He played in five further games up to 1886. Derbyshire lost first class status at the end of 1887, but Evershed continued to play, becoming County captain in 1891.

Evershed was still captain when Derbyshire regained first class status in 1894, playing in Derbyshire’s debut fixture in the County Championship, a draw against Warwickshire. Evershed was first choice opener, along with Levi Wright. In Derbyshire’s first season they finished fifth in the Championship table. Evershed finished with Derbyshire’s fifth best average, ending the season with a best batting performance of 112. In the following 1896 season, Derbyshire played the Australians, the match finishing in a draw despite centuries from Test players Harry Trott, Harry Donnan and Clem Hill on the Australians’ side. Derbyshire finished seventh in the 1896 County Championship.

In the 1897 season, the team ended without a win in their last sixteen games and were bottom of the Championship table. Evershed remained a force in the Derbyshire opening order during the 1898 season, his last year as County captain. In August Derbyshire recorded their highest score of 645 against Hampshire with centuries from Levi Wright, William Storer, William Chatterton and George Davidson. However the match ended in a draw and Derbyshire finished ninth in the Championship table. Evershed played very infrequently from the 1899 season onwards, appearing in six first class matches between the end of the 1898 season and his final first class match, against Hampshire in the 1901 County Championship.

Evershed was a right handed batsman and played 129 innings in 76 first class matches with an average of 24.70 and a top score of 153. He made four centuries and 17 half centuries on the way to 3,137 runs. He was an occasional right-arm medium pace bowler and took 5 first class wickets, at an average of 24.40, unusually all in the same innings when he recorded a best performance of 5-19.

Evershed took charge of the family business Marston, Thompson and Evershed on the death of his father in 1903. He became President of Derbyshire County Cricket Club in the first decade of the 20th century. He received a Knighthood in 1929 for services to Burton-on-Trent, where he died in 1937 at the age of 76.

Evershed’s brothers, Edward, Wallis and Frank, a rugby international, and his cousin Geoffrey Bell, were all also first class cricketers.