Wright Levi Image 1 Derbyshire 1896

Description

Oxford born Levi Wright had a considerable and distinguished cricket career. He played for Derbyshire from 1883 until 1909, his career including the period from 1888 to 1894 when Derbyshire were demoted from first class status because of poor results. They were reinstated in 1894 and admitted to The County Championship in 1895. He captained Derbyshire for part of 1906 and for the whole season in 1907, although the team finished bottom of the Championship in both seasons.

Wright was a right-handed batsman and a renowned fieldsman at point. He also occasionally kept wicket. Wright made almost 15,000 runs for Derbyshire at an average of 26.10 runs per innings in 325 matches in his career, scoring 20 centuries and 72 half centuries with a best score of 195 against Northamptonshire in 1905. He followed his score of 195 with 176 and 122 against Warwickshire at Edgbaston, so playing three successive three figure innings. He also scored 193 against Nottinghamshire in 1901, both his top scores coming at Derby. His best seasons came as he got older: he scored 1,000 runs in a season six times, the first when he was 37 years old, and his best season of all was 1905, when in all matches he scored 1,855 runs, at an average of more than 42 runs per innings. He four times represented Gentlemen against Players.

The citation as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in the 1906 edition of Wisden paid tribute not just to his run getting at the age of 43, but also his continued quick reactions as a fielder. He took many brilliant catches, standing within four or five yards of the bat, and on one occasion came in so close that he caught the bat instead of the ball. During his cricket career he managed 237 catches and made 6 stumpings. He retired at the end of the 1909 season.

He also played association football as a centre half, starting his career playing for hometown club Oxford City before he joined Derby Midland from 1887 after moving to Derby to work as a schoolmaster, after which he was signed by Derby County before the inaugural Football League season began in September 1888.

Wright made his Football League debut at The County Ground, the then home of Derby County against Preston North End on 29th September 1888. Derby lost the match 3-2 although Wright scored his debut, his only League goal, to put his team 2-0 in the lead. Wright appeared in four of the 22 League matches played by Derby County in 1888-89, and was not retained for 1889-90 season, being signed by Notts County, but he never played for their first team and never played top flight football again.