Cricket 1895

“ Together joined in Cricket’s m an ly to il.” — Byron. n o . 4 0 9 . v o l . x i v . THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1895. p r i c e 2 d. SYDNEY HERBERT EYERSHED. O f the B urton-on -T ren t brotherhood o f Eversheds, all renowned in the w orld o f sport, and deservedly so as ardent follow ers o f field gam es, and able exponents o f various athletic exercises, the m ost notable in the w orld and field o f cricket is the subject o f this sketch. T o him has been given to accomplish, or rather to his exertions fo r the m ost part is it due, that his county has once again risen to the rank o f a so-called first - class. B etter still, and truer en­ couragem ent to the true sports­ man than any question of names, under his captaincy the D erbyshire C ounty C lub has overcom e financial difficulties, consolidated a capital eleven, and has been rewarded b y a general revival in the shire o f p ublic interest in cricket, and an extraordinary advance in the numbers and quality of clubs and players. M r. E ver­ shed is b y no means spoiled b y success. P roud, n o doubt, he is o f the im provem ent o f his coun ty’s position and prospects, bu t he is careful and anxious to ascribe to others m uch o f th e credit and kudos which they, in their turn, doubtless consider his ow n peculiar p ro­ p erty. H e is an ideal subject fo r an interviewer, for he gives ju st the inform ation which is required, and his remarks do not call for the w riting up and p uttin g into shape which are so obviously in evidence in m any so - called interviews. Verisim ilitude to facts is im ­ possible when five out o f every six w ords are plainly put into the m outh o f the subject b y the m ore or less facile artist in interviews. Therefore I w ill no longer stand betw een M r. Evershed and m y readers, bu t introduce him in propria persona. “ Y o u w ere b om , M r. Evershed-------? ” “ Certainly. A t B urton-on -T ren t, on January 13th, 1861. Ours is a cricketing fam ily. M y brothers W allis and Edw ard played occasionally fo r Derbyshire. So has Frank, w hom you know better as an international R u g b y footballer.” “ Y o u r school was C lifton, I believe ? ” “ I was at school at M oseley, near B irm ingham , fo r a time, “but in 1872 I w ent to C lifton C ollege. W hen sixteen From a Photograph by R. W. Thomas, 41, Cheapside, London, E.C. m y colours fo r football and were w on, bu t I left before a season came round fo r either years old cricket second sport.” “ Y o u were very successful in your year’s cricket at C lifton am ongst some very g o o d m en ? ” “ The team that year included several w ell-kn ow n players. The captain was A . H . Evans, of O xford fame. R . L . K n igh t, Or. S. Sexton, and H . F . F o x were also members, and left school at the same 'tim e w ith m yself. M y average was second highest, losing first place b y a fraction o f a run, it w orked out to 32 per innings. M y best scores were 56 n ot out 8gainst the Clifton Club, 52 against Sherborne, and 48 against Cheltenham .” “ Since leaving school m ost o f you r clu b cricket has been w ith the Burton team ? ” “ Y es. I have nearly always played w ith that club, of w hich I have been captain the w h ole time since m y schooldays. In some years, notably in 1882, 1884, 1885, and 1887, I did not play very m uch cricket, having gone in fo r fou r-oared row ing, at which m y crew was fairly successful at many provincial regattas. M y cricket averages in those years show a decided fallin g off.” “ It w ou ld be interesting to record the averages o f w hat must be a rarely equalled record o f captaincy o f tbe same club ? ” “ I d o not think all the records are available, but w ill look them up and let y ou have what can be fou n d .” M r. Evershed has redeemed this prom ise so far as concerns those years in which he played m ore than 12 innings for B u r­ ton, and they form a record o f a remarkable nature. The figures are as follow s :— 1882, 18-0; 1883, 4 4 -8; 1884, 21-3; 1885, 20-3; 1886, 35-3; 1888, 21-1; 1889, 39-4; 1891, 34-5; 1892, 24-1; 1893, 2 4 -2; 1894, 3 7 '0 ; 1895, 38-6. “ Perhaps you could tell me from m em ory some o f you r performances for the B urton club in its matches ? ” “ I t must be somewhat a fragm entary statement, then. B u t I w ill try to think o f a few , and y ou must take them fo r what they are w orth. The first I remember was in a m atch at Lakenham , v. N orw ich NEXT ISSUE, THURSDAY, JANUARY 30th.