George Davidson (cricketer)

George Davidson

Personal information
Full name	George Arthur Davidson
Born	(1866-06-29)29 June 1866 Brimington, Derbyshire, England
Died	8 February 1899(1899-02-08) (aged 32) Tividale, England
Batting style	Right-handed batsman
Bowling style	Right-arm medium fast bowler
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1886–1898	Derbyshire
1888–1898	MCC
First-class debut	13 May 1886 Derbyshire v MCC
Last First-class	25 August 1898 Derbyshire v Lancashire
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 158 Runs scored 5546 Batting average 23.80 100s/50s 3/28 Top score 274 Balls bowled 33,441 Wickets 621 Bowling average 18.26 5 wickets in innings 43 10 wickets in match 10 Best bowling 9/39 Catches/stumpings 135/-
Source: [1], 11 July 2010

George Arthur Davidson (29 June 1866 – 8 February 1899) was an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 1886 and 1898 and for Marylebone Cricket Club between 1888 and 1898. A useful all-rounder, he scored over 5500 runs and took 621 wickets in his first class career.

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

Davidson's first-class career began for Derbyshire in the 1886 season playing in the first match of the season against Marylebone Cricket Club, a game where he played in the lower order. He played regularly for the rest of the season. In the 1887 season he topped the batting and bowling figures for the club, scoring the first two half-centuries of his career and taking three five wicket overs. 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. He continued to carry his colours for Derbyshire being top wicket-taker every season between 1889 and 1893.

In the 1894 season 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 the season he achieved ten 5 wicket innings and three 10-wicket games. In the 1895 season Derbyshire finished fifth, and Davidson achieved career-best single-innings bowling figures of 9–39, against a strong Warwickshire batting side on a pitch better than most of the period. Davidson in 1895 achieved nine 5-wicket innings and three 10-wicket games and became the first English cricketer since W.G. Grace in 1886 to achieve the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets. He played for the Players at Lord's though without success even on a fiery pitch against some brilliant amateur batting. But for the special portrait of Grace, George Davidson night have been a Cricketer of the Year in the 1896 Wisden.