Leslie Oswald Sheridan Poidevin (5 November 1876 – 19 November 1931) was an Australian tennis player and first-class cricketer who played for New South Wales and Lancashire.

Les Poidevin
Personal information
Born(1876-11-05)5 November 1876
Merrilla, New South Wales
Died19 November 1931(1931-11-19) (aged 55)
Waverley, Australia
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm slow
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1895–1908Lancashire
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 149
Runs scored 7022
Batting average 32.96
100s/50s 14/31
Top score 179
Balls bowled 3170
Wickets 46
Bowling average 41.89
5 wickets in innings 2
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 8/66
Catches/stumpings 162/0
Les Poidevin
Full nameLeslie Oswald Sheridan Poidevin
Country (sports) Australia
Singles
Career record101–43[1]
Career titles13[1]
Grand Slam singles results
Wimbledon2R (1909, 1910)
Other tournaments
Olympic GamesQF (1908In)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
WimbledonSF (1910)
Team competitions
Davis CupF (1906)

Biography

edit

A right-handed batsman who was strong in defence, Poidevin started his first class cricket career with New South Wales in 1895. In 1901, he contributed an unbeaten 140 out of the team's total of 918 runs, which was a record team score at the time. He would only bat in 23 innings for NSW over the course of his career, but his average of 57.73 ranks favourably among the finest players who have played for the state. In the 1901–02 Ashes series, Poidevin was the twelfth man for the first Test match. He was scheduled to make his Test debut in the second Test match but suffered a finger injury prior to the game.[2]

At the turn of the century, he came to England to study medicine and began playing cricket for London County. After three seasons with London County, he qualified to play for Lancashire and helped them win the championship in 1904, his debut season with the county. During the season, he made 865 runs at 34. He topped Lancashire's averages the following year with 44 after managing a total of 1376 runs.

Poidevin also played international tennis, representing Australasia in the 1906 Davis Cup as well as in Grand Slams (though missing the 1908 Summer Olympics because of administrative bungling).

Poidevin died on 19 November 1931 at Waverley, New South Wales, Australia. His parents were Napoleon R and Emma Poidevin.[3] He was survived by his wife, Isabel Marianne Poidevin (née Barns), and his two children, Gwen and Les.[4] He was buried in the South Head Cemetery, Old South Head Road, Vaucluse, New South Wales, on Friday, 20 November 1931, following a funeral attended by a large number of cricket and tennis representatives and personal friends.[5]

See also

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^ a b "Players:Poidevin Sr, Leslie". The Tennis Base. Madrid: Tennismem SL. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  2. ^ "How many batters have scored four or more centuries in three successive Tests?". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  3. ^ Death Registration #20453/1931 of Leslie O S POIDEVIN, date 19Nov1931, registration district: Waverley, New South Wales, Australia. published by Government of New South Wales, Justice, Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages, online repository https://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au/lifelink/familyhistory/search Accessed 23Sep2021
  4. ^ 1931 'Family Notices', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954), 19 November, p. 8. , viewed 23 Sep 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16816371
  5. ^ OBITUARY. (23 November 1931). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954), p. 13. Retrieved 23 September 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16823758
edit