Edward Humphrey Dalrymple Sewell (30 September 1872 – 20 September 1947) was a first-class cricketer, popular cricket and rugby journalist and author, known universally as E. H. D. Sewell.
Family
His grandfather was Sir
William Henry Sewell (c1786–1862), who had been aide-de-camp to
William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford
General William Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, 1st Marquis of Campo Maior, (; 2 October 1768 – 8 January 1854) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and politician. A general in the British Army and a Marshal in the Portuguese Army, he fought ...
, during the
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...
, and joined the
Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish soldier and Tories (British political party), Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of Uni ...
’s army in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
in 1808. Sir William was present with
Sir John Moore’s army in its retreat from
Corunna and later served for 28 years in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
His father Colonel Henry Fane Haylett Sewell (1838–1910) was a Colonel in the East Indies. He married Violetta Anna Burn in Singapore May 1860, they had seven sons.
Edward H D was the youngest son, born in Lingsugur, India, where his father served as an Army officer. Sewell was educated at the Rectory in Shropshire and
Bedford School in England, returning to
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
as a civil servant. In 1893 he married Amie Sharpe, who was born in Darjeeling. They had a child, Douglas, born in Coonsor, India, in 1895 and later educated at
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is a 2–19 Independent school (United Kingdom), independent, Day school, day and boarding school for Single-sex education, boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a Public school (United Kingdom), public school, it began as the Col ...
.
Career
While playing cricket in India he became the first batsman in the country to score three consecutive hundreds. In 1893 he played in the first ever All-India side. He went back to England and after a couple of seasons with London County he joined Essex in 1902. He remained with Essex until 1904 but his highest score was made for London County when he made 181 against Surrey at Crystal Palace. A big hitter of the ball, it is said that one of his on-drives measured 140 yards.
He was known as a good rugby footballer, playing for
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...
,
Blackheath Blackheath may refer to:
Places England
*Blackheath, London, England
** Blackheath railway station
**Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England
*Blackheath, Surrey, England
** Hundred of Blackh ...
and
Harlequins, but was most notable as a cricket player. On his return from India he became a professional cricket player for
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
. In 1904 he reached his highest score of 181 under the Captain
W.G. Grace
William Gilbert Grace (18 July 1848 – 23 October 1915) was an English amateur cricketer who was important in the development of the sport and is widely considered one of its greatest players. He played first-class cricket for a record-equal ...
, at
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
against Surrey. Later he was coach to young players at
The Oval
The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...
for Surrey County Cricket Club, and played for Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. His final first-class match for the MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...
was in 1922.
He wrote for various newspapers, as well as many books on both cricket and rugby. His first book was published in 1911, and he continued to write up until his death in 1947. Among his many books were ''The Log of a Sportsman'' (1923), ''From a Window at Lords'' (1937), ''Who's Won the Toss?'' (1940) and ''Rugger: The Man’s Game'' (1944), reminiscing on the past fifty years of the game.
Edward died on 20 September 1947 in Paddington, London. His obituary in
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
newspaper wrote of his achievements as a writer and player, both of cricket and Rugby football. A friend wrote that he had a kindly and gentle disposition, an alert mind, and was a good man and a good sportsman.
Books by E H D Sewell
* The past Rugby Football season, extracts from the Fortnightly Review, 1908
* The Revival in Rugby Football, extracts from the Fortnightly Review, 1910
* The Book Of Football, J M Dent & Sons Ltd., 1911
* Cricket points: for the county, 'varsity, public school, and club cricketer, Sporting Life, London, 1911
* Triangular Cricket: Being a Record of the Greatest Contest in the History of the Game, J. M. Dent & Co., London, 1912
* Rugby Football Internationals Roll of Honour, T.C. & E.C. Jack, London & Edinburgh, 1919 (A tribute to all the rugby internationals who died during the Great War 1914 – 1919),
* Rugby Football Up To Date, Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1921
* Log of a Sportsman, T Fisher Unwin Ltd., Adelphi Terrace, London 1923 (Cricket, Rugger and Hunting in India)
* Cricket Up To Date, John Murray, 1931
* Rugby Football To-Day, John Murray, 1931
* First Principles of Cricket, Boy's Own Paper, GB, 1935
* From a Window at Lord's, (Essays on cricket) Methuen, 1937, (includes an account of the 1936-37 M.C.C. tour of Australia)
* Who's Won the Toss? Stanley Paul, 1940 Foreword by
C.B.Fry
* Cricket Under Fire, Stanley Paul & Co, London, 1941 (includes chapters 'The Fade-Out of Jardine and Larwood' and 'The Game in India')
* Rugger: The Man's Game, First edition 1944, (revised by O. L. Owen; with a preface by Captain C.B.Fry) Hollis and Carter Ltd, London, 1950
* An Outdoor Wallah, Stanley Paul, 1945 (Autobiography) (with chapters on W.G. Grace, Ranjitsinhji, and the 1933-34 M.C.C. tour of India)
* Well Hit! Sir, Stanley Paul, London, 1946 (includes an account of the 1946 Indian tour of England)
* Overthrows, Stanley Paul, London, 1946
Contribution - extended reminiscences:
'The Memorial Biography of Dr. W. G. Grace', issued under the Auspices of The Committee of the MCC, Constable & Company Ltd., London 1919
Sources
* May 2006 edition of ''Soul Search'', the journal of The Sole Society. A British Family History Society, http://www.sole.org.uk/
* BM&D and census records
* Tony Collins, ''A Social History of English Rugby Union'', Routledge, Oxford, 2009, (many references to EHD Sewell
* IMAGE: Edward Sewell: cricketer, columnist and part of the first all-India team
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sewell, Edward
1872 births
1947 deaths
English cricketers
Indian cricketers
Essex cricketers
London County cricketers
English rugby union commentators
Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers
Buckinghamshire cricketers
Buckinghamshire cricket captains
English cricket coaches
British sports journalists
People educated at Bedford School
Gentlemen of England cricketers
Bedford Blues players
H. D. G. Leveson Gower's XI cricketers
Players of the South cricketers
W. G. Grace's XI cricketers