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.

Biography

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 with the finest 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. 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 to 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 The 1906 International Lawn Tennis Challenge was the sixth edition of what is now known as the Davis Cup. As defending champions, the British Isles team played host to the competition. For the first time, the ties were not all played at the sam ...

as well as in Grand Slams (though missing the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...

because of administrative bungling). Poidevin died on 19 November 1931 at Waverley, New South Wales, Australia. His parents were Napoleon R and Emma Poidevin. He was survived by his wife, Isabel Marianne Poidevin (née Barns), and his two children, Gwen and Les. 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.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

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Cricinfo profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poidevin, Les 1876 births 1931 deaths 19th-century male tennis players Australian cricketers Australian expatriate cricketers in the United Kingdom Australian expatriate sportspeople in England Australian people of French descent Australian male tennis players Lancashire cricketers New South Wales cricketers Tennis people from New South Wales Gentlemen cricketers Gentlemen of England cricketers London County cricketers Cricketers from New South Wales H. D. G. Leveson Gower's XI cricketers W. G. Grace's XI cricketers Sportsmen from New South Wales

Biography

See also

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