 1887 portrait of Sainsbury | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Edward Sainsbury | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 5 July 1851 Bath, Somerset, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 28 October 1930 (aged 79) Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Underarm, slow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Batsman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1877–1888 | Somerset | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1882–1894 | Marylebone Cricket Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1891–1892 | Gloucestershire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First-class debut | 8 June 1882 Somerset v Lancashire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last First-class | 27 July 1892 Gloucestershire v Yorkshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricketArchive, 19 July 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Edward Sainsbury (5 July 1851 – 28 October 1930) was an English cricketer who represented, and captained, Somerset County Cricket Club in the late 19th century. During a 10-year first-class cricket career, he also represented Gloucestershire and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
Most commonly employed as a right-handed opening batsman, Sainsbury was one of Somerset's most talented batsman during their formative years. His slow underarm bowling was effective in second-class cricket, but in an era when overarm bowling was becoming the standard, he was used sparingly in the first-class game. During his time at Somerset, the county gained first-class status. After being led for three seasons by Sainsbury's Lansdown team-mate Stephen Newton, Sainsbury was given the Somerset captaincy for the 1885 season. A combination of poor results and not being able to raise a full eleven during that season led to the county's removal from the first-class game, although Sainsbury remained as captain until 1888. By the time Somerset had improved sufficiently to return to first-class cricket in 1891, Sainsbury had moved to neighbouring county Gloucestershire, where he saw out his county cricket career.