View source for Col. L. C. Stevens' XI

{{Short description|English cricket team}}
'''Col. L. C. Stevens' XI''', sometimes shortened to '''L. C. Stevens' XI''', was an English [[cricket]] team that played 30 matches (two of them [[first-class cricket|first-class]]) at [[The Saffrons]] ground in [[Eastbourne]] from 1949 to 1968.

The teams were raised by Lieutenant-Colonel Leonard Cording Stevens OBE (born 1891, died 27 May 1968) who was president of Eastbourne Cricket and Football Club and Eastbourne Rugby Football Club. He also founded the Eastbourne school Chelmsford Hall Preparatory in 1920.<ref>''[[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack|Wisden]]'' 1969, p. 987.</ref>

The matches ranged from one to three days' duration. Six were against touring [[Test cricket|Test]] sides, played at the beginning of their tours as warm-up matches. Most of the other matches were against [[Cambridge University Cricket Club|Cambridge University]], [[Oxford University Cricket Club|Oxford University]] or the [[Royal Air Force cricket team|Royal Air Force]].

The two matches that were accorded first-class status were against Cambridge University in 1960<ref>{{cite web |title=LC Stevens' XI v Cambridge University 1960 |url=http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1960S/1960/ENG_LOCAL/UNIV/STEVEN-XI_CAMB-UNIV_UNIV_02-05JUL1960.html |website=Cricinfo |access-date=13 January 2022}}</ref> and 1961.<ref>{{cite web |title=LC Stevens' XI v Cambridge University 1961 |url=http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1960S/1961/ENG_LOCAL/UNIV/STEVEN-XI_CAMB-UNIV_UNIV_28-30JUN1961.html|website=Cricinfo |access-date=13 January 2022}}</ref> [[Tom Graveney]] scored the team's only first-class [[Century (cricket)|century]] in the 1961 match. The 1960 match was a draw; Cambridge won the 1961 match.

Five Col. L. C. Stevens' XI players made their first-class debuts in the 1960 match, including [[David Rice (psychiatrist)|Dr David Rice]],<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/32/32332/32332.html David Rice at Cricket Archive]</ref> at the age of 46, who captained the side in both matches. Two more players made their first-class debuts in the 1961 match. In contrast, the 1960 match was Sir [[Len Hutton]]'s second-last first-class match.<ref>{{cite web |title=First-Class Matches played by Len Hutton |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/694/First-Class_Matches.html |website=CricketArchive |access-date=13 January 2022}}</ref>

The match against Cambridge University in 1963<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/138/138333.html L. C. Stevens' XI v Cambridge University 1963]</ref> was scheduled and played as a first-class match, but the [[Marylebone Cricket Club|MCC]] later rescinded its status.<ref>''Wisden'' 1964, p. 678.</ref>

[[Derrick Robins]] played in several non-first-class matches for Col. L. C. Stevens' XI in the 1950s and 1960s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Miscellaneous matches played by Derrick Robins|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/32/32423/Miscellaneous_Matches.html|website=CricketArchive |access-date=13 January 2022}}</ref> After Colonel Stevens' death he organised his own team, D. H. Robins' XI, which also played matches at The Saffrons, some of them first-class, from 1969 to 1978.<ref>{{cite web |title=First-Class Matches played by DH Robins' XI |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Teams/0/644/First-Class_Matches.html |website=CricketArchive |access-date=13 January 2022}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Teams/0/879/match_lists.html Lists of matches played by L. C. Stevens' XI]

[[Category:Former senior cricket teams in England]]
[[Category:Sport in Eastbourne]]


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