Derek Semmence

{{Short description|English cricketer (1938–2020)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}

{{Infobox cricketer

| name = Derek Semmence

| image =

| country = England

| fullname = Derek John Semmence

| nickname = Semmo

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1938|4|20|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Worthing, Sussex, England

| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|3|29|1938|4|20|df=yes}}

| heightft =

| heightinch =

| batting = Right-handed

| bowling = Right-arm medium

| role =

| family =

| club7 = Cambridgeshire

| year7 = 1976

| club6 = Northumberland

| year6 = 1973–1974

| club5 = Sussex

| year5 = 1967–1968

| club4 = Devon

| year4 = 1964–1966

| club3 = Essex

| year3 = 1962

| club2 = Combined Services

| year2 = 1957–1958

| club1 = Sussex

| year1 = 1956–1959

| columns = 1

| column1 = First-class

| matches1 = 39

| runs1 = 890

| bat avg1 = 14.59

| 100s/50s1 = 1/2

| top score1 = 108

| deliveries1 = 156

| wickets1 = 1

| bowl avg1 = 123.00

| fivefor1 = 0

| tenfor1 = 0

| best bowling1 = 1/43

| catches/stumpings1 = 24/–

| date = 19 April

| year = 2011

| source = http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/20107.html Cricinfo

}}

Derek John Semmence (20 April 1938 – 29 March 2020) was an English cricketer.{{cite web|url=https://sussexcricket.co.uk/news/memoriam-derek-semmence |title=In memoriam: Derek Semmence |work=Sussex Cricket |accessdate=5 April 2020}} Semmence was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace. He was born in Worthing, Sussex.

Semmence made his first-class cricket debut for Sussex County Cricket Club against Warwickshire in the 1956 County Championship. He played first-class cricket for Sussex until 1959.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/5/5293/First-Class_Matches.html|title=First-Class Matches played by Derek Semmence|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=20 April 2011}} Semmence served in the Royal Air Force in his early years with Sussex, which in 1957 entitled him to play first-class cricket for the Combined Services, firstly against Surrey. He played two further matches for the Combined Services, one in 1957 against Worcestershire and another in 1958 against Warwickshire. Having last played first-class cricket in 1958, Semmence made a single first-class appearance for Essex in 1962 against Oxford University.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/25/25520.html|title=Oxford University v Essex, 1962|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=20 April 2011}}

In 1964, he joined Devon, making his debut for the county in the 1964 Minor Counties Championship against Berkshire. He played Minor counties cricket for Devon until 1966, making nine appearances.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/5/5293/Minor_Counties_Championship_Matches.html|title=Minor Counties Championship Matches played by Derek Semmence|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=20 April 2011}} Semmence returned to Sussex in 1967, playing six first-class matches for the county from 1967 to 1968. A somewhat inconsistent batsman at the first-class level, in 35 first-class matches for Sussex he scored 841 runs at a batting average of 15.57, with two half centuries and a single century high score of 108{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/5/5293/f_Batting_by_Team.html|title=First-class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Derek Semmence|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=20 April 2011}} against Nottinghamshire in his debut 1956 season.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/22/22114.html|title=Nottinghamshire v Sussex, 1956 County Championship|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=20 April 2011}} Semmence was the youngest Sussex player to score a century for the county, a record which remains to this day.

Semmence later played Minor Counties Championship cricket for Northumberland from 1973 to 1974, making 24 appearances. He played a single Minor Counties Championship match for Cambridgeshire in 1976 against Bedfordshire. Semmence was the president of Worthing Cricket Club{{cite web|url=http://www.worthingcc.com/Player_Profile_-_Derek_Semmence|title=Profile: Derek Semmence|publisher=worthingcc.com|accessdate=20 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321043043/http://www.worthingcc.com/Player_Profile_-_Derek_Semmence|archive-date=21 March 2012|url-status=dead}} and previously coached youth cricket for Rajasthan in India.{{cite web|url=http://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/news/item/21114-semmence-to-coach-rajasthans-junior-teams?tmpl=component&print=1|title=Semmence to coach Rajasthan's junior teams|publisher=sports.ndtv.com|accessdate=20 April 2011}}