{{short description|English sportsman}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}} {{Use British English|date=June 2016}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Donald Shearer | image = | caption = | fullname = Edgar Donald Reid Shearer | birth_date = {{birth date|1909|6|6|df=y}} | birth_place = Hendon, England | death_date = {{death date and age|1999|7|9|1909|6|6|df=y}} | death_place = Sudbury, England | height = | position = | years1 = | clubs1 = Casuals | caps1 = | goals1 = | years2 = | clubs2 = Corinthian | caps2 = | goals2 = | years3 = | clubs3 = Derry City | caps3 = | goals3 = | nationalyears1 = | nationalteam1 = England amateur | nationalcaps1 = | nationalgoals1 = | nationalyears2 = 1936 | nationalteam2 = Great Britain | nationalcaps2 = 1 | nationalgoals2 = 1 | module = {{Infobox cricketer |embed=yes | country = Ireland | batting = Right-handed | bowling = | role = | columns = 1 | hidedeliveries = true | column1 = First-class | matches1 = 14 | runs1 = 628 | bat avg1 = 24.15 | 100s/50s1 = 0/4 | top score1 = 72 | catches/stumpings1 = 12/– | date = 17 April 2022 }}}} '''Edgar Donald Reid Shearer''' CBE (6 June 1909 – 9 July 1999) was an amateur sportsman who played both association football and cricket at international levels.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sm-5DwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Edgar+Shearer%22+football&pg=PT113|title=The Irish amateur military tradition in the British Army, 1854–1992|first=William|last=Butler|date=30 October 2016|publisher=Manchester University Press|isbn=9781526108470 |via=Google Books}}</ref><ref name="oly">{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/25280 |title=Donald Shearer |work=Olympedia |access-date=22 September 2021}}</ref> Shearer became an OBE after World War II and a CBE in the 1970s.<ref name="CE">{{cite web |url=https://www.cricketeurope.com/CSTATZ/IRELANDBIOS/s/shearer_edr.shtml |title=Edgar Donald Reid Shearer |work=Cricket Europe |access-date=17 April 2022 |archive-date=25 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425053242/https://www.cricketeurope.com/CSTATZ/IRELANDBIOS/s/shearer_edr.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Early life== Shearer was born in England in 1909, but spent most of his life in Ireland.<ref name="oly"/> After being an excellent sportsperson in his youth, he left school to work in a textile factory.<ref name="oly"/> He initially played rugby for the City of Derry Rugby Football Club before he took up football, after he was noticed for his kicking ability.<ref name="oly"/>

==Football career== In 1929, Shearer joined Casuals before joining Corinthian a year later.<ref name="oly"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.corinthian-casuals.com/player-profiles.html |title=Corinthian Casuals F.C. - Player profiles |access-date=2 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026123608/http://www.corinthian-casuals.com/player-profiles.html |archive-date=26 October 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the early 1930s, he also played for Derry City.<ref name="oly"/> He played in the 1935–36 final of the FA Amateur Cup for Casuals, scoring one goal in the replay of the final, with Casuals winning their only cup.<ref name="oly"/> During his playing career for Corinthians and Casuals, he played in 50 matches, scoring 38 goals.<ref name="oly"/> In the 1936–37 season for Derry, Shearer scored 78 goals including three hat-tricks.<ref name="oly"/>

Shearer earned seven amateur international caps for England,<ref name="IT">{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/place-in-cricket-history-is-assured-for-gifted-shearer-1.213112 |title=Place in cricket history is assured for gifted Shearer |newspaper=The Irish Times |access-date=17 April 2022}}</ref> and represented Great Britain at the 1936 Summer Olympics.<ref>{{FIFA player|292038}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sh/edgar-shearer-1.html |title=Edgar Shearer Bio, Stats, and Results &#124; Olympics at Sports-Reference.com |date=18 April 2020 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418003436/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sh/edgar-shearer-1.html |archive-date=18 April 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref> He played in Great Britain's match against Poland, scoring a goal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/results/33651 |title=Football, Men – Quarter-Finals, Match #3 |work=Olympedia |access-date=17 April 2022}}</ref>

He was made several offers to turn professional, including from Arsenal, but he declined,<ref name="CE"/> before he retired from football in 1939.<ref name="oly"/>

==Cricket career== In the 1929 cricket season in Ireland, Shearer scored 2,000 runs.<ref name="oly"/> Shearer played 13 first-class matches for Ireland between 1933 and 1952.<ref name=CA>{{Cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/26/26897/26897.html|title=The Home of CricketArchive|website=cricketarchive.com}}</ref> In 1932, he became the first cricketer to score a century in the final of the North West Senior Cup, when he made 110 runs.<ref name="CE"/> A year later, he made his highest score in the competition, with 233 runs in a semi-final match.<ref name="CE"/>

During Australia's tour of England and Ireland in 1938,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Events/0/Australia_in_British_Isles_1938.html |title=Australia in British Isles 1938 |work=Cricket Archive |access-date=17 April 2022}}</ref> Shearer played in Ireland's match at College Park, Dublin in September of that year.<ref name="CE"/> In the second innings of the match, he scored 56 runs, with no other member of the Ireland team reaching double figures.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/100/100566.html |title=Ireland v Australians in 1938 |work=Cricket Archive |access-date=17 April 2022}}</ref>

In 1948, Shearer founded the Leprechauns Cricket Club, and is the only cricketer to be an Honorary Life Member of the club.<ref name="IT"/> In 1951, he played for the Gentlemen of Ireland in a non first-class match where he became the first Irish batter to score a century at Lord's.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/donald-shearer-24517 |title=Donald Shearer |work=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=17 April 2022}}</ref>

==Later life== During World War II, Shearer served in North Africa and was the commander of the garrison in Tobruk, Libya.<ref name="oly"/> In the 1946 New Year Honours, he was awarded with an OBE.<ref>United Kingdom list (1): {{London Gazette |date=28 December 1945 |issue=37407 |pages=1–132 |nolink=yes}}</ref> He later became the managing director of a textile company in Belfast, before becoming a director of Sir Alfred McAlpine & Son.<ref name="oly"/> He was also the chair of the Northern Ireland Sports Council and the president of the Irish and Northern Cricket Unions.<ref name="oly"/> In 1974, he was appointed CBE.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Belfast/issue/3638/page/54/data.pdf |title=THE BELFAST GAZETTE, 26TH JANUARY, 1979 |work=The Gazette |access-date=17 April 2022}}</ref>

He died in July 1999,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cricketeurope.com/DATABASE/ARTICLESHISTORY/articles/000005/000534.shtml |title=EDR Shearer - a sporting legend |work=Cricket Europe |access-date=17 April 2022 |archive-date=17 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220417174114/https://www.cricketeurope.com/DATABASE/ARTICLESHISTORY/articles/000005/000534.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref> at the age of 90, and his obituary was published in ''Wisden''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/228773.html |title=Obituaries in 1999 |work=Wisden |date=6 December 2005 |access-date=17 April 2022}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{sports links}}

{{Great Britain Squad 1936 Summer Olympics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shearer, Donald}} Category:1909 births Category:1999 deaths Category:English men's footballers Category:Casuals F.C. players Category:Corinthian F.C. players Category:Derry City F.C. players Category:England men's amateur international footballers Category:Footballers at the 1936 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic footballers for Great Britain Category:Irish cricketers Category:Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Category:Men's association football players not categorized by position Category:Footballers from the London Borough of Barnet Category:People from Hendon Category:Cricketers from the London Borough of Barnet Category:Military personnel from the London Borough of Barnet Category:British military personnel of World War II Category:Commanders_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire