Neil Edwards was born on 14 October 1983 in Treliske nr Truro, Cornwall. He was a left-handed batsman and occasional right-arm medium pace bowler who made his First-Class debut for Somerset against West Indies 'A' in 2002 and his Championship debut in 2003. His maiden First-Class century was 160 against Hampshire at Taunton that season; he played regularly for Somerset in the second half of the 2006 season. In 2007 against Loughborough UCCE he scored 212 in 322 minutes, only his second century.
He was recruited to Trent Bridge for the 2010 season to redress Nottinghamshire’s indifferent record at the top of the order. Strong on the drive, he shone on his Notts championship debut, scoring a high-quality 85 against Kent, earning him comparisons with his former mentor, Marcus Trescothick. After a five-match sequence in which his early flow of runs deserted him, Neil sought a return to form in the second team but broke his hand after being struck in a match against Hampshire at The Rose Bowl.
The 2011 season followed a similar pattern; seven Championship matches delivered just one half-century, a classy 64 against Yorkshire, but another untimely injury occurred at Hove. A delivery from Sussex’s Amjad Khan rose sharply and hit Neil on the forearm, causing a fracture. Back in the second team, Neil again showed a glimpse of his undoubted potential by ending the season with a hard-hitting 49 to help the county win the Second Eleven Trophy against Lancashire at Liverpool.
After a successful pre-season tour of Barbados, Edwards found himself back in the first eleven at the start of 2012 and began the campaign with an innings of 195 against Loughborough UCCE, his only century for Nottinghamshire. Fifteen further innings only produced one more half-century and he was released at the end of the season and retired from First-Class cricket. He ended with 951 runs @24.38 from his 24 First-Class matches for Notts.
During 2012, he played club cricket for Plumtree CC in the Nottinghamshire Premier League and four seasons later played for Kimberley Institute CC in the same competition. His final year of cricket was in 2017 when he played for Wellington CC in the Birmingham League.
April 2020
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number: 609