John Barrington Trapnell "JB" Chevallier (10 January 1857 – 17 February 1940) was an English amateur footballer who played as a forward for Old Etonians, before taking over the family business, Aspall Cyder.
Early life and education
Chevallier was born in Aspall, Suffolk, the eldest son of Reverend Charles Henry Chevallier and Isabella Frances Cobbold,[1] and won a scholarship to Eton College in 1868.[2] He was the Eton football captain in 1875–76, his most notable appearance being against FA Cup semi-finalists Swifts in December.[3]
In 1878, Chevallier joined joined the Old Etonians, and made his competitive debut for the old boys in the first round of the 1878–79 FA Cup. The Etonians were drawn to play the cup holders, Wanderers, who had won the cup in five out of the seven years since the tournament was inaugurated, but Alfred Kinnaird had by now left the Wanderers for the Old Etonians, and, in a major surprise, the Old Boys won 7–2.[7]
Chevallier scored the only goal in the Etonians' second round win over Reading,[8] and was one of the two centre-forwards in the Etonians XI which beat Clapham Rovers 1–0 in the 1879 FA Cup final.[9]
The following season, in February 1880, Chevallier scored a hat-trick for Cambridge University in a 6–1 friendly win over the Rovers.[10] Three weeks later the Rovers gained a revenge by knocking the Etonians out of the Cup; Chevallier was not playing, as in the 1879–80 FA Cup, he provided his services to his university, which lost to Royal Engineers in the first round.[11]
Perhaps because of this defeat, for 1880–81 he pledged his loyalty to the Old Etonians, and was a regular in the Old Boys' runs to the final in 1880–81 and 1881–82, playing anywhere along the forward line; he picked up a runners-up medal in 1881 and a winners' medal in 1882 playing on the right side. His only goal in the competition in those runs came against Herts Rangers in the former season, when the Rangers stopped playing, expecting a foul to be given, but Chevalier played to the signal.[12]
At the start of the 1883–84 season, Chevallier had joined the new Derby County club, having become a schoolmaster at the local Repton School. Whilst at Derby he scored in the club's first home game and also notched a hat-trick at Nottingham Forest.[16] However, to the club's disappointment, Chevallier preferred to play for his old school in the Cup, his decision justified by Derby's 7–0 defeat in the first round to Walsall Town.[17]
Ipswich Town
1884–85 marked the last time Chevallier played in the FA Cup, as his father died in 1885, and Chevallier left his role at Repton to take over the family business. He joined the local football club, Ipswich Town, and played one match for the club in the Suffolk Senior Cup.[18] In later years he acted as an umpire on behalf of the club.[19]
Post-football career
Chevallier ran Aspall until his death in 1940; one of his key innovations was to replace the wooden screw in the 1728 apple press with a new metal replacement. He also served as a Justice of the Peace[20] and as a director of the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway.[21] During the First World War he served in the Volunteer corps.[22]
On his death at home in February 1940, he left an estate worth £8,105 (£4,113 net) to his three daughters, with £50 left to his "cyder maker" George Sparrow and £50 to his housekeeper Anne Powell.[23]