Sussex cricket was in mourning today following the death of former captain David Sheppard.

Lord Sheppard died on Saturday evening after a long struggle against cancer. He would have been 76 yesterday.

Cricket was just one facet of his remarkable career. After captaining both Sussex and England he became Bishop of Liverpool and a member of the House of Lords.

Sussex supporters will remember him as a powerful right-handed batsman who may have lacked the style of some of his contemporaries but who made the most of his talents and proved an outstanding captain.

He topped the national batting averages with 2,262 runs in his final season at Cambridge University in 1952 before becoming Sussex captain the following year at the age of 21, six years after his first appearance for the county.

His inspirational leadership helped the county climb from 13th to second in the Championship behind the all-conquering Surrey team who dominated domestic cricket in the mid-Fifties.

He was already an England player, having won his first cap against West Indies in 1950.

Four years later he captained his country twice in the absence of Len Hutton, against Pakistan and against Australia at Old Trafford in 1956, a match remembered for Jim Laker's 19 wickets and in which Sheppard scored a priceless 113.

As well as his ability with the bat, Sheppard was an excellent close fielder, although after he dropped a couple of slip catches off his bowling Fred Trueman remarked: "It's a pity Reverend don't put his hands together more often in t'field."

He was ordained in 1955 but still continued to play cricket and made the last of his 22 Test appearances in 1962 when he scored 113 against Australia in Melbourne.

Seven years later he was appointed Bishop of Woolwich before becoming Bishop of Liverpool in 1975, a position he held for 22 years and which spanned some extraordinary events in the city's history, including the Hillsborough and Heysel football disasters and the Toxteth race riots. In 1998 he received a life peerage.

After he retired he was a regular visitor to Sussex and became president in 2001.

He particularly enjoyed his visits to the county's festival weeks at Horsham and Arundel and was thrilled when Chris Adams guided the county to the title in 2003, 50 years after his own near miss.

He said: "What was important to me was that this was not only a highly successful Sussex side but also one that enjoyed their game.

"I talked to Chris and he told me how much fun the experience had been.

"I think it's great that the first-class cricketers of today can play to win and still have a lot of fun along the way. Winning the Championship was a great achievement."

Sussex captain Chris Adams said: "You only have to speak to those who played with or under him to know just how highly he was esteemed and regarded. He was a truly great captain and had the respect of everyone who ever met him."