William Ayling

This article is about the cricketer. For the civil servant and judge, see William Ayling (judge).

William Ayling
Personal information
Born(1766-09-30)30 September 1766[1]
Cocking, Sussex
DiedOctober 1826 (aged 59–60)
Bromley, Kent
RelationsRobert Ayling (brother)[a]
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1800–1810England XI
1806Kent XI
FC debut28 August 1800 England XI v Surrey XI
Last FC13 August 1810 Captain Blagrave's XI v Colonel Byng's XI
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 22
Runs scored 278
Batting average 8.17
100s/50s 0/0
Top score 45
Catches/stumpings 8/–
Source: CricInfo, 10 April 2022

William Ayling (30 September 1766 – October 1826) was an English cricketer who played in 22 first-class cricket matches between 1800 and 1810.[2]

Ayling was born in 1766 at Cocking in Sussex, the son of Robert and Mary Ayling. He was a shoemaker and moved to Bromley in Kent in the early years of the 19th century.[b][1] He made his first-class debut for an England XI against a Surrey side in August 1800 at Lord's Old Ground and went on to play for a variety of sides, most frequently in first-class matches for England sides.[c][6] He played for the Players in the first two Gentlemen v Players matches in 1806 and made one appearance in a first-class match for a Kent XI against an England side at Bowman's Lodge in 1806.[6]

Playing more frequently for Kent sides in non-first-class matches, including in odds matches,[d] Ayling is known to have played cricket until 1815, playing for club sides including Woolwich Cricket Club and Prince's Plain Club.[1][3] His batting technique was unusual. He held the bat in one hand until just prior to hitting the ball and stood square on to the bowler.[1]

Ayling died at Bromley in October 1826.[2] It is possible that he was the brother of the Robert Ayling who played two first-class matches for Kent in 1796.[a][6][7]

  1. ^ a b c d Carlaw D (2020) Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part One: 1806–1914 (revised edition), pp. 33–34. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 2020-12-21.)
  2. ^ a b William Ayling, CricInfo. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
  3. ^ a b Miscellaneous Matches played by William Ayling, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2022-08-10. (subscription required)
  4. ^ Birley D (1999) A Social History of English Cricket, p. 364. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 978 1 78131 1769
  5. ^ England v Surrey XI, August 27–29, 1800 – scorecard, CricInfo. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
  6. ^ a b c William Ayling, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2020-01-01. (subscription required)
  7. ^ Robert Ayling, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2022-03-20. (subscription required)


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