William Yardley (cricketer)

William Yardley
Personal information
Full name
William Yardley
Born(1849-06-10)10 June 1849
Bombay, British India
Died28 October 1900(1900-10-28) (aged 51)
Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, England
BattingRight-handed
BowlingSlow left-arm orthodox
RoleBatsman, wicket-keeper
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1868–1878Kent
1869–1872Cambridge University
FC debut5 August 1868 Kent v Gentlemen of MCC
Last FC22 August 1878 Kent v Lancashire
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 83
Runs scored 3,609
Batting average 25.77
100s/50s 3/19
Top score 130
Balls bowled 360
Wickets 7
Bowling average 32.42
5 wickets in innings 0
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 2/10
Catches/stumpings 43/6
Source: CricInfo, 28 November 2007

William Yardley (10 June 1849 – 28 October 1900) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club from 1868 to 1878 and for Cambridge University from 1869 to 1872. In the early 1870s, only WG Grace was reckoned his superior amongst amateur batsmen.[1] Yardley was also an actor, playwright and drama critic.[2]

Yardley was born at Bombay (now Mumbai) in India, the eldest son of Sir William Yardley, Chief Justice of Bombay. He was educated at Rugby School and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was admitted at the Middle Temple in 1868 and called to the Bar on 27 January 1873. He practised on the South-Eastern Circuit.[3] He acted for Canterbury Old Stagers and with Herbert Gardner wrote some of the best plays and epilogues they produced.

  1. ^ HS Altham, A History of Cricket, Volume 1, Allen & Unwin, 1962, p144.
  2. ^ Carlaw D (2020) Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part One: 1806–1914 (revised edition), pp. 620–624. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 2020-12-21.)
  3. ^ "Yardley, William (YRDY868W)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.