 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Yardley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1849-06-10)10 June 1849 Bombay,British India | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 28 October 1900(1900-10-28) (aged 51) Kingston-upon-Thames,Surrey, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Slow left-arm orthodox | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Batsman,wicket-keeper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1868–1878 | Kent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1869–1872 | Cambridge University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FC debut | 5 August 1868 Kent v Gentlemen of MCC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LastFC | 22 August 1878 Kent v Lancashire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source:ESPNcricinfo,28 November 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
William Yardley (10 June 1849 – 28 October 1900) was an Englishcricketer who playedfirst-class cricket forKent County Cricket Club from 1868 to 1878 and forCambridge University from 1869 to 1872. In the early 1870s, onlyW. G. Grace was reckoned his superior amongst amateur batsmen.[1] Yardley was also an actor, playwright and drama critic.[2]
Yardley was born atBombay (now Mumbai) inIndia, the eldest son of Sir William Yardley, Chief Justice of Bombay. He was educated atRugby School andTrinity College, Cambridge. He was admitted at theMiddle Temple in 1868 andcalled to the Bar on 27 January 1873. He practised on the South-Eastern Circuit.[3] He acted for CanterburyOld Stagers and withHerbert Gardner wrote some of the best plays and epilogues they produced.
Yardley played cricket forKent from 1868 to 1878, but his most famous deeds were forCambridge University, for whom he played from 1869 to 1872. Two of his three hundreds were made inthe University Match. His 100 in 1870 was the first in the history of the fixture and his 130 in 1872 was his career highest score. The 1870 fixture was"Cobden's Match", whenF. C. Cobden's taking of the last three Oxford wickets in consecutive balls gave Cambridge victory by 2 runs, but Cobden's heroics would not have been possible but for Yardley's contribution.[4]
Yardley appeared nine times for the Gentlemen in theirfixture against the Players, and had the fine average of 36.25, with three fifties and a highest score of 83. When he and W. G. Grace were on the same team they used to have a small bet on who would record the higher score. Yardley was proud that in the Gentlemen v Players match at Lord's in 1871, he beat Grace's score in both innings. He was the "ghost writer" of one of Grace's four "autobiographies":The History of a Hundred Centuries, published by Gill in 1895.[5]
In 83 matches Yardley scored 3,609 runs at the fine average for the period of 25.77, with three centuries. In addition to his batting, he occasionallykept wicket. HisWisden obituary says of him: "... his style was free and commanding and his hitting brilliant in the extreme. He thought himself that the finest innings he ever played was 73 for South against North at Prince's on a very difficult wicket in May, 1872."
Yardley was an actor and a significant playwright. In 1877 he was one of the notables thatLillie Langtry met on her memorable debut London society gathering.[6] He was part author of a burlesque entitledLittle Jack Sheppard and of farces calledThe Passport andHobbies (1885). He was also a producer and a theatre critic.
Yardley died atKingston-upon-Thames inSurrey at the age of 51. He is buried inBrookwood Cemetery in Woking. He was married toMaud H. Yardley, who after his death became a novelist.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
