William Bullen
Encyclopedia
William Bullen was an outstanding English cricket
er throughout the last quarter of the 18th century. Hailing from Kent, Bullen was a great all-rounder, noted in the key sources as a fast bowler and a "powerful hitter".
He may have been a genuine debutant in the 1773 season
, when he first appears in a scorecard. He played until the 1800 season
, making 120 known first-class appearances. There is no doubt that he was one of the period’s most prolific players as well as one of the best.
In July 1774, playing for All-England v Hampshire at Sevenoaks Vine
, Bullen became the first bowler known to have taken five wickets in an innings when he bowled five Hampshire batsmen in their first innings. These were "bowled" wickets only as bowlers at the time were not credited with wickets falling to catches.
Many consider it to be a pity that so little outside match reports is known of him, due to his great accomplishments.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er throughout the last quarter of the 18th century. Hailing from Kent, Bullen was a great all-rounder, noted in the key sources as a fast bowler and a "powerful hitter".
He may have been a genuine debutant in the 1773 season
1773 English cricket season
The 1773 English cricket season was a horrendous one for Hampshire and the Hambledon Club. They lost every known match played in 1773 and some of their defeats were heavy. Their poor results probably owed much to star bowler Thomas Brett being injured....
, when he first appears in a scorecard. He played until the 1800 season
1800 English cricket season
The 1800 English cricket season is one of the more difficult years for statisticians to analyse because of several matches involving prominent town clubs like Rochester, Woolwich, Homerton, Richmond, Storrington, Montpelier and Thames Ditton...
, making 120 known first-class appearances. There is no doubt that he was one of the period’s most prolific players as well as one of the best.
In July 1774, playing for All-England v Hampshire at Sevenoaks Vine
Vine Cricket Ground
The Vine Cricket Ground is one of the oldest cricket venues in England. It was given to the town of Sevenoaks in 1773 by John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset and owner of Knole House, where the ground is sited...
, Bullen became the first bowler known to have taken five wickets in an innings when he bowled five Hampshire batsmen in their first innings. These were "bowled" wickets only as bowlers at the time were not credited with wickets falling to catches.
Many consider it to be a pity that so little outside match reports is known of him, due to his great accomplishments.