William Yardley (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
William Yardley was an English
cricket
er who played first-class cricket
for Kent
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. Yardley was also an actor, playwright and drama critic.
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 practiced on the South-Eastern Circuit. He acted for Canterbury Old Stagers and with Herbert Gardner
wrote some of the best plays and epilogues they produced.
Yardley played cricket for Kent
from 1868 to 1878, but his most famous deeds were for Cambridge University
, for whom he played from 1869 to 1872. Two of his three hundreds were made in the 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", when F.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.
.
Yardley appeared nine times for the Gentlemen in their fixture against the Players
, and had the fine average of 36.25, with three fifties and a highest score of 83. When he and WG Grace were on the same side 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.
In 83 matches Yardley scored 3609 runs at the fine average for the period of 25.77, with three centuries. In addition to his batting, he occasionally kept wicket. His Wisden
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 that Lillie Langtry
met on her memorable debut London society gathering. He was part author of a burlesque entitled Little Jack Sheppard
and of farces called The Passport and Hobbies (1885). He was also a producer and a theatre critic.
Yardley died at Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey
at the age of 51.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
cricket
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 who played first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
for Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
from 1868 to 1878 and for Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
from 1869 to 1872. In the early 1870s, only WG Grace was reckoned his superior amongst amateur batsmen. Yardley was also an actor, playwright and drama critic.
Yardley was born at Bombay (now Mumbai)
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the eldest son of Sir William Yardley. Chief Justice of Bombay. He was educated at Rugby School
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. He was admitted at the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
in 1868 and called to the Bar on 27 January 1873. He practiced on the South-Eastern Circuit. He acted for Canterbury Old Stagers and with Herbert Gardner
Herbert Gardner, 1st Baron Burghclere
Herbert Colstoun Gardner, 1st Baron Burghclere PC was a British Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 until he was raised to the peerage in 1895...
wrote some of the best plays and epilogues they produced.
Yardley played cricket for Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
from 1868 to 1878, but his most famous deeds were for Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
, for whom he played from 1869 to 1872. Two of his three hundreds were made in the University Match
The University Match (cricket)
The University Match in a cricketing context is generally understood to refer to the annual fixture between Oxford University Cricket Club and Cambridge University Cricket Club...
. 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", when F.C. Cobden
Frank Cobden
Frank Carroll Cobden was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University and the MCC. In the University Match of 1870 he famously took a hat-trick comprising the last three Oxford University batsmen when Oxford required only three more runs to win...
'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.
.
Yardley appeared nine times for the Gentlemen in their fixture against the Players
Gentlemen v Players
The Gentlemen v Players game was a first-class cricket match that was generally played on an annual basis between one team consisting of amateurs and one of professionals . The first two games took place in 1806 but the fixture was not revived until 1819. It was more or less annual thereafter...
, and had the fine average of 36.25, with three fifties and a highest score of 83. When he and WG Grace were on the same side 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.
In 83 matches Yardley scored 3609 runs at the fine average for the period of 25.77, with three centuries. In addition to his batting, he occasionally kept wicket. His Wisden
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
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 that Lillie Langtry
Lillie Langtry
Lillie Langtry , usually spelled Lily Langtry when she was in the U.S., born Emilie Charlotte Le Breton, was a British actress born on the island of Jersey...
met on her memorable debut London society gathering. He was part author of a burlesque entitled Little Jack Sheppard
Little Jack Sheppard
Little Jack Sheppard is a burlesque melodrama written by Henry Pottinger Stephens and William Yardley, with music by Meyer Lutz, with songs contributed by Florian Pascal, Corney Grain, Arthur Cecil, Michael Watson, Henry J. Leslie, Alfred Cellier and Hamilton Clarke...
and of farces called The Passport and Hobbies (1885). He was also a producer and a theatre critic.
Yardley died at Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
at the age of 51.