Bill Ashdown

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William Henry Ashdown (27 December 1898 – 15 September 1979) was an English cricketer, best known (falsely) as being the only person to play first-class cricket before the First World War and after the Second World War. A less known example is D. B. Deodhar, who played in the Bombay Triangular in 1911 and the Ranji Trophy in 1946.

Ashdown was born in Bromley, Kent. He first played first-class cricket in 1914, playing for Gerald Weigall's XI against Oxford University in The Parks, aged 15.

He played for Kent County Cricket Club after the First World War. He scored 39 centuries, including a highest score of 332 against Essex in 1934. He scored more than 1,000 runs in 11 seasons of county cricket. He was also successful as a bowler, taking 602 wickets at a bowling average of 32.47. He retired in 1937. However, he returned to play a final first-class match in 1947, aged 48, for Maurice Leyland's XI against the Rest of England at Harrogate.

He became an umpire after retiring from cricket, and stood in two Tests against New Zealand in 1949 and one against the West Indies in 1950. He died in Rugby, Warwickshire, aged 80.