William Bedle
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William Bedle (born 1680 in Bromley; died 3 June 1768 at his home in Dartford) is the earliest English cricketer whose name has come down to posterity.
A Dartford player, he was in his prime around 1700 to 1720 and was reckoned to be "the most expert cricket player in England". Though born in Bromley, he lived most of his life in a house near Dartford, where he was a wealthy farmer and grazier. The name of Bedle (aka Beddel), the first great player in cricketing annals, is recorded on a tablet in the parish church listing the Dartford bellringers of 1749. He was then approaching seventy, yet he lived on for almost another twenty years, finally dying in his own home at the ripe old age of 88.
[edit] References
The primary source is Lloyd's Evening Post dated 10 June 1768 and the information was recorded by G B Buckley in Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket.
