William Yalden
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William "The Yold" Yalden (born 1740 at Chertsey; died January 1824 at Chertsey) was a noted English cricketer. He was a very good batsman but was primarily known as a wicket-keeper.
Yalden and Tom Sueter of Hampshire were the two foremost 18th century keepers. Yalden played mainly for Chertsey and Surrey though he was also an All-England regular, particularly in matches against Hampshire. His career began in the 1760s and he played until 1785.
Fielding records are incomplete during his career but there is no doubt he took his fair share of catches. Stumpings are more difficult to find because they were often recorded as run outs, though there is one scorecard in which dismissals are recorded as "put out behind The Yold": i.e., st Yalden!
Yalden’s best performance with the bat was probably in September 1773 when he played for Surrey v Hampshire at Broadhalfpenny Down. He scored 88 out of 225 and enabled Surrey to win the game by an innings and 60 runs. This innings was the "world record" for the highest individual score in first-class matches since the statistical record began in 1772. The previous highest was 78 by John Small in the first match of the 1772 season. Yalden’s score was beaten by Richard Miller, who made 95 at Sevenoaks Vine in August 1774.
Yalden is mentioned somewhat unfavourably by the unreliable John Nyren. Nyren makes certain uncomplimentary remarks about Yalden which may have some substance but, on the other hand, it is difficult to believe that the Hambledon players were all as perfect as Nyren would have us believe! They were a very competitive team and so, evidently, were their opponents, among whom Yalden was a prominent member. Nyren describes Yalden as he "who would resort to trick" (!) and the inference is that the Hambledon players would never dream of doing such a thing.....
According to Arthur Haygarth, Yalden gave up cricket for one season because he thought his eyesight was failing, but the Earl of Tankerville said to him: "Try again, Yalden". So he resumed his career with continued success. The story may be apocryphal as Yalden certainly played continuously from 1772, though the incident could have occurred before then. Haygarth also reports that once, when fielding, Yalden had to jump over a fence and ended up on his back, but still caught the ball!
Yalden was a licensed victualler in Chertsey and, like Lumpy, was a long-time member of the local club. Indeed, he managed the club’s famous Laleham Burway ground situated close to the town, supplying refreshments during the great matches.
William Yalden is one player whose reputation has suffered because of the bad press he received from Nyren. But closer examination of the factual records reveal that he was a considerable player, not least his efforts for Hampshire when he played for them in the 1772 season. Yalden and Tom Sueter were both great wicket-keepers and both should be recognised as such.
[edit] References
- Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians - various publications
- Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket by G B Buckley (FL18)
- Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 by Arthur Haygarth (SBnnn)
- The Dawn of Cricket by H T Waghorn (WDC)
- The Glory Days of Cricket by Ashley Mote (GDC)
- John Nyren's "The Cricketers of my Time" by Ashley Mote
