William Anderson (cricketer)
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William Anderson (dates of birth and death unknown) was a noted English cricketer of the mid-18th century who was principally associated with the famous London Cricket Club.
He first appears in the records on 26 June 1745 when he played in a big match at the Artillery Ground for Richard Newland's XI versus Robert Colchin's XI along with nearly all the best players of the day [1].
Anderson was a good single wicket player who made frequent appearances in that type of cricket, often playing for high stakes. His last recorded appearance was in 1752 playing for London in a single wicket match [2].
A match on 15 August 1753 between two unnamed elevens at the Artillery Ground was reported as a benefit match for Mr Anderson of the Dial in Long Alley, Moorfields. This was presumably William Anderson and if a benefit was held, it is likely that his career had ended and perhaps in unfortunate circumstances. The two elevens were made up of various players from the general London area with the best bowlers to be parted [2].
[edit] References
- ^ F S Ashley-Cooper, At the Sign of the Wicket: Cricket 1742-1751, Cricket Magazine, 1900
- ^ a b G B Buckley, Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket, Cotterell, 1935
