William Bedle

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William Bedle

Personal information
Full name William Bedle (aka Beddel)
Born 1680
Bromley, Kent, England
Died 1768
Dartford, Kent, England
Role unknown
Batting style unknown hand
Bowling style underarm: unknown hand and type
Domestic team information
Years Team
c.1701-1730 Dartford Cricket Club
c.1701-1730 Kent

As of 22 May, 2008
Main source: G B Buckley

William Bedle (born 1680 in Bromley, Kent; died 3 June 1768 at his home near Dartford, Kent) was an English cricketer who is the sport's earliest known accomplished player. Though born in Bromley, he lived most of his life near Dartford, where he was a wealthy farmer and grazier [1].

Contents

[edit] Career

Bedle played for Dartford Cricket Club, whose website records that he was "the first great player in cricketing annals" and "the earliest Dartford cricketer whose name has come down to posterity" [1].

Given his date of birth, he must have played for Dartford in the first quarter of the 18th century. Dartford at the time was, along with the original London Cricket Club, the premier team in England. Bedle may well have played in the first known inter-county match between Kent and Surrey on Dartford Brent in the 1709 season [2].

In Bedle's obituary notice, Lloyd's Evening Post dated 10 June 1768 states that he was "formerly accounted the most expert cricket player in England" [3].

[edit] Additional information

The club site provides the additional information that Bedle's name, also spelled Beddel, is recorded on a tablet in Dartford Parish Church listing the bellringers of 1749 [1].

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Dartford Cricket Club website
  2. ^ From Lads to Lord's – biography of William Bedle
  3. ^ G B Buckley, Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket, page 48

[edit] External sources

[edit] Further reading