Bill Bradley (cricketer)
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Walter Morris Bradley | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
2 January 1875 Lower Sydenham, Kent | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died |
19 June 1944 (aged 69) Wandsworth Common | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting style | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling style | Right arm fast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 127) | 17 July 1899 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 16 August 1899 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1895–1903 | Kent | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1903 | London County | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricInfo, 10 September 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Walter Morris Bradley (2 January 1875 – 19 June 1944), known as Bill Bradley, was an English amateur cricketer who played in two Test matches in 1899. He played for Kent County Cricket Club between 1895 and 1903.[1]
Bradley was born in Sydenham in what was then part of Kent in 1875. He died at Wandsworth Common in 1944 aged 69.
Bradley attended Alleyn's School in Dulwich where he was in the school cricket XI.[2] He worked for Lloyds of London and played cricket for the firm where he was spotted and asked to play for Kent. He impressed for the county side and, according to his Wisden obituary, "became a protégé of Lord Harris" before playing regularly for Kent between 1895 and 1903.[2]
He made his first-class cricket debut for Kent against Somerset at Rectory Field in July 1895 and was capped by the county during the same season. he appeared most regularly between 1899 and 1902, making at least 23 first-class appearances in each season.[1] He took 536 wickets for Kent during his career, taking 10 wickets in a match 10 times and taking three hat-tricks for the county.[3] His final appearances for Kent were on the county's North American tour in September and October 1903 against the Gentlemen of Philadelphia.
A well built, attacking right arm fast bowler, Bradley bowled off a long run with a high action. He pitched the ball up and bowled long spells, attributes which earned him two Test caps in 1899. He excelled in his first, taking 5 for 67 against Joe Darling's Australians at Old Trafford[4] but met with less success in his second, at the Oval. The most successful amateur bowler of that season, taking 156 wickets at 19.1 including two hat tricks, he took 624 wickets in 9 seasons at 22.64. An old fashioned tail ender, he scored only 906 first-class runs at just 6.09 with 67 coming in one innings against Yorkshire at Canterbury in 1897, an unbeaten innings amassed in just 45 minutes.
Bradley is one of only twenty cricketers to have taken a wicket with his first ball in a Test match, dismissing Australian Frank Laver.[5][6]
As well as his 123 appearances for Kent, Bradley played in first-class matches for a variety of other teams. He appeared in six Gentlemen v Players matches and made his final first-class appearance in 1904 for GJV Weigall's XI against Cambridge University at Fenner's.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 Bill Bradley, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
- 1 2 Walter Bradley, Obituary, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1945. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
- ↑ Milton H (2016) 'Bowling Records' in Reid J (ed) 2016 Kent County Cricket Club Annual, pp.216–224, Canterbury: Kent County Cricket Club
- ↑ Fourth Test, England v Australia, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1900. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
- ↑ Lynch S (2011) Well begun is half-done, CricInfo, 2011-09-05. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
- ↑ Williamson M, Miller A (2006) Curse of the first ball, CricInfo, 2006-06-06. Retrieved 2017-04-04.