William Clifford (cricketer)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | William Clifford |
| Born | 1811[a] Bearsted, Kent |
| Died | 5 September 1841 (aged 29–30) Gravesend, Kent |
| Batting | Right-handed |
| Bowling | Right-arm slow |
| Role | Wicket-keeper |
| Relations |
|
| Domestic team information | |
| Years | Team |
| 1834–1841 | Kent |
William Clifford (christened 14 December 1811 – 5 September 1841) was an English cricketer who played for Kent between 1834 and 1841. He was a right-handed batsman and a slow bowler who often fielded as a wicket-keeper.[3]
Clifford was christened at Bearsted in Kent in December 1811.[1] He was the son of Robert and Catherine Clifford;[2] his grandfather, also Robert Clifford, was a well-known all-rounder who bowled leg breaks for Kent at the end of the 18th-century and made more than 70 appearances in top-level matches. William's brother, Francis Clifford, also played for Kent County Cricket Club during the mid-19th century.[4]
Playing club cricket for a range of teams, including Bearsted and Leeds, William Clifford made his debut in 1834.[1] Renowned as one of the best batsmen in Kent, he often open the batting.[2] He played for the Players against the Gentlemen, for England (i.e., the "rest" of England), and for the South against the North.[2] In 1841 he opened a cricket ground, Rucks Lane, at Gravesend[b][5] and played his final important matches the same year.
Clifford worked as a wheelwright before becoming a publican at Gravesend in 1837. He died in September 1841 of a "bilious fever".[2] He was probably aged less than 30.[3]
Notes
- ^ Carlaw gives Clifford's year of birth as 1812. CricketArchive gives the date of his christening as 11 December 1811.[1][2]
- ^ The Bat and Ball Ground at Gravesend was established in around 1848 by Tom Adams, probably on the site of a private ground which had been created for the use of Lawrence Ruck, a Gravesend grocer who had built the nearby Ruckland House. This is likely to be the same ground.[5][6]
References
Bibliography
- Birley, Derek (1999). A Social History of English Cricket. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 978-18-54107-10-7 – via Internet Archive.
- Carlaw, Derek (2020). Kent County Cricketers, A to Z: Part One (1806–1914) (PDF). Cardiff: ACS.
- Milton, Howard (1999). Bat and Ball Gravesend: A First-class Cricket History. Gravesend: Gravesend Cricket Club. ISBN 978-09-53604-10-4.
- Milton, Howard; Francis, Peter (2020). Kent County Cricket Grounds. Worthing: Pitch Publishing. ISBN 978-17-85316-61-6.