James Aylward (cricketer) facts for kids

James Aylward (born 1741, died 1827) was a famous English cricket player from the 1700s. He was a left-handed batsman, which means he hit the ball with his left hand.

Aylward played in 107 important matches called "first-class" games. These matches took place between 1773 and 1797. He was born in a place called Warnford, near Droxford in Hampshire.

Early Cricket Days

Aylward started playing cricket around 1773. He was 32 years old when he first played for the Hambledon Club in Hampshire. Some people think he might have played cricket even before this time.

He played a total of 33 matches for teams from Hampshire. He was known as a very good batsman.

Setting a Record Score

In 1777, James Aylward made a big record! He scored 167 runs in one game. This was while he was playing for a Hampshire team against an England team. The game happened in a town called Sevenoaks Vine.

This score was the highest ever in first-class cricket for a very long time. It remained the record until the year 1820. That's over 40 years!

Moving to Kent

In 1779, a rich cricket fan named Sir Horatio Mann hired Aylward. Sir Horatio was a big supporter of cricket in Kent. He gave Aylward a job as a water bailiff at Bourne Park House near Canterbury.

After this, Aylward mostly played for teams from Kent. People called him "Kent’s first batsman of true class." He played 32 matches for Kent teams. He also played for other teams like East Kent and England teams.

Life After Cricket

Later in his life, Aylward became the owner of a pub. The pub was called The White Horse and was located in a village called Bridge. This village was close to where he worked in Bishopsbourne.

He later moved to London. James Aylward passed away in December 1827. He was 85 or 86 years old. He was buried near Lord's Cricket Ground, which is a very famous cricket stadium.