William Yalden facts for kids

William Yalden (born 1740, died January 1824) was an English cricket player. He was one of the very first known wicket-keepers who was also a strong batsman. He played for teams like Chertsey and Surrey. William Yalden also played for England teams, sometimes even as their captain. His cricket career lasted for many years, from the 1760s until 1785.

William Yalden's Cricket Career

William Yalden played in many important matches during his career. Between 1772 and 1783, he played in 44 matches that are now called "first-class" games. These are the highest level of cricket matches.

Wicket-Keeping Skills

As a wicket-keeper, Yalden was very good at catching the ball. Records show he made 64 catches. He also made one "stumping." A stumping happens when the wicket-keeper knocks the bails off the wickets with the ball while the batsman is out of their batting area. This was a rare event to be recorded back then. One scorecard even said a player was "put out behind The Yold," meaning Yalden stumped them!

Batting Achievements

Yalden was also a skilled batsman. In September 1773, he played for a Surrey team against a Hampshire team. He scored 88 runs in that game, helping Surrey win easily. This score of 88 runs was a world record at the time for the highest individual score in first-class matches. It broke the previous record of 78 runs. Later, another player named Joseph Miller scored 95 runs, breaking Yalden's record.

Interesting Stories

There are some fun stories about William Yalden. One story says he stopped playing cricket for a season because he thought his eyesight was getting bad. But a nobleman, the Earl of Tankerville, told him to "Try again, Yalden." So, he went back to playing and continued to do well.

Another story tells how Yalden was fielding during a game. He had to jump over a fence and landed on his back, but he still managed to catch the ball!

What People Said About Yalden

A famous cricket writer named John Nyren wrote a book called The Cricketers of My Time. In this book, Nyren talked about William Yalden. Nyren often praised players from his own team, the Hambledon Club, a lot. He was sometimes less kind about players from other teams, like Yalden.

Nyren described Yalden as "a thin, dark-looking man." He also said Yalden was "not a fine, but a very useful and steady batter." Yalden was a rival to Nyren's hero, Tom Sueter, who was also a wicket-keeper and batsman. Nyren thought Sueter was better than Yalden.

It's important to remember that Nyren's book might have been a bit biased. He really admired the Hambledon players and sometimes didn't give enough credit to their opponents. So, while Nyren's book is interesting, it might not tell the whole story about players like William Yalden.

Life Outside Cricket

Outside of cricket, William Yalden worked as a "licensed victualler." This means he ran a place that sold food and drinks, like a pub, in his hometown of Chertsey. He also managed the Laleham Burway cricket ground, which was near Chertsey. He would provide refreshments for the players and fans during big matches.