James Aylward (cricketer)

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James Aylward
Personal information
Full name
James Aylward
Born1741 (1741)
Warnford, Droxford, Hampshire
DiedDecember 1827 (aged 85–86)
Marylebone, Middlesex
BattingLeft-handed
RoleBatsman
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1773–1779Hampshire
1779–1793Kent
FC debut28 June 1773 Hampshire XI v England XI
Last FC21 September 1797 England XI v MCC
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 107
Runs scored 3,869
Batting average 19.24
100s/50s 1/14
Top score 167
Catches/stumpings 61/–
Source: CricInfo, 1 June 2022[a]

James Aylward (1741 – December 1827) was an English cricketer who played during the 18th-century.

A prominent left-handed batsman, Aylward played in a total of 107 first-class matches between 1773 and 1797.[1][2] He was born at Warnford, near Droxford in Hampshire and is first recorded as a cricketer in 1773, playing for the Hambledon Club in Hampshire.[1] Aylward was 32 at the time,[2] and Arthur Haygarth suggests that it is likely he played cricket prior to this.[b] He played a total of 33 matches for Hampshire sides.[1]

In 1777 Aylward set a record score of 167 runs whilst playing for a Hampshire XI against an England side[c] at Sevenoaks Vine. This remained the record first-class score until 1820.[2]

In 1779 Sir Horatio Mann, a noted Kent cricket patron, employed Aylward as a water bailiff at Bourne Park House in Bishopsbourne near Canterbury,[4][5][6][7][8] after which he played mainly for Kent sides as "Kent’s first batsman of true class".[9] As well as 32 matches for Kent, he played four times for East Kent, once for both the Gentlemen of Kent and a combined Kent and Hampshire side and three times for Mann's XI as well as 22 times for England sides.[1]

Aylward later became the landlord of The White Horse at Bridge close to Bishopsbourne.[8] He lived in London later in his life and died at Edward Street in Marylebone in December 1827 aged 85 or 86. He was buried on 27 December at St John's Wood Churchyard, close to Lord's Cricket Ground.[2][1]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ CricInfo retains two profiles for Aylward. One includes statistics and the other a written profile.
  2. ^ The first matches to be awarded first-class cricket status took place in 1772 and Aylward played in five matches retrospectively granted this status in 1773. The awarding of first-class status is dependent upon scorecards remaining and 1772 is the first date from which complete scorecards have been found.
  3. ^ During the time Aylward played, England sides were not representative of the country. Instead, they were sides composed of players from a range of locations brought together to play against another side.[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e James Aylward, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2022-03-20. (subscription required)
  2. ^ a b c d James Aylward, CricInfo. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  3. ^ Birley, p. 364.
  4. ^ Moore, p. 22.
  5. ^ Haygarth, in Lucas, pp. 185–186.
  6. ^ Nyren, in Lucas, pp. 67–68.
  7. ^ Carlaw, p. 164, p. 556.
  8. ^ a b Kent's First Foreigner, Kent Cricket Heritage Trust, 2021-06-28. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  9. ^ Carlaw, p. 556.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Birley D (1999) A Social History of English Cricket. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 978 1 78131 1769
  • Carlaw D (2020) Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part One: 1806–1914 (revised edition). (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 2020-12-21.)
  • Lucas EV ed (1907) The Hambledon Men. London: Henry Frowde. (Available online at Wikisource. Retrieved 2022-03-20.) Includes:
  • Moore D (1988) The History of Kent County Cricket Club. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7470-2209-7
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