William Bedle
Encyclopedia
William Bedle was an English cricket
er who played for Dartford
and Kent
in the first quarter of the 18th century. He is the sport's earliest known accomplished player. He was born in Bromley
but lived most of his life near Dartford
, where he was a wealthy farmer and grazier.
, W G Grace, Jack Hobbs
and Walter Hammond". This assessment of his ability means that three things can be deduced: he was a great player; the means of judging a player's prowess were then available; and Bedle's reputation lasted at least a generation after his playing career ended.
Bedle played in the first quarter of the 18th century and his career dates are tentatively given as 1700 to 1730. He was a member of Dartford Cricket Club
, which was "the greatest Kent team of the first half of the eighteenth century" and which was often representative of Kent
as a county. The Dartford club's website records that Bedle was "the first great player in cricketing annals" and "the earliest Dartford cricketer whose name has come down to posterity".
Few details of cricket matches in the 17th and early 18th centuries have survived and so what is known about Bedle's career has been pieced together by historical analysis, for the few contemporary newspaper reports rarely mentioned a player by name. The reason for this lack of surviving data is that freedom of the press
was not allowed in England until 1696, when Bedle was 16, and the infant newspaper industry gradually introduced coverage of sporting events, though for many years their emphasis was on betting rather than on the matches themselves. During Bedle's career, cricket reports were not only brief but few and far between.
But, even without written record of his exploits, Bedle's reputation was known and shared by a public that was growing increasingly interested in cricket. As Rowland Bowen
comments in his history, it is significant that he was remembered as the best player in England some forty years after his career ended.
Bedle used a bat that was shaped like a modern hockey stick, this being the ideal shape for addressing a ball that was "trundled" along the ground, as in lawn bowls, and given that he was "the most expert player", he was effective in the timing and variety of his strokes. Bowlers in the 18th century used the underarm
style exclusively but at varying pace and it is unknown if Bedle was a fast or a slow bowler. The ball was either rolled along the ground or, if a fast bowler, skimmed across the surface; pitching was not introduced until about 1760.
Dartford was one of the two most successful clubs in England, its only rival being the London Cricket Club
. Dartford's prowess is borne out by a 1723 journal entry recorded by the prominent Tory
politician Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford
:
Records have survived of five matches involving Dartford or Kent teams against London or Surrey
between 1709 and 1724, the period in which Bedle was an active player. The earliest known inter-county match took place in the 1709 season between Kent and Surrey on Dartford Brent. The result is unknown. London hosted Kent at White Conduit Fields
in August 1719 and July 1720, Kent winning the first and London the second. There were London v Dartford fixtures in July 1722 and June 1724. The former, played in Islington
was the subject of a letter in The Weekly Journal dated 21 July 1722; the latter was the earliest known match at Kennington Common, near where The Oval
is now sited. The results of these two matches are unknown.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played for Dartford
Dartford Cricket Club
Dartford Cricket Club is one of the oldest in England and its origins go back to the early 18th century, perhaps earlier.See also: Dartford Brent...
and Kent
Kent county cricket teams
Kent county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. Kent, jointly with Sussex, is the birthplace of the sport...
in the first quarter of the 18th century. He is the sport's earliest known accomplished player. He was born in Bromley
Bromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
but lived most of his life near Dartford
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
, where he was a wealthy farmer and grazier.
Cricket career
Bedle is the first known cricketer "who achieved great prominence in the game" for it was said of him in his obituary in Lloyd's Evening Post dated 10 June 1768 that he was "formerly accounted the most expert cricket player in England". Bedle was thus "the first in a long line (of the best players in England) that must include Fuller PilchFuller Pilch
Fuller Pilch was an English cricketer. Described as "the greatest batsman ever known until the appearance of W. G. Grace", the right-hand batting Pilch played 229 first class cricket matches between 1820 and 1854 for an assortment of counties, including Kent, Hampshire, Surrey and Surrey, as well...
, W G Grace, Jack Hobbs
Jack Hobbs
Sir John Berry "Jack" Hobbs was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches from 1908 to 1930....
and Walter Hammond". This assessment of his ability means that three things can be deduced: he was a great player; the means of judging a player's prowess were then available; and Bedle's reputation lasted at least a generation after his playing career ended.
Bedle played in the first quarter of the 18th century and his career dates are tentatively given as 1700 to 1730. He was a member of Dartford Cricket Club
Dartford Cricket Club
Dartford Cricket Club is one of the oldest in England and its origins go back to the early 18th century, perhaps earlier.See also: Dartford Brent...
, which was "the greatest Kent team of the first half of the eighteenth century" and which was often representative of Kent
Kent county cricket teams
Kent county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. Kent, jointly with Sussex, is the birthplace of the sport...
as a county. The Dartford club's website records that Bedle was "the first great player in cricketing annals" and "the earliest Dartford cricketer whose name has come down to posterity".
Few details of cricket matches in the 17th and early 18th centuries have survived and so what is known about Bedle's career has been pieced together by historical analysis, for the few contemporary newspaper reports rarely mentioned a player by name. The reason for this lack of surviving data is that freedom of the press
Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
was not allowed in England until 1696, when Bedle was 16, and the infant newspaper industry gradually introduced coverage of sporting events, though for many years their emphasis was on betting rather than on the matches themselves. During Bedle's career, cricket reports were not only brief but few and far between.
But, even without written record of his exploits, Bedle's reputation was known and shared by a public that was growing increasingly interested in cricket. As Rowland Bowen
Rowland Bowen
Major Rowland Francis Bowen was a cricket researcher, historian and writer....
comments in his history, it is significant that he was remembered as the best player in England some forty years after his career ended.
Underarm bowling
In cricket, underarm bowling is as old as the sport itself. Until the introduction of the roundarm style in the first half of the 19th century, bowling was performed in the same way as in bowls, the ball being delivered with the hand below the waist...
style exclusively but at varying pace and it is unknown if Bedle was a fast or a slow bowler. The ball was either rolled along the ground or, if a fast bowler, skimmed across the surface; pitching was not introduced until about 1760.
Dartford was one of the two most successful clubs in England, its only rival being the London Cricket Club
London Cricket Club
The original London Cricket Club was formed by 1722 and was one of the foremost clubs in English cricket over the next four decades. It is closely associated with the Artillery Ground, where it played most of its home matches.-Early history of London cricket:...
. Dartford's prowess is borne out by a 1723 journal entry recorded by the prominent Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
politician Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford
Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer
Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer KG was a British politician and statesman of the late Stuart and early Georgian periods. He began his career as a Whig, before defecting to a new Tory Ministry. Between 1711 and 1714 he served as First Lord of the Treasury, effectively Queen...
:
At Dartford upon the Heath (i.e., Dartford BrentDartford BrentDartford Brent was an extensive area of common land on the outskirts of Dartford in Kent. In history, it was the scene of a confrontation between King Henry VI and Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York in 1452; and in 1555 thousands of spectators were to witness the burning to death at the stake of...
) as we came out of the town, the men of Tonbridge and the Dartford men were warmly engaged at the sport of cricket, which of all the people of England the Kentish folk are the most renowned for, and of all the Kentish men, the men of Dartford lay claim to the greatest excellence.
Records have survived of five matches involving Dartford or Kent teams against London or Surrey
Surrey county cricket teams
Surrey county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. The first definite mention of cricket anywhere in the world is dated c.1550 in Guildford.-17th century:...
between 1709 and 1724, the period in which Bedle was an active player. The earliest known inter-county match took place in the 1709 season between Kent and Surrey on Dartford Brent. The result is unknown. London hosted Kent at White Conduit Fields
White Conduit Fields
White Conduit Fields in Islington was an early venue of major cricket matches and the original home of the White Conduit Club, forerunner of MCC...
in August 1719 and July 1720, Kent winning the first and London the second. There were London v Dartford fixtures in July 1722 and June 1724. The former, played in Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
was the subject of a letter in The Weekly Journal dated 21 July 1722; the latter was the earliest known match at Kennington Common, near where The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
is now sited. The results of these two matches are unknown.