Bill Ashdown

William Henry Ashdown (27 December 1898 – 15 September 1979) was an English professional cricketer. He is one of a very few men who played first-class cricket before the First World War and after the Second World War.[lower-alpha 1]

Bill Ashdown
Ashdown in about 1932
Personal information
Full nameWilliam Henry Ashdown
Born(1898-12-27)27 December 1898
Bromley, Kent
Died15 September 1979(1979-09-15) (aged 80)
Rugby, Warwickshire
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight arm medium-fast
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1920–1937Kent
Umpiring information
Tests umpired3 (1949–1950)
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 487
Runs scored 22,589
Batting average 30.73
100s/50s 39/105
Top score 332
Balls bowled 44,212
Wickets 602
Bowling average 32.47
5 wickets in innings 13
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 6/23
Catches/stumpings 400/1
Source: CricInfo, 17 April 2009

Ashdown was born in Bromley in Kent. He first played first-class cricket in 1914, playing for Gerry Weigall's XI against Oxford University in The Parks, aged 15.[1] During World War I he served in a reserve battalion of the Rifle Brigade on home defence duties.[2]

Playing for Kent County Cricket Club after the First World War, Ashdown scored 39 centuries, including two triple-centuries with a highest score of 332 against Essex in 1934.[3] This remains Kent's highest individual score. His second triple-century for the county was scored in 1935 and is one of only two Kent batsman to have scored a triple-century whilst playing of the county.[lower-alpha 2][4][5] He scored more than 1,000 runs in 11 seasons of county cricket. He was also successful as a bowler, taking 602 wickets at a bowling average of 32.47.[6][7] He was awarded his county cap in 1922 and retired in 1937.[8] He returned to play a final first-class match in 1947, aged 48, for Maurice Leyland's XI against the Rest of England at Harrogate when he scored 42 and 40 and took five wickets for 73 runs.[7]

He became an umpire after retiring from first-class cricket, and stood in two Tests against New Zealand in 1949 and one against the West Indies in 1950. He stepped down from the umpire's list resume his playing career as captain of Leicestershire 2nd XI until he was 55, doubling up as their coach and scorer. He died in Rugby, Warwickshire, aged 80.[6]

Notes
  1. Another was D. B. Deodhar, who played in the Bombay Triangular in 1911 and the Ranji Trophy in 1946.
  2. The only other man to have scored a triple century for Kent is Sean Dickson who did so in 2017.

References
  1. Carlaw D (2020) Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part Two: 1919–1939, pp.14–17. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 2020-12-23.)
  2. Lewis P (2013) For Kent and Country, p.327. Brighton: Reveille Press. ISBN 978-1-908336-63-7
  3. Ashdown, William Henry, Obituaries in 1979, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1980. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  4. Milton H (2016) "Team Records" in Reid J (ed.) 2016 Kent County Cricket Club Annual, pp. 199–202, Canterbury: Kent County Cricket Club
  5. Dickson's 318 tops day of Kent records, CricInfo, 2017-07-04. Retrieved 2017-07-04.
  6. Bill Ashdown, CricInfo. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  7. Bill Ashdown, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2020-12-23. (subscription required)
  8. Kent County Cricket Club - Capped Male Players, Kent County Cricket Club. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
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