William Clifford (cricketer)
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Template:Infobox cricketer William Clifford (christened 14 December 1811 – 5 September 1841) was an English cricketer who played for Kent county teams between 1834 and 1841. He was a right-handed batsman and a slow bowler who often fielded as a wicket-keeper.<ref name=ci>William Clifford, CricInfo. Retrieved 2017-04-17.</ref>
Clifford was christened at Bearsted in Kent in December 1811.<ref name=ca>William Clifford, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2017-04-17. Template:Subscription required</ref> He was the son of Robert and Catherine Clifford;<ref name=carlaw>Carlaw, pp. 112–113.</ref> his grandfather, also Robert Clifford, was a well-known all-rounder who bowled leg breaks for Kent sides at the end of the 18th-century and made more than 70 appearances in top-level matches. William's brother, Francis Clifford, also played in first-class matches for Kent County Cricket Club during the mid-19th century.<ref name=carlawrc>Carlaw, pp. 111–112.</ref>
Playing club cricket for a range of sides, including Bearsted and Leeds, William Clifford made his first-class cricket debut in 1834.<ref name=ca/> Renowned as one of the best batsmen in the Kent side, he played 17 of his 29 first-class matches for Kent teams, often opening the batting.<ref name=carlaw/> He played four times for the Players against the Gentlemen and for England sidesTemplate:Efn and three times for the South against the North.<ref name=carlaw/> In 1841 he opened a cricket ground, Rucks Lane, at GravesendTemplate:Efn<ref name=milton99p14/> and played his final first-class matches the same year.
Clifford worked as a wheelwright before becoming a publican at Gravesend in 1837. He died in September 1841 of a "bilious fever".<ref name=carlaw/> He was probably aged less than 30.<ref name=ci/>
Notes
References
Bibliography
- Birley D (1999) A Social History of English Cricket. London: Aurum Press. Template:Isbn
- 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.)
- Milton H (1999) The Bat & Ball Gravesend: a first-class history. Gravesend: Gravesend Cricket Club. Template:Isbn
- Milton H (2020) Kent County Cricket Grounds. Worthing: Pitch Publishing. Template:Isbn