Arthur Ward (cricketer)
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Arthur Robert Ward | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 29 December 1829 Bloomsbury, London, England | ||||||||||||||
| Died | 25 September 1884 (aged 54) Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England | ||||||||||||||
| Batting | Unknown | ||||||||||||||
| Relations | William Ward (father) Henry Ward (brother) Matthew Ward (brother) | ||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||
| 1852–1854 | Cambridge University | ||||||||||||||
| 1853–1854 | Marylebone Cricket Club | ||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Source: Cricinfo, 25 January 2023 | |||||||||||||||
Arthur Robert Ward (29 December 1829 – 25 September 1884) was an English clergyman, cricketer and cricket administrator who played in 12 first-class cricket matches for Cambridge University and amateur sides in the 1850s.[1] He was born at Bloomsbury in London and died at Cambridge.
Ward was the son of William Ward, a director of the Bank of England, Member of Parliament for the City of London and himself a famous cricketer.[2] He was educated at St John's College, Cambridge and graduated from Cambridge University in 1855 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, which converted to a Master of Arts in 1858.[2]
As a cricketer, Ward was a middle-order batsman, though it is not known whether he was right- or left-handed.[1] His best innings was an unbeaten 53 for Cambridge University against the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1853, and that year he also won a Blue by appearing in the University Match against Oxford University.[3] He should have had a second Blue in 1854 as he was captain of the Cambridge University team, but he missed the University Match through illness.[2] In addition to games for Cambridge University, he also played in 1853 and 1854 for the MCC and in 1853 for a "Gentlemen of England" side.[1]
After graduating from Cambridge, Ward was ordained as a deacon in the Church of England and then as a priest, both in 1856.[2] He served as curate at All Saints' Church, Cambridge to 1860, and from then until his death in 1884 as vicar of St Clement's Church, also in Cambridge.[2] He maintained his links with Cambridge University cricket, serving as President between 1873 and 1884, during which time he also served as treasurer to his death.[2] Many years after his death, The Times published a reminiscent letter from the eminent late Victorian cricketer C. I. Thornton which recalled Ward as a "very stout" man and remarked on his capacity for refreshment: "At a big dinner... Ward took 11 bottles Apollinaris [German carbonated water], two bottles champagne, one bottle port. It had no deleterious effect on him at all."[4]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Arthur Ward". www.cricketarchive.com. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f J. Venn and J. A. Venn. "Alumni Cantabrigienses: Arthur Ward". p. 341. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
- ^ "Scorecard: Cambridge University v Marylebone Cricket Club". www.cricketarchive.com. 19 May 1853. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
- ^ Quoted in J. Venn and J. A. Venn. "Alumni Cantabrigienses: Arthur Ward". p. 341. Retrieved 7 August 2017.