William Shepherd (English cricketer)

William Charles Shepherd (9 August 1840 – 27 May 1919) was an English first-class cricketer, active 1864–68. He played for Surrey. He was born in Kennington and died in Tooting.[1] In 1868 he played and toured with the Australian Aboriginal Cricket team and between 1872-1895 he was the Dulwich College cricket professional (coach and groundsman).[2] He was a left-hand batsman and left-arm medium bowler. He was just 5 ft 5½ inches tall, and weighed a little over nine stone.[3] As a left-arm, medium-pace bowler he had a unique delivery, “which gave the impression he was extracting the ball from his waistcoat pocket”.[3] After leaving Surrey, he made his name as a coach, with engagements at Oxford and The Oval, before joining Dulwich.[3]

Surrey career

Batting averages[4]
Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St
First-class 13 17 6 56 18 5.09 0 0 8 0
Bowling averages[4]
Mat Balls Runs Wkts BBI Ave Econ SR 5w 10
First-class 13 1733 709 38 8/49 18.65 2.45 45.6 2 0

Australian Aboriginal Cricket Tour

He was referred to Charles Lawrence by Surrey Secretary William Burrup, at the annual dinner of the Surrey Club. Lawrence engaged Shepherd to travel with the Australian Aboriginal Cricket to tour England in 1868 as umpire, assistant and emergency player-captain.[2] He represented the Aborigines on seven occasions, one as captain, with moderate success, scoring 66 runs at an average of 11 and taking 6 wickets at an average of 20.7.[2]

Dulwich College

The Alleynian (the Dulwich College Alumni Magazine) declared in 1879, “From the arrival of Shepherd dates a complete reform in the history of our cricket”. Shepherd drained, levelled and re-turfed the college playing fields, and devoted enormous energy to the cause of Dulwich cricket.[3][5] PG Wodehouse's enthusiasm for Surrey cricket is likely to have been encouraged by Shepherd who was the Dulwich professional from 1872 to 1895.[3][5] According to the 1881 Census, he lived in Ildersly Grove (Dulwich) with his wife Lucy and their four children, they were the only family in the street not to have live-in servants.[6]

Final years

Shepherd frequented the Oval in his declining years, retailing cricketing memories to bystanders. His nostalgic and not always accurate version of the Aboriginal tour was published in 1919, the year of his death.[2]

After his death

As a result of his role in the Aboriginal tour of 1868, images of him appear as part of the team on a stamp released in 2018 by Australia Post celebrating 150 years since the 1868 tour,[7] and the Mullagh Medal, which is awarded to the man of the match in the boxing day test match.[8][9]

References

  1. ^ "The Home of CricketArchive". cricketarchive.com.
  2. ^ a b c d "Cricket walkabout the Australian aboriginal cricketers tour 1867-68; Mulvaney, D... on eHive". eHive. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e Wodehouse At The Wicket: A Cricketing Anthology By P.G. Wodehouse published by arrow books 2011. p.g. 198
  4. ^ a b "William Shepherd Profile - Cricket Player England | Stats, Records, Video". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
  5. ^ a b https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/352337/wodehouse-at-the-wicket-by-edited-by-murray-hedgcock/9780099551362
  6. ^ Ildersly Grove: Who Lived in a Street Like This? by Sharon O’Connor, Dulwich Society, The Journal, Newsletter #168.29 Spring 2011 - https://www.dulwichsociety.com/the-journal/spring-2011/ildersly-grove-name?highlight=WyJ3aWxsaWFtcyIsIndpbGxpYW1zJyIsIndpbGxpYW0iLCInd2lsbGlhbSciLCJ3aWxsaWFtJ3MiLCInd2lsbGlhbSIsInNoZXBoZXJkIiwic2hlcGhlcmQncyIsInNoZXBoZXJkcyciLCJzaGVwaGVyZHMiXQ==
  7. ^ https://www.cricket.com.au/news/3244158/stamp-of-approval-for-1868-tourists
  8. ^ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-26/boxing-day-test-man-of-the-match-presented-the-mullagh-medal/13006568
  9. ^ Australian Aboriginal cricket team in England in 1868
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