Ned Wenman

Ned Wenman

Wenman in about 1840
Personal information
Full name	Edward Gower Wenman
Born	(1803-08-18)18 August 1803 Benenden, Kent
Died	28 December 1879(1879-12-28) (aged 76) Benenden, Kent
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm slow underarm
Role	Wicket-keeper
Relations	William Wenman (son) Charles Wenman (half-brother) George Wenman (cousin) John Wenman (cousin)
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1825–1842	Kent XI
1842–1854	Kent
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 146 Runs scored 3,204 Batting average 13.35 100s/50s 0/0 Top score 73 Balls bowled 3,328 Wickets 45 Bowling average – 5 wickets in innings 2 10 wickets in match 0 Best bowling 6/– Catches/stumpings 118/87
Source: CricInfo, 10 December 2018

Edward Gower Wenman (18 August 1803 – 28 December 1879) was an English cricketer whose top-class career spanned the 1825 to 1854 seasons. A wicket-keeper, he was a prominent member of the great Kent teams of the 1840s which featured Nicholas Felix, William Hillyer, Alfred Mynn and Fuller Pilch. Wenman is generally remembered as one of the best wicket-keepers of the 19th century with William Martingell describing him as the best all-round cricketer of his time.

Early life and family

Born at Benenden in 1803, Wenman came from a cricketing family. His father, John, played for the village cricket team as did his cousins George and John Wenman and his half-brother Charles Wenman. All three of his sons went on to play for the village side, with one, William, going on to play first-class cricket.

Cricket career

Wenman made his first-class cricket debut in an 1825 match between a Kent XI and a Sussex side. He went on to play for Kent sides both before and after the formation of Kent County Cricket Club in 1842. Of the 146 first-class matches in which he appeared, 61 were for Kent sides. He played 15 times for the Players against the Gentlemen between 1830 and 1844, having also appeared as a given man for the Gentlemen in the fixture in 1829. He played for MCC sides 26 times and played 18 times for England XIs during his career. In 1844 he retired and a benefit match was played for him at Hemsted Park near Benenden. Two years later he resumed his career, playng top-level matches until 1854.

In the 146 first-class matches that he is known to have played, Wenman scored 3,204 runs with a highest score of 73 not out. When not keeping wicket, Wenman was considered an excellent slow right-arm underarm bowler who took at least 45 wickets with a best performance of six in an innings. He is credited with 118 catches and 87 stumpings.

Later life

Wenman worked as a carpenter and wheelwright in Benenden where he lived for the whole of his life. He married Hannah Richardson in 1830; the couple had three sons and two daughters. Wenman died at Benenden in 1879 aged 76.

Bibliography

• 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.)

External links

Ned Wenman at ESPNcricinfo