William Fennex
Encyclopedia
William Fennex was a famous English cricketer
. He was a noted all-rounder and right arm fast bowler. As a batsman, Fennex was reputed to be one of the first to use forward play and was said to be a good driver of the ball.
His playing career began with Berkshire
in 1785 but he was chiefly associated with Middlesex
and was keeper of the ground at Uxbridge
. He made 85 known first-class appearances until 1800 and then played occasionally, making nine more appearances from 1802 to 1816.
He played for the Players in the inaugural Gentlemen v Players
match in 1806.
Like William Beldham, he subsequently provided James Pycroft
with his reminiscences.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. He was a noted all-rounder and right arm fast bowler. As a batsman, Fennex was reputed to be one of the first to use forward play and was said to be a good driver of the ball.
His playing career began with Berkshire
Berkshire county cricket teams
Berkshire county cricket teams have been traced back to the 18th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that...
in 1785 but he was chiefly associated with Middlesex
Middlesex county cricket teams
Middlesex county cricket teams have been traced back to the 18th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. Given that the first definite mention of cricket anywhere in the world is dated c.1550 in Guildford, it is almost certain that the game had reached...
and was keeper of the ground at Uxbridge
Uxbridge
Uxbridge is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres...
. He made 85 known first-class appearances until 1800 and then played occasionally, making nine more appearances from 1802 to 1816.
He played for the Players in the inaugural Gentlemen v Players
Gentlemen v Players
The Gentlemen v Players game was a first-class cricket match that was generally played on an annual basis between one team consisting of amateurs and one of professionals . The first two games took place in 1806 but the fixture was not revived until 1819. It was more or less annual thereafter...
match in 1806.
Like William Beldham, he subsequently provided James Pycroft
James Pycroft
James Pycroft is chiefly known for writing The Cricket Field, one of the earliest books about cricket, published in 1851. Pycroft mythologised cricket as a noble, manly and essentially British activity James Pycroft (1813, Geyers House, Wiltshire – 1895-03-10, Brighton, Sussex) is chiefly known...
with his reminiscences.