William Durling

William Durling (c.1725–?) was an English cricketer of the mid-Georgian period. A specialist batsman, he was a top-class player who made numerous appearances in historically important matches, both eleven-a-side and single wicket. Although he is believed to have come from Kent, he was mainly associated with Addington and Surrey, and was mentioned in match reports from 1748 to 1761. He also played for England, and was often a given man to help weaker teams. Durling was a shoemaker by trade. Little is known of his life outside cricket, and he is not mentioned in sources after his last known match in 1761.

Career

1748 season A "fives" game on Monday, 5 June 1748, took place on the Artillery Ground between Addington and The Rest, excluding Kent. Addington's players were Tom Faulkner, Joe Harris, John Harris, George Jackson, and Durling (described as "the shoemaker that lately came out of Kent"). Their opponents were Stephen Dingate, Little Bennett, Maynard, Collins, and Thomas Waymark. This appears to be the first time that a team specifically called "The Rest" was ever assembled.

On Wednesday, 27 July 1748, there was another "fives" game between the Faulkner and Dingate teams on the Artillery Ground. Faulkner's team won. This match may have been a decider; in which case Dingate's team must have won the second match on Friday, 15 July. The teams were not the same as before: Dingate, Richard Newland, Joseph Rudd, Maynard (of Surrey), and Little Bennett played against Faulkner, Joe Harris, Durling (of Addington), James and John Bryant.

Addington: Tom Faulkner, Joe Harris, John Harris, George Jackson, and Durling. England: Robert Colchin, John Bryant, Robert Eures, John Bell, and Thomas Waymark.

A return match was played Monday, 17 July, both teams the same, and Addington won. The prize was again fifty guineas. Durling played for Long Robin's XI on 26 June, but was not involved in the second match.

1750 season During September 1750, there was a series of "fives" between Stephen Dingate's Five and Tom Faulkner's Five. All three matches were played on the Artillery Ground. The first match on Monday, 10 September was played for fifty guineas. Faulkner's Five won this one. The teams were: Stephen Dingate, James Bryant, John Bryant, John Bell, and Thomas Bell Tom Faulkner, Joe Harris, John Harris, Durling, and Perry.

The second match on Friday, 14 September ended in a tie, both teams totalling nine. As single-wicket rules applied, all batsmen were out. It is known they were all bowled (but not by whom), except for Dingate who was caught in the second innings; Thomas Bell, who was run out in the second innings; and Joe Harris who was caught in the second innings while he was apparently trying to hit the winning run.

The third and deciding game on Monday, 17 September was won by Faulkner's Five by an innings and one run. Dingate's Five scored 10 and 18, but Faulkner's Five scored 29. The individual figures in the recorded score of the Dingate second innings add up to 20, but 18 was definitely the correct total so one or more of the individual scores was wrong.

1752 season In 1752, Addington played two matches against Westminster, and one against Dartford. Both of the Westminster matches were played at Tothill Fields, Westminster, on 20 July and 3 August. The first match is result unknown, and Westminster won the second by 10 runs. Westminster's team on 20 July included Stephen Dingate, William Anderson, Little Bennett, Tall Bennett, Perry, and John Capon. The Addington team included John Mansfield, George Jackson, John Frame, Durling, Joe Harris, and John Harris.

Addington's match against Dartford was set for 12 August 1752 on Addington Hills, but the outcome is unknown.

1756 season In The Dawn of Cricket, H. T. Waghorn records a pre-announcement that a "fives" game involving Hambledon would be played on Saturday, 28 August 1756 at the Artillery Ground. The Hambledon players are unnamed but their opponents were a strong team: Tom Faulkner, Joe Harris, John Frame, John Bell, and Durling. No details of the result were recorded. Stakes were £20 a side.

London v Dartford. The teams met twice in September 1756, but neither result is known. The first, 6 September on the Artillery Ground, was played for £50 a side. London had John Bryant, Joe Harris, Durling, and George Smith playing for them. The notice for that match confirmed that the second match would be played 9 September "on Dartford Brim (sic) by the same gentlemen".

1759 season Three matches between Dartford and England were played in September from the 5th to the 12th. The first two were on Dartford Brent, the third on Laleham Burway. In all three matches, Dartford had Tom Faulkner and Gascoigne of London as given men. Dartford won the first match, and England the second, both by unknown margins. The deciding match was scheduled for Wednesday, 12 September, according to an announcement in the Whitehall Evening Post the previous day. Dartford won that by 3 wickets.

Arthur Haygarth refers to this "tri-series" on page 2 of Scores & Biographies, but only to the two games won by Dartford. He appears to believe that only those two games were played. He found the names of the players in Bell's Life, dated 23 November 1845, but no scores. Bell's Life stated that the matches took place in 1765, and Haygarth says another account has 1762, but it is evident that G. B. Buckley has got the dates (and the sequence) right as above.

Dartford's team, evidently unchanged in all three games, was: Tom Faulkner, Gascoigne (both London, and given men), John Frame, John Bell (wicket-keeper), Potter (long stop), Thomas Brandon, Thomas Bell, Goldstone, Killick, Stephens/Stevens, and Wakelin. There were several players called Stephens or Stevens during this period, including Lumpy.

The England team, also apparently unchanged, was: Burchwood (Kent), John Edmeads (Surrey), Edward Gill (Buckinghamshire, wicket-keeper), Thomas Woods (Surrey, long stop), Stephen Harding (Surrey), John Haynes (Surrey), Durling (Addington), Saunders (Berkshire), Allen (Middlesex), Nyland (Sussex), and Cheeseman (Sussex).

The main bowlers were stated to be Faulkner and Frame for Dartford; and Burchwood and Edmeads for England. Edmeads was still playing for Chertsey and Surrey in the 1770s. Edward Gill of Buckinghamshire is the wicket-keeper in the scorecarded Hampshire v England match of June 1772.

1761 season In its edition of Thursday, 3 September, the General Evening Post announced an odds game in Essex with 22 of the county to play against the Dartford XI. This is the first known instance of 22 playing against 11, a common odds format in the 19th century, especially in matches between local teams and the All England Eleven. Dartford were to have Tom Faulkner and Durling as given men.

That is the last time Durling is mentioned in the surviving records.