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William Ayling
Personal information
Born	30 September 1766; Cocking, Sussex
Died	October 1826 (aged 59–60); Bromley, Kent
Relations	Robert Ayling (brother)
Domestic team information
1800–1810	England XI
1806	Kent XI
FC debut	28 August 1800 England XI v Surrey XI
Last FC	13 August 1810 Captain Blagrave's XI v Colonel Byng's XI
Career statistics
Matches	22
Runs scored	278
Batting average	8.17
100s/50s	0/0
Top score	45
Catches/stumpings	8/–
	Source: CricInfo, 10 April 2022

William Ayling (30 September 1766 – October 1826) was an English cricketer who played in 22 first-class cricket matches between 1800 and 1810.^[2]

Ayling was born in 1766 at Cocking in Sussex, the son of Robert and Mary Ayling. He was a shoemaker and moved to Bromley in Kent in the early years of the 19th century.^[b]^[1] He made his first-class debut for an England XI against a Surrey side in August 1800 at Lord's Old Ground and went on to play for a variety of sides, most frequently in first-class matches for England sides.^[c]^[6] He played for the Players in the first two Gentlemen v Players matches in 1806 and made one appearance in a first-class match for a Kent XI against an England side at Bowman's Lodge in 1806.^[6]

Playing more frequently for Kent sides in non-first-class matches, including in odds matches,^[d] Ayling is known to have played cricket until 1815, playing for club sides including Woolwich Cricket Club and Prince's Plain Club.^[1]^[3] His batting technique was unusual. He held the bat in one hand until just prior to hitting the ball and stood square on to the bowler.^[1]

Ayling died at Bromley in October 1826.^[2] It is possible that he was the brother of the Robert Ayling who played two first-class matches for Kent in 1796.^[a]^[6]^[7]

Notes

^ ^a ^b CricketArchive is the only source which identifies the two Aylings as brothers. They played together in 1806 for Woolwich against MCC at Lord's Old Ground and in an odds match for a Kent side of 23 players against an England side at Penenden Heath in 1807.
^ Ayling is known to have played for Storrington in Sussex in 1799 and 1800 but by 1802 was playing for Woolwich Cricket Club in Kent.^[3]
^ Ayling played 14 of his first-class matches for England sides. During the time he played, England sides were not representative of the country. Instead, they were sides composed of players from a range of locations brought together to play against another side.^[4] So when Ayling made his first-class debut for an England XI in 1800 he played against a Surrey side in a team made up of players from other parts of the country, including Hampshire, Middlesex and Kent.^[5]
^ An odds match is one in which one side has more players than the other, the aim being to even the chances of victory to an extent.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Carlaw D (2020) Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part One: 1806–1914 (revised edition), pp. 33–34. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 2020-12-21.)
^ ^a ^b William Ayling, CricInfo. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
^ ^a ^b Miscellaneous Matches played by William Ayling, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2022-08-10. (subscription required)
^ Birley D (1999) A Social History of English Cricket, p. 364. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 978 1 78131 1769
^ England v Surrey XI, August 27–29, 1800 – scorecard, CricInfo. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
^ ^a ^b ^c William Ayling, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2020-01-01. (subscription required)
^ Robert Ayling, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2022-03-20. (subscription required)