Full name Richard Wilson Wardill Name Richard Wardill 1864 G. Anderson's XI | 1861–73 Victoria Batting style Right-handed Role Cricket Player | |
Died August 17, 1873, Melbourne, Australia | ||
Richard Wilson Wardill (3 November 1840 – 17 August 1873) was an Australian cricketer who played in ten first-class cricket matches, eight of which were for Victoria. He is noted as the first cricketer to score a century in Australian first-class cricket. Wardill was also an influential player and administrator in the early years of Australian rules football. On Boxing Day 1866 he captained the Melbourne Cricket Club against the Western District Aboriginal cricket team, led by Tom Wills.
Wardill was a prolific gambler, and to nurture his habit he defrauded his employer, the Victorian Sugar Company, of £7000. He confessed to his crime in August 1873 and soon after committed suicide by drowning himself in the Yarra River. He was survived by his wife, Eliza Helma Lovett (née Cameron), and a son.
Cricket writer Gideon Haigh published an article on Wardill in 1992 titled "The Drowned Bradman". His brother Benjamin also played cricket for Victoria.