deliveries death_date columns year birth_date bowling tenfor country death_place club fivefor batting name fullname birth_place column role source date runs wickets s/s matches article_title
202 17 august 1873 1 1861 -- 73 1864 3 november 1840 right arm medium pace -lrb- roundarm -rrb- 0 australia melbourne , australia victoria g. anderson 's xi 0 right-handed richard wardill richard wilson wardill everton , liverpool , lancashire , england first-class batsman http://cricketarchive.com/archive/players/16/16826/16826.html cricketarchive 1840 11 3 yes 381 8 1/1 10 richard wardill

richard wardill

richard wilson wardill -lrb- 3 november 1840 -- 17 august 1873 -rrb- 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 -lrb- née cameron -rrb- , 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 .
