Herbert Gardner (cricketer)

Herbert Wilson Gardner (15 January 1852 — 5 December 1924) was an English first-class cricketer and solicitor.

The son of James Gardner, he was born at Rugeley in January 1852. He was educated at Rugby School,[1] where he played for the school cricket team and was coached by Alfred Diver. He was described by Wisden during his time at Rugby as a batsman who "hit well and scored fast, and was a very good field at cover-point".[2] He also played rackets for the school, winning the Public Schools Rackets Challenge Cup in 1870 alongside Thomas Pearson.[2] After completing his education, Gardner was admitted as a solicitor in 1876 and practiced in Rugeley.[1] He later played first-class cricket for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) against Oxford University at Oxford in 1882.[3] Batting twice in the match, he was dismissed for a single run in the MCC first innings by Edward Shaw, while in their second innings he was run out for the same score.[4] Besides playing first-class cricket, Gardner also played minor matches for Staffordshire until 1895,[2] but did not feature in any of their eight matches in their debut season in the Minor Counties Championship. He was an elected member of the Lichfield Rural District Council.[5] Gardner died in December 1924 at Armitage, Staffordshire.[2]