William Bullen

William Bullen was a leading English cricketer throughout the last quarter of the 18th century, his known career spanning the years 1773 to 1800.[2] He was an all-rounder who probably batted right-handed.[lower-alpha 2] He played mainly for Kent sides[lower-alpha 3] although he also appeared for England XIs[lower-alpha 4] and a variety of other sides.[3]

Arthur Haygarth, writing in the 1860s, describes Bullen as a "close set, strong built man" and a "crack" (i.e. expert) player, who was a "renowned batsman and bowler".[5] He was a fast bowler, in the underarm style, and a hard-hitting batsman who was a "powerful" player.[5] He is reputed to have "frequently bowled the sixth part of a mile (about 300 yards), or the whole length of the Artillery Ground in London".[5][6] He was possibly a native of Deptford in Kent[5] and is known to have played for Dartford Cricket Club as well as teams organised by landowners from the western parts of the county.[3]

Bullen is known to have played in 113 matches retrospectively recognised as first-class.[3] In these matches, Bullen totalled 1,777 runs with a highest score of 54, his only half-century. He held 119 catches and is credited with 181 wickets.[lower-alpha 1] His best known performance was six wickets in an innings.[3]

Bullen played in nearly every season from 1773 to 1800. The first match he is known to have played in was for an England XI against a Hampshire side on the Artillery Ground in July 1773. He batted in both the England innings, scoring 1 in each.[7] In July 1774, playing again for England against Hampshire at Sevenoaks Vine, he took five wickets in Hampshire's first innings, the earliest recorded instance of a bowler taking five wickets in an innings.[8] He played for Kent sides from 1774, including matches against Maidstone teams in 1777,[9] and his final known matches were in four odds matches[lower-alpha 5] for Kent sides against England teams in 1800.[3]