George Wilder (cricketer)

George Wilder

Personal information
Full name	George Wilder
Born	9 June 1876 Stansted Park, Sussex, England
Died	10 June 1948(1948-06-10) (aged 72) Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Batting	Unknown
Bowling	Unknown-arm fast[1]
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1905–1906	Sussex
1909	Hampshire
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 8 Runs scored 203 Batting average 13.53 100s/50s –/– Top score 43 Balls bowled 96 Wickets 4 Bowling average 12.75 5 wickets in innings – 10 wickets in match – Best bowling 3/14 Catches/stumpings 2/–
Source: Cricinfo, 13 December 2009

George Wilder (9 June 1876 – 10 June 1948) was an English first-class cricketer.

The son of George Wilder senior and Mary Laura Wilder, he was born at Stansted Park on the Sussex–Hampshire border in June 1876. He was educated at Eton College, before matriculating to St John's College, Oxford. Wilder began his connection with Sussex County Cricket Club in 1901, when he joined the club's committee, a position he would retain until 1905.^[2] Wilder played his club cricket for the cricket club on the Stansted estate grounds, and made his debut in first-class cricket for Sussex against the Marylebone Cricket Club at Lord's in 1905. He played first-class cricket for Sussex until 1906, making six appearances.^[3] For Sussex, he scored 147 runs at an average of 13.36, with a highest score of 26.^[4] He later played for an England XI against Hambledon in a commemorative first-class match in 1908 at Broadhalfpenny Down. Wilder followed this up with a single appearance for Hampshire against Derbyshire at Southampton in the 1909 County Championship;^[3] he took figures of 3 for 14 in Derbyshire's first innings.^[5] However, it was deemed by the cricketing authorities that he did not meet the qualification criteria to play for Hampshire and thus never featured for the county again.^[6]

Wilder inherited Stansted Park following the death of his father in 1896. It was during Wilder's ownership of the estate that the house was destroyed by fire on 27 July 1900, losing many valuables, including carvings by Grinling Gibbons. He had the house rebuilt on the same location in 1903, with this version of the house retained to this day. Wilder sold the Stansted estate to Major Cecil Whittaker in 1913.^[7] Prior to selling the estate, Wilder was active in civic life in nearby Emsworth, laying a commemorative stone to the then under-construction Post Office in 1906.^[8] In 1911, his wife, the actress Una Evelyn Mazie Wilder, whom he wanted to divorce for misconduct, fled to the United States. Wilder eventually traced her to New York City and began divorce proceedings.^[9] His wife was charged with threats to kill in March 1912, having wrote a letter which stated: "George Wilder, the day you get a divorce will be your last on Earth. You shall be shot through the heart. So take warning".^[10] Wilder died a day after his 72nd birthday, on 10 June 1948 at Las Vegas in the United States.

References

1. "Stansted Park". Hampshire Telegraph. 5 February 1943. p. 20. Retrieved 24 March 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
2. "Sussex County Cricket Club Committee Members" (PDF). www.crickethistory.website. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
3. "First-Class Matches played by George Wilder". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
4. "First-Class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by George Wilder". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
5. "Hampshire v Derbyshire, County Championship 1909". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
6. Allen, Dave (16 January 2022). "Hampshire & Sussex: Crossing The Divide". www.ageasbowl.com. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
7. Piper, A. Cecil (1917). Papers and Proceedings (PDF). Vol. 8. Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society. pp. 300–301.
8. "New Post Office". Portsmouth Evening News. 25 September 1906. p. 5. Retrieved 24 March 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
9. "Sues Actress Wife After Oversea Hunt; Englishman's New York Detectives Find Her Here After Fooling Her London Detective". New York Times. 26 April 1911. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
10. "Divorcee charged". Dundee Evening Telegraph. 15 March 1912. p. 1. Retrieved 24 March 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.

External links

• George Wilder at ESPNcricinfo