Brief profile of Frederick Wild
by Don Ambrose
WILD, Frederick. (WYLD)
Professional.
Born at Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, 28th August 1847.
Died at Chapel Bar, Nottingham, 11th February 1893.
A collier at Eastwood, he was first tried by Nottinghamshire in 1868. This was the first of 180 first-class matches in which he appeared between then and 1885, 109 of them being for Nottinghamshire. He had a number of professional engagements – at Newark 1867-68, Accrington 1869-70, Cambridge University and the All England Eleven 1871-74 and from 1875 until 1887 he was on the groundstaff at Lord’s, during which time he coached at Cambridge University and Exeter College, Oxford. A match was played for his benefit between Nottinghamshire and Lancashire at Trent Bridge in June 1890. In 1890 or 1891 he became landlord of the Black Bull, Chapel Bar, Nottingham, where he died of consumption and dropsy, and was buried in Bulwell Cemetery.
At the time of the 1881 Census he was living at 19 Wellington Street, Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, aged 33, a coal miner and professional cricketer, with his wife Mary A., aged 35 born at Mansfield. They have five children, James W. aged 10, Maria E. aged 7, Mary A. aged 5, Frederick aged 2, and an infant son aged 2 months.
(Article: Copyright © 2004 Don Ambrose)
