Born in 1898, Bill Ashdown made his first-class debut in 1914, for GJV Weigall's team against Oxford University in The Parks. Although he was only 15, he scored 3 and 27. He played for Kent regularly until 1937 - he passed 1000 runs in a season 11 times, and his 332 against Essex in 1934 remains the highest score for them - but came out of retirement in 1947, when he was 48, to play for Maurice Leyland's XI against the Rest of England in a festival match at Harrogate. He finished in some style, with 42 and 40. He is the only man to have played first-class cricket in England before the First World War and after the Second. After that he became an umpire, and stood in four Tests in 1949 and 1950. He also coached Leicestershire, and was their scorer for a time as well.
Steven Lynch