Arthur Ridding

Arthur Ridding (16 January 1827 – 4 September 1876) was an English first-class cricketer, educator and librarian.

The son of The Reverend Charles Henry Ridding, who was a fellow at Winchester College, Ridding was born at Winchester in January 1827. He was educated at Winchester College,^[1] before going up to New College, Oxford in 1845, where he became a fellow in 1847.^[2] While studying at Oxford, he played first-class cricket for Oxford University, making his debut against the Marylebone Cricket Club at Oxford in 1846. He played first-class cricket for Oxford until 1850, making a total of thirteen appearances.^[3] He scored a total of 265 runs in his thirteen matches, at an average of 13.25 and a high score of 40.^[4] He was described by Baily's Monthly Magazine of Sports and Pastimes as “a very fine field and a very hard hitter”.^[5]

After graduating from Oxford, he became a commoner tutor at Winchester College from 1852 to 1859. By 1863, he was a librarian and dean at New College, posts he held until his sudden death in his room at New College in September 1876.^[1][6] Two of his brothers, William and Charles both played first-class cricket,^[5] while a third, George, was a headmaster of Winchester College.