William Fennex

William Fennex (born c.1763 at Gerrards Cross, Bucks; died 4 March 1838 at Stepney, London) was a famous English cricketer. He was a noted all-rounder and right arm fast bowler. As a batsman, Fennex was reputed to be one of the first to use forward play and was said to be a good driver of the ball.

His playing career began with Berkshire in 1785 but he was chiefly associated with Middlesex and was keeper of the ground at Uxbridge. He made 85 known first-class appearances until 1800 and then played occasionally, making nine more appearances from 1802 to 1816.

Like William Beldam, he subsequently provided James Pycroft with his reminiscences.

References

• A Social History of English Cricket by Derek Birley
• Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians - various publications
• Cricket: History of its Growth and Development by Rowland Bowen
• Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket by G B Buckley (FL18)
• Fresh Light on Pre-Victorian Cricket by G B Buckley (FLPV)
• From the Weald to the World by Peter Wynne-Thomas (PWT)
• Hambledon Cricket Chronicle by F S Ashley-Cooper (HCC)
• Hambledon: Men and Myths by John Goulstone (HMM)
• Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 by Arthur Haygarth (SBnnn)
• Start of Play by David Underdown
• Sussex Cricket in the Eighteenth Century by Timothy J McCann (TJM)
• The Cricketer magazine (Cktr)
• The Dawn of Cricket by H T Waghorn (WDC)
• The Glory Days of Cricket by Ashley Mote (GDC)
• John Nyren's "The Cricketers of my Time" by Ashley Mote
• Wisden Cricketers Almanack (annual): various issues