George Bodero was an Army officer who played twice for the South Wales Cricket Club, first in 1859 against Clifton CC and again the following year against the MCC at Lord’s, despite having been badly wounded in his left arm during November 1854 whilst fighting in the Battle of Inkerman in the Crimean War.
Born in County Cork during 1830, he was the son of Henry George Boldero, a British Army officer, who later became the Conservative MP for Chippenham, and lived at Grittleton in Wiltshire before moving to live at Hurst Grove in Berkshire.
George was educated at Harrow and was in the school’s XI between 1844 and 1846 before following in his father’s footsteps and pursuing a distinguished military career, rising to the rank of Lieutenant-General and between 1872 and 1877 serving as Deputy Quarter Master General in Malta.
During his early years in the Army, George was stationed in the north-east of England and during 1851 he played for the Northumberland Club against the All-England Eleven at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He subsequently acted as Inspector of Volunteers in Scotland prior to serving with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in the Crimean War . After recovering from wounds in his left arm sustained at Alma and surviving the siege of Sebastopol, he returned to the UK and during June 1859 he guested for a Monmouthshire XXII against the All-England Eleven at Newport, as well the Gentlemen of Wiltshire against their counterparts from Berkshire at Devizes.
His brother Henry also attended Harrow and Cambridge University, for whom he made thirteen first-class appearances between 1851 and 1853.
BOLDERO, George Neeld
Born – Kinsale, County Cork, 21 June 1830.
Died – Westminster, 5 May 1898.