| Country: | England |
| Fullname: | Arthur Robert Ward |
| Birth Date: | 29 December 1829 |
| Birth Place: | Bloomsbury, London, England |
| Death Place: | Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England |
| Batting: | Unknown |
| Family: | William Ward (father) Henry Ward (brother) Matthew Ward (brother) |
| Club1: | Cambridge University |
| Year1: | 1852–1854 |
| Club2: | Marylebone Cricket Club |
| Year2: | 1853–1854 |
| Columns: | 1 |
| Column1: | First-class |
| Matches1: | 12 |
| Runs1: | 226 |
| Bat Avg1: | 11.30 |
| 100S/50S1: | –/1 |
| Top Score1: | 53 |
| Hidedeliveries: | true |
| Catches/Stumpings1: | 4/– |
| Date: | 25 January |
| Year: | 2023 |
| Source: | https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/arthur-ward-23332 Cricinfo |
Arthur Robert Ward (29 December 1829 – 25 September 1884) was an English clergyman, cricketer and cricket administrator who played in 12 first-class cricket matches for Cambridge University and amateur sides in the 1850s.[1] He was born at Bloomsbury in London and died at Cambridge.
Ward was the son of William Ward, a director of the Bank of England, Member of Parliament for the City of London and himself a famous cricketer.[2] He was educated at St John's College, Cambridge and graduated from Cambridge University in 1855 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, which converted to a Master of Arts in 1858.[2]
As a cricketer, Ward was a middle-order batsman, though it is not known whether he was right- or left-handed.[1] His best innings was an unbeaten 53 for Cambridge University against the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1853, and that year he also won a Blue by appearing in the University Match against Oxford University.[3] He should have had a second Blue in 1854 as he was captain of the Cambridge University team, but he missed the University Match through illness.[2] In addition to games for Cambridge University, he also played in 1853 and 1854 for the MCC and in 1853 for a "Gentlemen of England" side.[1]
After graduating from Cambridge, Ward was ordained as a deacon in the Church of England and then as a priest, both in 1856.[2] He served as curate at All Saints' Church, Cambridge to 1860, and from then until his death in 1884 as vicar of St Clement's Church, also in Cambridge.[2] He maintained his links with Cambridge University cricket, serving as President between 1873 and 1884, during which time he also served as treasurer to his death.[2] Many years after his death, The Times published a reminiscent letter from the eminent late Victorian cricketer C. I. Thornton which recalled Ward as a "very stout" man and remarked on his capacity for refreshment: "At a big dinner... Ward took 11 bottles Apollinaris [German carbonated water], two bottles champagne, one bottle port. It had no deleterious effect on him at all."[4]