[4] Yardley appeared nine times for the Gentlemen in their fixture against the Players, and had the fine average of 36.25, with three fifties and a highest score of 83.

Yardley was proud that in the Gentlemen v Players match at Lord's in 1871, he beat Grace's score in both innings.

He was the "ghost writer" of one of Grace's four "autobiographies": The History of a Hundred Centuries, published by Gill in 1895.

In 1877 he was one of the notables that Lillie Langtry met on her memorable debut London society gathering.

[6] He was part author of a burlesque entitled Little Jack Sheppard and of farces called The Passport and Hobbies (1885).