William Walker (Australian cricketer)

William Walker
Personal information
Full name William Holden Walker
Born (1835-12-16)16 December 1835
Islington. London, England
Died 14 June 1886(1886-06-14) (aged 50)
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Batting style Right-hand
Bowling style Right-arm underarm
Role Captain
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1872 – 1878 Tasmania
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 2
Runs scored 73
Batting average 18.25
100s/50s 0/0
Top score 27
Balls bowled 213
Wickets 5
Bowling average 18.20
5 wickets in innings 0
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 3/20
Catches/stumpings 3/1
Source: Cricketarchive, 2 February 2016

William Holden Walker (16 December 1835 – 14 June 1886) was an English-born Australian cricketer. As captain of the Tasmanian cricket team, Walker was considered Tasmania's leading cricketer and "one of the finest cricketers of his time".[1] Known for his all-round capabilities, he was a right-handed batsman and bowler, and kept wickets too. He was also the last underarm bowler to have played for Tasmania. Walker was named in the Cricket Tasmania Premier League's Team of the Decade for the decade spanning from 1866–67 to 1875–76.

Early life and professional career

Walker was born in Islington in 1835, the son of Holden and Mary Waldegrave Walker.[2] During his early years in England, when Walker started playing cricket, his team came to be known as the Walker team.[3] From England, Walker moved to Tasmania in 1859,[1] and then to Launceston in 1862, where he became an employee of the soliciting firm Messrs Douglas & Collins.[3] In 1866, he became the Council Clerk and Clerk of Petty Sessions for the town of Fingal.[4] Subsequently, he was employed with solicitors Messrs Gill and Ball, Messrs Dobson and Mitchell and later became an accountant at Messrs Elliston and Featherstone.[3]

Cricketing career

Walker was a right-handed batsman and right-arm underarm bowler. Considered Tasmania's leading cricketer, his score of 60 in an 1860 North versus South Tasmania game set a record of being the highest individual score in such matches.[1][5] In his profile of Walker for ESPNcricinfo, the sports historian Thomas Rose said: "He impressed in representative games and was often the shining light of a rather dismal Tasmanian side... His all-round talents made him one of the finest cricketers of his time."[1]

After moving to Launceston, Walker made cricket famous in the city, captaining the Northern Tasmania cricket team.[3] During the 1860s and 1870s, Walker also played for two clubs – Derwent and Wellington – under the then Tasmanian Cricket Association, standing out by scoring one of the only two centuries in Tasmania by any cricketer for the decade 1866 – 1875.[6]

Walker's first-class cricketing career spanned six years, from 1872 to 1878. He played two first-class cricket matches as captain of the Tasmanian cricket team during that period, scoring 73 runs and taking five wickets.[1] During Cricket Tasmania's 150th anniversary celebrations, Walker was named as a member of the Cricket Tasmania Premier League's Team of the Decade for the decade 1866/67 – 1875/76.[6]

Walker remains the last under-arm bowler to have played for Tasmania. He took 60 wickets in the 1875–76 domestic season at an average of 8.47 runs per wicket, the best for all bowlers of the season. Walker was also a highly skilled wicket-keeper. Despite his all-round capabilities, Walker was best recognised and remembered for his impressive contributions as an inspirational captain, coming out as the best player in many matches irrespective of his team's performance.[1][5]

Death

At the age of 50, after suffering a very short illness, Walker died on 14 June 1886, at Pressland House, Hobart, Tasmania, with his funeral being held two days later.[7] Around a month after his death, on 13 July 1886, an amount of £590 from his estate was issued over as probate.[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rose, T. (2000). Profile of William Walker. ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved on 2 January 2016.
  2. ↑ "Register of Baptism". Islington St Mary: London Metropolitan Archives. p. 83. Retrieved 7 March 2016. (subscription required)
  3. 1 2 3 4 Editorial. (1886). Death of an old cricketer. The Mercury, Hobart, Tasmania: 1860–1954. Retrieved on 2 January 2016.
  4. ↑ Special Reporter. (1872). Law Intelligence. Supreme Court, Launceston, Civil Sittings. The Mercury, Hobart, Tasmania: 1860–1954. Retrieved on 2 January 2016.
  5. 1 2 Finlay, R. (1986). Tasmania and intercolonial cricket to 1891; Papers and Proceedings. Tasmanian Historical Research Association (Vol. 33, No. 2, p. 41).
  6. 1 2 News. (2015). CTPL announce 'Teams of the Decade' to celebrate 150th Anniversary. Cricket Tasmania. Retrieved on 2 January 2016.
  7. ↑ Family Notices. (1886). Deaths. The Mercury, Hobart, Tasmania: 1860–1954. Retrieved on 2 January 2016.
  8. ↑ Probates. (1886). Walker probate issued to David Barclay. The Mercury, Hobart, Tasmania: 1860–1954. Retrieved on 2 January 2016.

External links

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