Bill Alley: Difference between revisions

Bill Alley
	File:BillAlley.jpg
Personal information
Full name	William Edward Alley
Batting	Left-handed batsman
Bowling	Right-arm medium-fast
Role	All-rounder, Umpire
Domestic team information
1957–1968	Somerset
1945/46–1946/47	New South Wales
First-class debut	23 November 1945 ; New South Wales v Queensland
Last First-class	31 August 1968 ; Somerset v Gloucestershire
List A debut	22 May 1963 ; Somerset v Glamorgan
Last List A	14 September 1968 ; Somerset v Warwickshire
Umpiring information
Tests umpired	10 (1974–1981)
ODIs umpired	9 (1974–1981)
Career statistics
	Source: CricketArchive, 30 October 2007

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Revision as of 19:20, 1 July 2010

William (Bill) Edward Alley (3 February 1919 in Sydney, Australia – 26 November 2004 in Taunton, Somerset, England) was a cricketer who played 400 first-class matches for New South Wales, Somerset and a Commonwealth XI.

Whilst in Australia, Alley was also a middleweight boxer, and was undefeated in 28 contests when he was forced to give it up after being hit on the head in the nets at cricket practice. Later he was tipped to play Tests by Don Bradman, the Australian cricket captain, but missed out after fracturing a jaw. This prompted him to leave New South Wales and come to Lancashire, England, playing league cricket there for Colne Cricket Club for five years from 1948, becoming the only player to score 1000 runs in each of five consecutive seasons in the league's history. ^[1] He moved to play for Blackpool CC in the newly established Northern League where he scored 19 centuries ^[2] and joined Somerset CCC when he was 38. He played his last and 350th first-class game for Somerset when he was 49. After stopping playing, he umpired first-class games for 16 years and also stood in 10 Test matches and 9 One Day Internationals as umpire. He so loved the West Country area of England that he chose to remain there after retirement rather than move back to his native Australia.

Alley was married to Betty, who he met when playing cricket in the north of England, and they had two sons. His first wife died in childbirth; they had a son, who died in an Army accident.

Record

Alley was an all-rounder. He scored 19,612 runs at an average of 31.88 batting left-handed. He took 768 wickets at 22.68 runs per wicket, with a best of 8 for 65, bowling right arm medium fast. He also took 267 catches in the field. His best season was his testimonial season in 1961 when, at the age of forty-two, he scored over 3,000 runs for Somerset and achieved his highest score of 221 not out. It is the last instance of a batsman scoring 3000 in an English season. His 10 centuries for Somerset in 1961 remained a county record for thirty years. In 1962 he received the honour of being one of Wisden's five cricketers of the year, based on his performances in 1961 and during his career. In the 1962 season, he made over 1,900 runs and took 112 wickets. It was in 1962 that he got his best bowling return of 8 for 65 against a strong Surrey side that included Ken Barrington, Peter May and Bernie Constable.

References

[1] ttp://www.colnecc.com/postwar.asp?slid=4&mid=2

[2] ttp://www.northerncricketleague.org/leagrev02.html

[1]

[2]

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 '''William (Bill) Edward Alley''' (3 February 1919 in [[Sydney]], [[Australia]] – 26 November 2004 in [[Taunton, Somerset]], [[England]]) was a [[cricket]]er who played 400 [[first-class cricket|first-class]] matches for [[New South Wales]], [[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset]] and a [[Commonwealth XI cricket team|Commonwealth XI]].
-Whilst in Australia, Alley was also a middleweight boxer, and was undefeated in 28 contests when he was forced to give it up after being hit on the head in the nets at cricket practice. Later he was tipped to play Tests by [[Don Bradman]], the Australian cricket captain, but missed out after fracturing a jaw. This prompted him to leave [[New South Wales]] and come to [[Lancashire]], [[England]], playing [[Lancashire League (cricket)|league cricket]] there for [[Colne Cricket Club]] for five years from 1948, becoming the only player to score 1000 runs in each of five consecutive seasons in the league's history. <ref>http://www.colnecc.com/postwar.asp?slid=4&mid=2<ref> He moved to play for Blackpool CC in the newly established Northern League where he scored 19 centuries <ref>http://www.northerncricketleague.org/leagrev02.html</ref> and joined Somerset CCC when he was 38. He played his last and 350th first-class game for Somerset when he was 49.
+Whilst in Australia, Alley was also a middleweight boxer, and was undefeated in 28 contests when he was forced to give it up after being hit on the head in the nets at cricket practice. Later he was tipped to play Tests by [[Don Bradman]], the Australian cricket captain, but missed out after fracturing a jaw. This prompted him to leave [[New South Wales]] and come to [[Lancashire]], [[England]], playing [[Lancashire League (cricket)|league cricket]] there for [[Colne Cricket Club]] for five years from 1948, becoming the only player to score 1000 runs in each of five consecutive seasons in the league's history. <ref>http://www.colnecc.com/postwar.asp?slid=4&mid=2</ref> He moved to play for Blackpool CC in the newly established Northern League where he scored 19 centuries <ref>http://www.northerncricketleague.org/leagrev02.html</ref> and joined Somerset CCC when he was 38. He played his last and 350th first-class game for Somerset when he was 49.
 After stopping playing, he umpired first-class games for 16 years and also stood in 10 [[Test cricket|Test match]]es and 9 [[One Day International]]s as [[Umpire (cricket)|umpire]]. He so loved the [[West Country]] area of [[England]] that he chose to remain there after retirement rather than move back to his native Australia.