Wal Walmsley

Walter Thomas Walmsley (16 March 1916 – 25 February 1978) was a cricketer who played first-class cricket for three Australian state teams and for Northern Districts in New Zealand between 1945–46 and 1959-60.

The Tasmanian team that played the Indians at Hobart in January 1948. Wal Walmsley is seated third from the right.

A batsman who could bat at any position in the order and a leg-break and googly bowler, Wal Walmsley made his first-class debut for New South Wales against Queensland in a friendly match in 1945-46. He moved to Launceston, Tasmania, to coach, where he captained North (of Tasmania) against South in January 1948, taking 10 wickets in the match and scoring 63 in the second innings.[1] He played in Tasmania's three first-class games that followed shortly afterwards, scoring 180 not out and taking three wickets against the Indian touring team at Launceston.[2]

He was appointed coach of the Queensland Cricket Association in 1948-49,[3] but did not play for Queensland until the 1954-55 season, after which he became a regular in the side. In his first Sheffield Shield match, at the age of 38, he took 5 for 84 and 3 for 90 to help Queensland to victory over South Australia.[4]

In 1956-57 he took 3 for 52 and 5 for 124 against New South Wales.[5] His batting by this stage was generally less effective than his bowling (in 28 matches for Queensland he scored 577 runs at 21.37[6] and took 102 wickets at 30.12[7]) but he scored 106 not out batting at number 10 against New South Wales in 1957-58, sharing a ninth-wicket partnership of 120 with Ray Reynolds and an unbroken tenth-wicket partnership of 105 with John Freeman. He also took six wickets in the match.[8]

In 1958-59 he took 6 for 56 to help Queensland to an innings victory over South Australia.[9] Before the season ended, he moved to New Zealand to take up a position with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hamilton,[10] playing his first first-class match in New Zealand, for a combined Northern Districts and Central Districts team against the touring MCC, almost immediately.

He played three matches for Northern Districts in 1959-60 at the age of 43, taking 12 wickets at 26.58,[11] then retired.

He remained in New Zealand with his large family, and died suddenly in Hamilton at 61.[12]