William Shirley (cricketer)

William Robert de la Cour Shirley (13 October 1900 – 23 April 1970) was an English cricketer.[1] A right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler, he played first-class cricket between 1922 and 1925, primarily for Hampshire.[2] He also played first-class cricket for Cambridge University and the Free Foresters[3] in addition to representing the Nigeria national cricket team.[1]

William Shirley
Personal information
Full nameWilliam Robert de la Cour Shirley
Born(1900-10-13)13 October 1900
Marylebone, London, England
Died23 April 1970(1970-04-23) (aged 69)
Bognor Regis, Sussex, England
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm fast-medium
RoleAll-rounder
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1922–1925Hampshire
1924Cambridge University
1922Free Foresters
First-class debut10 June 1922 Free Foresters v Cambridge University
Last First-class23 May 1925 Hampshire v Lancashire
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 62
Runs scored 1458
Batting average 17.78
100s/50s 0/3
Top score 90
Balls bowled 3433
Wickets 81
Bowling average 23.60
5 wickets in innings 0
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 4/10
Catches/stumpings 31/0
Source: CricketArchive, 21 June 2008

Biography

Born in Marylebone in 1900,[2] William Shirley was educated at Eton and Cambridge University, playing cricket for both institutions.[1] He made his first-class debut in 1922, playing for Free Foresters against Cambridge University. He made his debut for Hampshire in a County Championship match against Warwickshire,[4] a match that was described by Wisden as "extraordinary". In the match, Hampshire were bowled out for just 15 in their first innings and were forced to follow on 203 runs behind. They then scored 521 and won the match by 155 runs.[1]

He played ten more County Championship matches for Hampshire that season, and played a further 19 the next season. The 1924 season started with him playing for Cambridge University against various county sides, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the Army, the Free Foresters and South Africa. He gained his blue when he played against Oxford University at Lord's in July. In addition to his matches for the university, he also played 14 County Championship matches for Hampshire.[4]

His last season in first-class cricket was in 1925, when he played four County Championship matches for Hampshire in May, the last coming against Lancashire.[4] This was not the end of his cricket career though, as he played five times for Nigeria against the Gold Coast whilst living there between 1928 and 1938.[1] He died in Bognor Regis in 1970, aged 69.[2]

Cricket statistics

In his 62 first-class matches, Shirley scored 1458 runs at an average of 17.78 with a top score of 90[2] made for Hampshire against Glamorgan in his first season.[1] He took 81 wickets at an average of 23.60, with best innings bowling figures of 4/10[2] for Cambridge University[5] against Lancashire[6] in 1924.[4]

In his five matches for Nigeria against the Gold Coast, he scored 350 runs at an average of 43.75 and took 21 wickets at an average of 15.00.[1]

References
  1. Cricinfo profile
  2. CricketArchive profile
  3. Teams played for by William Shirley at CricketArchive
  4. First-class matches played by William Shirley at CricketArchive
  5. First-class bowling for each team by William Shirley at CricketArchive
  6. First-class bowling against each opponent by William Shirley at CricketArchive
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