Billy Midwinter
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| Full name | William Evans Midwinter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 19 June 1851 St Briavels, Gloucestershire, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 3 December 1890 (aged 39) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Test debut (cap 10) | 15 March 1877 Australia v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 1 March 1887 Australia v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricketArchive, 4 March 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
William Evans Midwinter (19 June 1851 – 3 December 1890) was a
Professional career
Midwinter made his Test debut in the first ever Test match in 1877, playing for Australia, where he had emigrated aged nine, against the country of his birth. He took five wickets in the first innings against England in Melbourne.[2]
Billy played in the 2nd test of the 1876–1877 Series. The match started on 31 March 1877. Australia won the toss and elected to bat. Billy played at No: 6. He came out when Australia were 60 for 4 to join debut man Thomas Kelly. Billy batted with all 3 test debutants, Thomas Kelly, Frederick Spofforth and Billy Murdoch. He scored 31, his top score at the time and became the 3rd Test Batsman to score 53 runs in a Test Career.
Later that year he returned to England, playing for
He was selected to tour with the England team visiting Australia in 1881/2, playing four Tests, and then in 1882/3 Midwinter emigrated back to Australia, joining Victoria. He was selected for Australia to play the one-off Test after England had won the first Ashes series in 1883/4, and then for the Australian tour of England in 1884. This makes him the only man to play Test cricket for one international side, then another, and then return to his original international team.
His batting performance at Test level was not exceptional, but his first-class performances for Victoria and Gloucestershire show he was among the best all-rounders in his era.
By 1889, Midwinter's wife and two of his children had died, and his businesses were failed or failing. He became "hopelessly insane" and was confined to Bendigo Hospital in 1890. He was then transferred to the Kew Asylum, where he died later that year.[4] He was buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery.
See also
References
- ^ "Midwinter's midsummer madness". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ^ "1st Test: Australia v England at Melbourne, Mar 15–19, 1877". espncricinfo. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
- ^ "Gus arrives". ESPN Cricinfo. 26 June 2006. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ^ "An Olympian aloofness". ESPN Cricinfo. 18 June 2007. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
External links
Media related to Billy Midwinter at Wikimedia Commons- Billy Midwinter at ESPNcricinfo
- The Midwinter file, Graham Parker, Wisden 1971
- Midwinter's midsummer madness by Jenny Thompson, an account of Midwinter's kidnapping by WG Grace
