Willie Watson (English cricketer)
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Bolton upon Dearne, Yorkshire, England | 7 March 1920|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 24 April 2004 Johannesburg, South Africa | (aged 84)|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Batting | Left-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Test debut | 7 June 1951 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last Test | 14 March 1959 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricInfo, 9 September 2022 |
Willie Watson[1][2] (7 March 1920 – 24 April 2004)[3] was an English cricketer, who played for Yorkshire, Leicestershire and England. He was a double international, as Watson was also a footballer who played for England's national team.[4] He was the son of Billy Watson, and brother of Albert Watson, also footballers.
Cricket career
Born in
Despite being a stylish left-hander, his Test career was a series of stops and starts. He even found himself dropped after his efforts at Lord's for the final Ashes series clinching victory.[4] Nevertheless, he was one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1954.
Watson toured in the West Indies in 1953–54, and scored his second Test century in Jamaica. His final Test appearance was in New Zealand in March 1959. Watson's highest first-class score was 257, for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) against British Guiana at Georgetown.[3]
Watson's cricket career received a late boost when, in 1958, he left Yorkshire and joined Leicestershire as assistant secretary and captain.[4] A popular if quiet skipper, he temporarily regained his England place, and was also instrumental in a limited revival of the Leicestershire's fortunes.[4] He played his last first-class match for Leicestershire in 1964.[5]
He wrote his memoirs, Double International, in 1956.
Watson emigrated to South Africa in 1968, to coach the Wanderers.[3] He died in Johannesburg in April 2004, at the age of 84.[4]
Football career
Personal information | |||
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Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1938–1939 | Huddersfield Town | 11 | (0) |
1946–1954 | Sunderland[6] | 211 | (16) |
1954–1956 | Halifax Town | 33 | (1) |
Total | 255 | (17) | |
International career | |||
1949–1950 | England | 4 | (0) |
Managerial career | |||
1954–1956 | Halifax Town | ||
1964–1966 | Halifax Town | ||
1966–1968 | Bradford City | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
As a footballer, Watson was a cultured wing-half for
References
- ^ a b "Willie Watson". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- ^ a b "The Home of CricketArchive". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- ^ a b c d Wisden. "Willie Watson". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
- ^ ISBN 1-869833-21-X.
- ^ "The Home of CricketArchive". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- ^ "Sunderland AFC – Statistics, History and Records – from TheStatCat". Thestatcat.co.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
External links
- Willie Watson management career statistics at Soccerbase
- Sunderland career details
- Willie Watson at Englandstats.com