580:. 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 in one match achieved his highest score of 221 not out, out of Somerset's total of 311 all out. During the same season, he hit in excess of 300 runs in a match against the visiting Australians (184 not out in the first innings and 134 not out in the second).
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31:
583:
His was the last instance of a batsman scoring 3,000 runs in an
English season. Only eight batsmen in history have achieved the feat of 3,000 runs in an English season. At the end of that season, he topped the first-class averages, ahead of all the England and Australian Test cricketers, who in those
513:
As the professional for
Blackpool, he was able to earn more money than any first class cricketer anywhere in the world. Each League side in Lancashire was permitted to pay only one professional. During the 1950s and early 1960s, in the summer at any one time there were more than 150,000 holidaymakers
509:
This 5-year spell at Colne fulfilled the requirement at that time that any foreign player coming to
England had to reside in England for 5 years before he could play first-class cricket in England. From Colne he moved to play for Blackpool CC in the newly established Northern League where he scored
482:
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. His cricket career was interrupted and delayed both by his boxing career, and by World War Two, which saw first
614:
with the
Cricketer of the Year Award for 1962, Compton said "it is stated that you are only 43 years old. Well if you are only 43, then I am still a baby in a nappy." Compton had retired 5 years earlier, in 1957, the same year Alley had started his English first-class career.
541:
Alley was eventually tempted into joining
Somerset CCC in 1957, when he was 38, since they offered a 3-year contract, while Blackpool could not commit to one of such length. Alley played 350 first-class games for Somerset, the last one being when he was 49.
518:. Every season, moreover, the Blackpool pro was given a benefit match. Illustrating the value of the Blackpool job, Alley was succeeded as Blackpool's pro by many of the all-time greats of the game. These included Sir
594:, 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
538:. Playing only 2 days a week would also have given the pro the opportunity to take a second job if he had so wanted, including playing for a Minor County or a first class County Second Eleven.
568:
Alley was married to Betty, whom 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.
861:
866:
891:
851:
587:
Alley's 10 centuries for
Somerset in 1961 remained a county record for thirty years. In 1962 he received the honour of being one of
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for five years from 1948, becoming the only player to score 1,000 runs in each of five consecutive seasons in the league's history.
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days all played among the
Counties six days a week throughout the season except when they were playing Test cricket.
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that he chose to remain there after retirement rather than move back to his native
Australia.
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After stopping playing, he umpired first-class games for 16 years and also stood in 10
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479:. After retiring as a cricketer, Alley continued as a cricket umpire for many years.
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in Blackpool, and there were very large crowds indeed paying at the turnstiles of
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610:. Many people expressed doubts about his exact age, and on being presented by
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660:"A look back over 50 years of the Northern Cricket League"
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862:English One Day International cricket umpires
483:class cricket matches cancelled for 6 years.
173:23 November 1945 New South Wales v
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867:Australian expatriate cricketers in England
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459:(3 February 1919 – 26 November 2004) was a
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29:
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215:14 September 1968 Somerset v
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684:. Colne Cricket Club. Archived from
187:31 August 1968 Somerset v
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13:
852:International Cavaliers cricketers
14:
908:
892:A. E. R. Gilligan's XI cricketers
796:
201:22 May 1963 Somerset v
16:Australian and English cricketer
486:He was tipped to play Tests by
674:
625:
1:
832:Wisden Cricketers of the Year
618:
572:Record in first-class cricket
857:English Test cricket umpires
7:
592:five cricketers of the year
10:
913:
847:Commonwealth XI cricketers
842:New South Wales cricketers
128:Domestic team information
713:"Bill Alley dies aged 85"
662:. Northern Cricket League
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897:North v South cricketers
882:Cricketers from Sydney
551:One Day Internationals
516:Blackpool Cricket Club
827:Australian cricketers
113:Right-arm medium-fast
598:side, that included
498:, England, playing
457:William Edward Alley
385:5 wickets in innings
47:William Edward Alley
38:Personal information
837:Somerset cricketers
557:. He so loved the
397:10 wickets in match
25:
887:Players cricketers
504:Colne Cricket Club
21:
785:978-1-84607-880-4
688:on 1 October 2011
637:. Cricket Archive
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257:Career statistics
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82:24 November 2004
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778:. p. 168.
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524:Garfield Sobers
492:New South Wales
477:Commonwealth XI
469:New South Wales
463:who played 400
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448:30 October 2007
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372:Bowling average
304:Batting average
189:Gloucestershire
157:New South Wales
152:1945/46–1946/47
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63:3 February 1919
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797:External links
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600:Ken Barrington
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532:Hanif Mohammad
510:19 centuries.
500:league cricket
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86:(aged 85)
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576:Alley was an
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248:9 (1974–1981)
247:
245: umpired
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234: umpired
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807:ESPNcricinfo
772:Ask Bearders
771:
762:
750:. Retrieved
745:
742:"Bill Alley"
721:. Retrieved
716:
690:. Retrieved
686:the original
676:
664:. Retrieved
639:. Retrieved
634:"Bill Alley"
627:
589:
586:
582:
575:
567:
559:West Country
547:Test matches
544:
540:
536:Rohan Kanhai
520:Conrad Hunte
512:
508:
494:and come to
485:
481:
467:matches for
456:
455:
408:Best bowling
226:information
217:Warwickshire
84:(2004-11-24)
18:
877:2004 deaths
872:1919 births
752:15 November
723:15 November
692:15 November
666:15 November
641:15 November
578:all-rounder
488:Don Bradman
465:first-class
292:Runs scored
270:First-class
266:Competition
122:All-rounder
105:Left-handed
73:, Australia
821:Categories
803:Bill Alley
682:"Post-war"
619:References
528:Pankaj Roy
502:there for
496:Lancashire
175:Queensland
59:1919-02-03
23:Bill Alley
805: at
776:BBC Books
604:Peter May
461:cricketer
421:stumpings
327:Top score
203:Glamorgan
141:1957–1968
96:, England
770:(2009).
746:cricinfo
717:Cricinfo
590:Wisden's
561:area of
473:Somerset
442:Source:
419:Catches/
316:100s/50s
224:Umpiring
145:Somerset
94:Somerset
563:England
359:Wickets
281:Matches
110:Bowling
102:Batting
90:Taunton
67:Hornsby
782:
748:. ESPN
719:. espn
596:Surrey
555:umpire
549:and 9
475:and a
350:46,034
347:bowled
295:19,612
275:List A
71:Sydney
425:293/–
379:16.20
376:22.68
353:1,105
345:Balls
319:31/92
311:19.20
308:31.88
232:Tests
209:Last
198:debut
181:Last
170:debut
133:Years
780:ISBN
754:2011
725:2011
694:2011
668:2011
643:2011
606:and
534:and
414:4/14
411:8/65
243:ODIs
136:Team
118:Role
79:Died
53:Born
553:as
428:4/–
363:768
330:221
322:0/1
298:288
284:400
823::
774:.
744:.
733:^
715:.
702:^
651:^
602:,
530:,
526:,
522:,
471:,
446:,
389:30
366:25
336:58
287:17
211:LA
196:LA
183:FC
168:FC
92:,
69:,
788:.
756:.
727:.
696:.
670:.
645:.
403:0
400:1
392:0
338:*
332:*
61:)
57:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
