William Walker (Scottish cricketer)

William Norman Walker MC DL JP (23 January 1894 — 14 September 1960) was a Scottish first-class cricketer and cricket administrator, and an officer in the British Army.

William Walker
Personal information
Full name
William Norman Walker
Born23 January 1894
Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland
Died14 September 1960(1960-09-14) (aged 66)
Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium
RelationsJohn Walker (brother)
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
19221925Scotland
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 6
Runs scored 200
Batting average 18.18
100s/50s –/1
Top score 58
Balls bowled 938
Wickets 18
Bowling average 27.88
5 wickets in innings
10 wickets in match
Best bowling 4/55
Catches/stumpings 5/–
Source: Cricinfo, 27 October 2022

Walker was born at Greenock in January 1894 and was educated at The Glasgow Academy.[1] He served in the British Army during the First World War, being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Field Artillery in August 1914,[2] with promotion to lieutenant following in August 1915.[3] He was awarded the Military Cross in 1917, for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in endeavouring to extinguish blazing ammunition which had been set alight by heavy howitzer shelling.[4] Walker was made second in command of a battalion in March 1918, at which point he was made an acting captain;[5] he relinquished his acting rank in August 1918 and ceased to be employed in the army in May 1919.[6][7] He remained commissioned until September 1922, when he resigned his commission and was granted the rank of captain.[8]

A club cricketer for Greenock, he made his debut in first-class cricket for Scotland against Ireland at Glasgow in 1922. He played first-class cricket for Scotland until 1925, making six appearances.[9] Playing as an all-rounder in the Scottish side, Walker scored 200 runs in his six matches at an average of 18.18; he made one half century score of 58.[10] With his right-arm medium pace bowling, he took 18 wickets at a bowling average of 27.88, with best figures of 4 for 55.[11]

Walker returned to military service in the Second World War with the Territorial Army.[12] He was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Renfrewshire in July 1945.[13] Walker was appointed honorary colonel of the 328 Medium Regiment (Highland) in July 1947,[14] before relinquishing his commission in December of the same year.[15] Walker served as the president of the Scottish Cricket Union the following year.[16] He relinquished his appointment as honorary colonel in July 1950.[17] A justice of the peace for Renfrewshire,[17] Walker died at Renfrew in September 1960. His brother, John, was also a first-class cricketer. Walker was a direct descendant of Johnnie Walker, the founder of the Scotch whiskey brand of the same name.

References

  1. The Glasgow Academy Roll of Honour 1914–1918. Edinburgh: John Smith and Son Limited. 1918. p. 18.
  2. "No. 28918". The London Gazette. 29 September 1914. p. 7700.
  3. "No. 29282". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 August 1915. p. 8722.
  4. "No. 13116". The Edinburgh Gazette. 20 July 1917. p. 1420.
  5. "No. 30685". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 May 1918. p. 5833.
  6. "No. 30902". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 September 1918. p. 11069.
  7. "No. 31394". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 June 1919. p. 7415.
  8. "No. 32745". The London Gazette. 8 September 1922. p. 6513.
  9. "First-Class Matches played by William Walker". CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  10. "First-Class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by William Walker". CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  11. "First-Class Bowling For Each Team by William Walker". CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  12. "No. 36797". The London Gazette. 14 November 1944. p. 5270.
  13. "No. 37238". The London Gazette. 24 August 1945. p. 4299.
  14. "No. 38058". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 August 1947. p. 4088.
  15. "No. 38152". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 December 1947. p. 6079.
  16. "Presidents and Honorary Members". www.cricketscotland.com. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  17. "No. 39125". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 January 1951. p. 355.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.