Arnold Byfield
Encyclopedia
Arnold Stanley "Bud" Byfield (born 1 November 1923 in Northam
) is a former Australia
n sportsman who played first-class cricket
in the Sheffield Shield for Western Australia
and Australian rules football
with Melbourne
in the Victorian Football League
(VFL).
Byfield, known as 'Bud', was a member of Claremont
's 1940 premiership team, at the age of just 16. In 1946 he joined the Melbourne Football Club in Victoria and played in the 1946 VFL Grand Final
, which they lost to Essendon. It was his only season in the league and he returned to Western Australia the following year for one final season at Claremont. He also played 284 games for country football clubs and umpired a further 152 games. Byfield served as president of the West Australian Country Football League
from its inception in 1973 to 1991, and in 2004 was inducted into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame
.
In six first-class cricket matches, Byfield made 251 runs at 27.88 and took two wickets at 21.50 with his medium pace bowling. He made four appearances in the 1953/54 Sheffield Shield, including one against New South Wales
when he dismissed both Ian Craig
and Bob Simpson
as well as scoring 36 in his first innings. His highest score however came against the touring South Africans in 1953 he scored 38 not out, after an unbeaten 16 in the first innings.
Northam, Western Australia
Northam is a town in Western Australia, situated at the confluence of the Avon and Mortlock Rivers, about north-east of Perth in the Avon Valley. At the 2006 census, Northam had a population of 6,009. Northam is the largest town in the Avon region...
) is a former Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n sportsman who played first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
in the Sheffield Shield for Western Australia
Western Warriors
The Western Australia cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team representing the state of Western Australia...
and Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
with Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
in the Victorian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(VFL).
Byfield, known as 'Bud', was a member of Claremont
Claremont Football Club
The Claremont Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football club in the West Australian Football League . Its official colours are navy blue and gold....
's 1940 premiership team, at the age of just 16. In 1946 he joined the Melbourne Football Club in Victoria and played in the 1946 VFL Grand Final
1946 VFL Grand Final
The 1946 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 5 October 1946. It was the 50th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for...
, which they lost to Essendon. It was his only season in the league and he returned to Western Australia the following year for one final season at Claremont. He also played 284 games for country football clubs and umpired a further 152 games. Byfield served as president of the West Australian Country Football League
West Australian Country Football League
The West Australian Country Football League is the governing body for the sport of Australian rules football in the non-metropolitan areas of Western Australia. The organisation was founded in 1973 as the Western Australian National Country Football League , changing its name to the current in 1979...
from its inception in 1973 to 1991, and in 2004 was inducted into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame
West Australian Football Hall of Fame
The West Australian Football Hall of Fame was created in 2002 to recognise and enshrine those who have made a significant contribution to Australian rules football in Western Australia...
.
In six first-class cricket matches, Byfield made 251 runs at 27.88 and took two wickets at 21.50 with his medium pace bowling. He made four appearances in the 1953/54 Sheffield Shield, including one against New South Wales
New South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
when he dismissed both Ian Craig
Ian Craig
Ian David Craig is a former Australian Test cricketer who represented Australia in 11 Tests between 1953 and 1958. A slightly built right-handed batsman, Craig holds the record for being the youngest Australian to make a first-class double century, gain Test selection and captain his country...
and Bob Simpson
Bob Simpson (cricketer)
Robert Baddeley Simpson AO is a former cricketer who played for New South Wales, Western Australia and Australia, captaining the national team from 1963–64 until 1967–68, and again in 1977–78. He later had a highly successful term as the coach of the Australian team...
as well as scoring 36 in his first innings. His highest score however came against the touring South Africans in 1953 he scored 38 not out, after an unbeaten 16 in the first innings.