Bill Reeves
Encyclopedia
William 'Bill' Reeves (born 22 June 1875 at Cambridge
; died 22 March 1944 at Wormwood Park, Hammersmith
, London
) was an English
cricketer
, who at the conclusion of his playing career became an umpire
, officiating in five Test Matches
.
from 1897 to 1921, having begun by joining the groundstaff at Leyton Cricket Ground
, which was then the county's headquarters. His best years with the bat were 1905 and 1906. In the former season he reached 1,000 runs for the only time, with 1174 at an average of 29.35, and scored two of his three hundreds. His career highest score of 135 came against Lancashire in only two hours. He also scored 71 out of 90 in 50 minutes against the powerful Yorkshire side, assisting Essex to a score of 521. Yorkshire had to follow-on, and had seven wickets down in their second innings at the end of the game. He scored his other century the following year, 104 against Sussex, when he and Claude Buckenham
added 163 for the eighth wicket in only seventy minutes.
In 1901 he took the last five Derbyshire wickets in 11 balls without conceding a run. His most productive season with the ball was 1904, when he took 106 wickets at 26.16, the only occasion when he reached 100 wickets. He took five wickets or more in an innings 11 times that season, and ten or more in a match on three occasions. In 1907 against Nottinghamshire he and Walter Mead bowled unchanged through both innings. From 1910 to 1913 he played in no more than nine matches in any season, but as late as 1920 - when he became 45 years of age - he surprisingly took 62 wickets at 22.59, including the best innings figures of his career, 7/33. He only played in four matches in 1921, his final year and benefit season.
He was renowned for his witticisms. When a batsman protested that he was not out, Reeves responded: "Weren't you? Wait till you see the papers in the morning." When he thought that a bowler was appealing too often, he observed: "There's only one man who appeals more than you do." "Oh, who's that?" the bowler innocently asked. "Doctor Barnardo
," said Reeves.
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
; died 22 March 1944 at Wormwood Park, Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
, who at the conclusion of his playing career became an umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
, officiating in five Test Matches
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
.
Playing career
Bill Reeves was a medium-pace bowler and a useful hard-hitting batsman who played for EssexEssex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
from 1897 to 1921, having begun by joining the groundstaff at Leyton Cricket Ground
Leyton Cricket Ground
Leyton Cricket Ground is a cricket ground in Leyton, London.-Cricket ground:...
, which was then the county's headquarters. His best years with the bat were 1905 and 1906. In the former season he reached 1,000 runs for the only time, with 1174 at an average of 29.35, and scored two of his three hundreds. His career highest score of 135 came against Lancashire in only two hours. He also scored 71 out of 90 in 50 minutes against the powerful Yorkshire side, assisting Essex to a score of 521. Yorkshire had to follow-on, and had seven wickets down in their second innings at the end of the game. He scored his other century the following year, 104 against Sussex, when he and Claude Buckenham
Claude Buckenham
Claude Percival Buckenham, , was a cricketer who played for Essex and England....
added 163 for the eighth wicket in only seventy minutes.
In 1901 he took the last five Derbyshire wickets in 11 balls without conceding a run. His most productive season with the ball was 1904, when he took 106 wickets at 26.16, the only occasion when he reached 100 wickets. He took five wickets or more in an innings 11 times that season, and ten or more in a match on three occasions. In 1907 against Nottinghamshire he and Walter Mead bowled unchanged through both innings. From 1910 to 1913 he played in no more than nine matches in any season, but as late as 1920 - when he became 45 years of age - he surprisingly took 62 wickets at 22.59, including the best innings figures of his career, 7/33. He only played in four matches in 1921, his final year and benefit season.
Umpiring career
He umpired in one match in 1920, and then - following his retirement as a player - regularly from 1921 to 1939. His five Tests were in 1924 (two matches, England v South Africa), 1926 (one match, England v Australia), 1937 (one match, England v New Zealand) and 1939 (one match, England v West Indies). He was also due to stand in the 1938 England v Australia match at Old Trafford, but it was abandoned without a ball being bowled.He was renowned for his witticisms. When a batsman protested that he was not out, Reeves responded: "Weren't you? Wait till you see the papers in the morning." When he thought that a bowler was appealing too often, he observed: "There's only one man who appeals more than you do." "Oh, who's that?" the bowler innocently asked. "Doctor Barnardo
Barnardo's
Barnardo's is a British charity founded by Thomas John Barnardo in 1866, to care for vulnerable children and young people. As of 2010, it spends over £190 million each year on more than 400 local services aimed at helping these same groups...
," said Reeves.