Billy Bestwick
Encyclopedia
William Bestwick (24 February 1875 – 2 May 1938) was an English cricket
er who played for Derbyshire
between 1898 and 1926. He was a demon medium-fast bowler who took over 1400 wickets for the county, including 10 in one innings. From his wild temperament and reckless behaviour, he was known as a "bad boy" of cricket.
Bestwick was born at Tag Hill, Heanor
, Derbyshire
the son of a miner and worked at Coppice Pit from the age of 11. He debuted for the Derbyshire team in 1898, as a professional although still working in the mine in winter. He is one of only two bowlers to have hit ten wickets in a single innings for Derbyshire, a feat he achieved in June 1921, the other being five-time Test cricketer Tommy Mitchell. He was a true tailender batsman, who never averaged above eight with the bat in a single season for Derbyshire, and did not once reach twenty in his last two hundred and eighty first-class innings, a run of batting failures equalled only by Eric Hollies
between 1939 and 1954. This extreme weakness as a batsman (and also in the field) was probably why Bestwick never managed to gain a single Test cap
.
Though Bestwick finished with the second-weakest average of his debut season, he proved himself capable with best bowling figures of an expensive but successful 4-163. While Derbyshire were bottom of the 1899 Championship table, the team were looking for an upturn in fortunes. A season average of six would not initially indicate this, however, thanks to the best single batting performance of his career, an innings of 39 against Surrey
, Derbyshire bested Leicestershire
and the winless Hampshire
in the season's championship table.
Derbyshire played host to a team of South Africans
in 1901, as the young Test nation played a series of eleven warm-up matches against English county sides prior to a Test series against the English cricket team
. However, a publicity boost such as this only served to panic an ever-spiralling Derbyshire team into once again finishing in bottom place in the table. The following year, 1902, was slightly more encouraging for Derbyshire, as, boosted by the appearance of long-time Warwickshire
player Thomas Forrester
, after three years out of the game, Derbyshire finished in their highest position since the beginning of Bestwick's career, finishing the season in tenth place. Bestwick bowled very well in a summer when pitches were almost always too wet to suit a bowler of his pace, and was probably the second best fast bowler in county cricket after William Lockwood
.
In 1903, Derbyshire finished twelfth, though the following season saw Derbyshire back up to tenth place, and Bestwick with one more ten-wicket match under his belt, beating out left-hander John Hulme
, who had the best single-innings tally of the team with 8/52, but no ten-wicket haul to speak of, though Arnold Warren
was to hit two similar hauls and outscore Bestwick with the bat, courtesy of a brace of half-centuries. Thanks to another South African tour, Derbyshire got full-on experience of an international side during the 1904 season, and Bestwick was to hit an average of under 30 once again, as he and Warren spearheaded the Peakites' bowling attack, as the two players missed just a single game of the eighteen Derbyshire played throughout the season between them.
1905 was very little of a rise before a fall, as Derbyshire handed debuts for fifteen players in first-class cricket, ten of whom played fewer than five first-class matches, as Derbyshire finished with a -64% winning percentage, the third-worst of the season.
Bestwick was noted for his unpredictable nature and his alcoholism after his wife left him in 1906, and this adversely affected his cricketing career. In 1907 after a night's drinking, he killed a man in a fight, although the inquest at the pub the next day brought in a verdict of 'justifiable homicide.'
The late 1900s saw more painful times for Derbyshire as Derbyshire finished second-bottom of the table. In 1909, Bestwick played in his final County Championship game for nearly ten years. He was sacked and went to South Wales, where he remarried and played for Glamorgan
in the Minor Counties Championship in 1914.
In 1919 44-year-old Bestwick was invited to rejoin Derbyshire in a revitalized Derbyshire team, and with Arthur Morton
as his minder. The side was led at various times by captains Richard Baggallay
, Guy Jackson
and John Chapman, the team's three-season captain before the outbreak of the Great War, the eldest of the Hill-Wood brothers, Basil
, Derbyshire finished in ninth place.
Bestwick was practically blameless for Derbyshire's bottom-placing season of 1920, after playing just one game for the team. Despite being 45-years-old at this time, he was still turning out regular appearances for a team whose appearances further up the table seemed indicative of a change in fortunes, until 1924 saw Derbyshire winless in 24 County Championship games and rooted to the foot of the table.
Beswick's son, Robert Bestwick
, later served as a Derbyshire cricketer, father and son playing two games together during the 1922 season. Bestwick, aged fifty, and having outlasted his own son in the first-class game, played seven games in his final season in 1925. He became an umpire and umpired 238 first class matches, including three Tests in 1929 and 1930, the last of which was played less than a year before he died.
Bestwick died in 1938 in Standard Hill, Nottingham
.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played for Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
between 1898 and 1926. He was a demon medium-fast bowler who took over 1400 wickets for the county, including 10 in one innings. From his wild temperament and reckless behaviour, he was known as a "bad boy" of cricket.
Bestwick was born at Tag Hill, Heanor
Heanor
Heanor is a town in the Amber Valley district of Derbyshire in the East Midlands of England. It is northeast of Derby. According to the census of 2001 the town's population was 22,620.-History:...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
the son of a miner and worked at Coppice Pit from the age of 11. He debuted for the Derbyshire team in 1898, as a professional although still working in the mine in winter. He is one of only two bowlers to have hit ten wickets in a single innings for Derbyshire, a feat he achieved in June 1921, the other being five-time Test cricketer Tommy Mitchell. He was a true tailender batsman, who never averaged above eight with the bat in a single season for Derbyshire, and did not once reach twenty in his last two hundred and eighty first-class innings, a run of batting failures equalled only by Eric Hollies
Eric Hollies
William Eric Hollies was an English cricketer, who is mainly remembered for taking the wicket of Donald Bradman for a duck in Bradman's final Test match innings, in which only four was needed for a Test average of 100...
between 1939 and 1954. This extreme weakness as a batsman (and also in the field) was probably why Bestwick never managed to gain a single Test cap
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...
.
Though Bestwick finished with the second-weakest average of his debut season, he proved himself capable with best bowling figures of an expensive but successful 4-163. While Derbyshire were bottom of the 1899 Championship table, the team were looking for an upturn in fortunes. A season average of six would not initially indicate this, however, thanks to the best single batting performance of his career, an innings of 39 against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
, Derbyshire bested Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire 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 Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
and the winless Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
in the season's championship table.
Derbyshire played host to a team of South Africans
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
in 1901, as the young Test nation played a series of eleven warm-up matches against English county sides prior to a Test series against the English cricket team
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
. However, a publicity boost such as this only served to panic an ever-spiralling Derbyshire team into once again finishing in bottom place in the table. The following year, 1902, was slightly more encouraging for Derbyshire, as, boosted by the appearance of long-time Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
player Thomas Forrester
Thomas Forrester
Thomas Hamilton Forrester is a fictional character in the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. He was portrayed by Drew Tyler Bell sporadically from 2004 to 2010 and is currently portrayed by Adam Gregory, who took over from Bell in September 2010...
, after three years out of the game, Derbyshire finished in their highest position since the beginning of Bestwick's career, finishing the season in tenth place. Bestwick bowled very well in a summer when pitches were almost always too wet to suit a bowler of his pace, and was probably the second best fast bowler in county cricket after William Lockwood
William Lockwood
William 'Bill' Lockwood William 'Bill' Lockwood William 'Bill' Lockwood (William Henry Lockwood; born 25 March 1868, Radford, Nottingham; died 26 April 1932, Radford, Nottingham was a fast bowler and the unpredictable, occasionally devastating counterpart to the amazingly hard-working Tom...
.
In 1903, Derbyshire finished twelfth, though the following season saw Derbyshire back up to tenth place, and Bestwick with one more ten-wicket match under his belt, beating out left-hander John Hulme
John Hulme
John Joseph Hulme was an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 1887 and 1903.Hulme was born in Church Gresley, Swadlincote, Derbyshire. He debuted for Derbyshire in the 1887 season against Marylebone Cricket Club in May, and took two wickets in the second innings...
, who had the best single-innings tally of the team with 8/52, but no ten-wicket haul to speak of, though Arnold Warren
Arnold Warren
Arnold Warren was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire between 1897 and 1920 and played for England in 1905. He was the first bowler from Derbyshire to take 100 wickets in a season, a feat he performed three times.Warren was born in Codnor Park, Derbyshire, the son of...
was to hit two similar hauls and outscore Bestwick with the bat, courtesy of a brace of half-centuries. Thanks to another South African tour, Derbyshire got full-on experience of an international side during the 1904 season, and Bestwick was to hit an average of under 30 once again, as he and Warren spearheaded the Peakites' bowling attack, as the two players missed just a single game of the eighteen Derbyshire played throughout the season between them.
1905 was very little of a rise before a fall, as Derbyshire handed debuts for fifteen players in first-class cricket, ten of whom played fewer than five first-class matches, as Derbyshire finished with a -64% winning percentage, the third-worst of the season.
Bestwick was noted for his unpredictable nature and his alcoholism after his wife left him in 1906, and this adversely affected his cricketing career. In 1907 after a night's drinking, he killed a man in a fight, although the inquest at the pub the next day brought in a verdict of 'justifiable homicide.'
The late 1900s saw more painful times for Derbyshire as Derbyshire finished second-bottom of the table. In 1909, Bestwick played in his final County Championship game for nearly ten years. He was sacked and went to South Wales, where he remarried and played for Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan 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 Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
in the Minor Counties Championship in 1914.
In 1919 44-year-old Bestwick was invited to rejoin Derbyshire in a revitalized Derbyshire team, and with Arthur Morton
Arthur Morton (cricketer, born 1883)
Arthur Morton was an English cricketer who played first class cricket for Derbyshire and MCC between 1903 and 1926. He made over 10,000 runs and took nearly 1000 wickets.Morton was born at Mellor, Derbyshire...
as his minder. The side was led at various times by captains Richard Baggallay
Richard Baggallay (cricketer)
Richard Romer Claude Baggallay D.S.O. M.C. was an English army officer and cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire between 1912 and 1919 and captained the side in 1913, 1914 and 1919....
, Guy Jackson
Guy Jackson
Guy Rolf Jackson was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire between 1919 and 1936, being captain for nine years....
and John Chapman, the team's three-season captain before the outbreak of the Great War, the eldest of the Hill-Wood brothers, Basil
Sir Basil Hill-Wood, 2nd Baronet
Sir Basil Samuel Hill Hill-Wood, 2nd Baronet was an English solicitor, baronet and cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire between 1919 and 1925....
, Derbyshire finished in ninth place.
Bestwick was practically blameless for Derbyshire's bottom-placing season of 1920, after playing just one game for the team. Despite being 45-years-old at this time, he was still turning out regular appearances for a team whose appearances further up the table seemed indicative of a change in fortunes, until 1924 saw Derbyshire winless in 24 County Championship games and rooted to the foot of the table.
Beswick's son, Robert Bestwick
Robert Bestwick
Robert Saxton Bestwick was an English cricketer who played first class cricket for Derbyshire between 1920 and 1922....
, later served as a Derbyshire cricketer, father and son playing two games together during the 1922 season. Bestwick, aged fifty, and having outlasted his own son in the first-class game, played seven games in his final season in 1925. He became an umpire and umpired 238 first class matches, including three Tests in 1929 and 1930, the last of which was played less than a year before he died.
Bestwick died in 1938 in Standard Hill, Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
.
External links
- Billy Bestwick at Cricket Archive