Billy Midwinter
Encyclopedia
William Evans Midwinter (19 June 1851 in St Briavels
, Gloucestershire
, England
– 3 December 1890 in Melbourne
, Australia
) was a cricket
er who played four Test matches
for England
, sandwiched in between eight Tests that he played for Australia
. Midwinter holds a unique place in cricket history as the only cricketer to have played for Australia and England in Test Matches against each other.
Midwinter made his Test debut in the first ever Test match in 1877, playing for Australia, where he had emigrated aged nine, against the country of his birth. Later that year he returned to England, playing for WG Grace's Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
. He was included in the Australian team to tour England in 1878, and played some matches for them, before, about to take the field at Lord's he was virtually kidnapped by Grace, who took him to the Oval
to play for Gloucestershire in their game against Surrey
. He didn't return to the tour, instead remaining (voluntarily) with Gloucestershire until the 1882 season.
He was selected to tour with the England team visiting Australia in 1881/2, playing four Tests, and then in 1882/3 Midwinter emigrated back to Australia, joining Victoria. He was selected for Australia to play the one-off Test after England had won the first Ashes
series in 1883/4, and then for the Australian tour of England in 1884. This makes him the only man to play for one international side, then another, and then return to his original international team.
His batting performance at Test level was not exceptional, but his first class performances for Victoria and Gloucestershire show he was among the best all-rounders in his era.
By 1889, Midwinter's wife and two of his children had died, and his businesses were failed or failing. He became "hopelessly insane" and was confined to Bendigo Hospital in 1890. He was then transferred to the Kew Asylum
, where he died later that year. He was buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery
.
St Briavels
St Briavels is a medium sized village and civil parish in the Royal Forest of Dean in west Gloucestershire, England; close to the England-Wales border, and south of Coleford. It stands almost above sea level on the edge of a limestone plateau above the valley of the River Wye, above an ancient...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England
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...
– 3 December 1890 in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, 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...
) was a cricket
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 four 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...
for England
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...
, sandwiched in between eight Tests that he played for Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
. Midwinter holds a unique place in cricket history as the only cricketer to have played for Australia and England in Test Matches against each other.
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire 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 Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
. He was included in the Australian team to tour England in 1878, and played some matches for them, before, about to take the field at Lord's he was virtually kidnapped by Grace, who took him to the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
to play for Gloucestershire in their game 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...
. He didn't return to the tour, instead remaining (voluntarily) with Gloucestershire until the 1882 season.
He was selected to tour with the England team visiting Australia in 1881/2, playing four Tests, and then in 1882/3 Midwinter emigrated back to Australia, joining Victoria. He was selected for Australia to play the one-off Test after England had won the first Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
series in 1883/4, and then for the Australian tour of England in 1884. This makes him the only man to play for one international side, then another, and then return to his original international team.
His batting performance at Test level was not exceptional, but his first class performances for Victoria and Gloucestershire show he was among the best all-rounders in his era.
By 1889, Midwinter's wife and two of his children had died, and his businesses were failed or failing. He became "hopelessly insane" and was confined to Bendigo Hospital in 1890. He was then transferred to the Kew Asylum
Kew Asylum
Kew Lunatic Asylum is a decommissioned psychiatric hospital located between Princess Street and Yarra Boulevard in Kew, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. Operational from 1871 to 1988, Kew was one of the largest asylums ever built in Australia. Later known as Willsmere, the complex of buildings...
, where he died later that year. He was buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery
Melbourne General Cemetery
The Melbourne General Cemetery is a large necropolis located north of the city of Melbourne in the suburb of Carlton North.-History:...
.
External links
- The Midwinter file, Graham Parker, Wisden 1971