William Prest was a 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"....

 and footballer born in York

York

York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...

. He lived most his life in Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

 where he went on to become co-founder of Sheffield Football Club

Sheffield F.C.

Sheffield Football Club is an English football club from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. The club is most noted for the fact that they are the world's oldest club now playing Association football, founded in 1857...

 and captained Yorkshire at cricket. He was also involved with the formation of a local regiment, the Hallamshire Rifles, with whom he served with for most of his life.

Biography

William was son of John and Arabella Prest and moved with them to Sheffield when his brother John Beevor Prest bought a wine business. There he became a noted cricketer and played cricket for Yorkshire 16 times between 1852 and 1862. He scored 286 runs at an average of 10.21 as a batter and got at total of 3 wickets for 69 runs as a bowler. All 3 wickets came in the same match.

In the winter of 1854, Prest attended the meeting at the Adelphi Hotel in Arundel Gate when the Sheffield Cricket Club agreed to lease a new ground from the Duke of Norfolk

Duke of Norfolk

The Duke of Norfolk is the premier duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the premier earl. The Duke of Norfolk is, moreover, the Earl Marshal and hereditary Marshal of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the...

 next to Bramall Lane

Bramall Lane

-Cricket at the Lane:Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground in 1855, having been leased by Michael Ellison from the Duke of Norfolk at an annual rent of £70. The site was then away from the town's industrial area, and relatively free from smoke. It was built to host the matches of local cricket...

.

He also played for "The Eleven" against "The Twenty-two" in the first cricket match at the venue on 30 April 1855. He was bowled out by J Rowbotham in the first innings without scoring a run a thus became the first player to score a duck

Duck (cricket)

In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...

 at the ground.

Prest is most notable for being co-founder of Sheffield F.C. and the Sheffield Rules

Sheffield Rules

The Sheffield Rules were a code of football devised and played in the English city of Sheffield between 1857 and 1877. They were devised by Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest for use by the newly founded Sheffield Football Club. The rules were subsequently adopted as the official rules of...

. He took part in football matches played by Sheffield C.C. from 1855. In 1857 he and Nathaniel Creswick

Nathaniel Creswick

Sir Nathaniel Creswick K.C.B. was a footballer who co-founded Sheffield FC, the oldest football club in the world, in 1857. With William Prest, he established the Sheffield Rules, which were highly influential upon the modern laws of association football...

 decided to create a football club. The club was officially formed on 24 October with William becoming one of the vice-presidents. The club also established an annual athletics meeting to be held at the end of each season. At the inaugural event, watch by a crowd of 4000, Prest excelled winning a total of 12 events.

In 1859 William Prest was involved with the formation of the 2nd West Yorkshire Rifles, better known as the Hallamshire Rifles. He was involved with the battalion until his death and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He died in 10 February 1885 (aged 52) due a seizure caused by a burst blood vessel. His funeral was held at Sheffield General Cemetery

Sheffield General Cemetery

The General Cemetery is a cemetery in the City of Sheffield, England that opened in 1836, and closed for burial in 1978. It was the principal cemetery in Victorian Sheffield with over 87,000 burials. Today it is a conservation area , and it is listed on the English Heritage National Register of...

three days later with full military honours. The route was lined with several thousand mourners.