Billy Beldham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Billy Beldham

Beldham (c.1860) in old age
Personal information
Full name	William Beldham
Born	(1766-02-05)5 February 1766 Wrecclesham, Surrey, England
Died	26 February 1862(1862-02-26) (aged 96) Tilford, Surrey, England
Nickname	Silver Billy
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right arm fast medium (underarm)
Role	Batting all-rounder
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1782–1786	Farnham
1785–1807	Hambledon/Hampshire
1788–1817	Surrey
1790–1818	MCC
1787–1820	England

William "Silver Billy" Beldham (born February 5, 1766 – died February 26, 1862) was a famous English professional cricket player. He played for many different teams from 1782 to 1821. Billy was born in Wrecclesham, near Farnham in Surrey, England. He passed away in Tilford, also in Surrey.

Some people spelled his name "Beldam" or "Beldum". He was a right-handed all-rounder who was great at both batting and bowling. He is known as one of the best batsmen from the time when bowlers threw the ball underarm. He bowled pitched deliveries at a fast-medium speed. Billy often fielded close to the batter, usually at slip. Sometimes he even played as a wicket-keeper.

Beldham started his cricket journey with his local team, Farnham Cricket Club. Soon, he was asked to join the famous Hambledon Club. He became well-known for playing with the county teams of Hampshire and Surrey. He also regularly played for England teams from 1787 to 1820. Plus, he played in many matches for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).

Billy Beldham's Early Life

Billy Beldham was born on February 5, 1766, in Wrecclesham, a village near Farnham in Surrey. His family owned a farm there. We don't know his exact birthplace. But some believe it was Yew Tree Cottage, a very old house. This is because in 1820, a William Beldham gave up the house to John Wells. John Wells was a fellow cricketer and Billy's brother-in-law.

Billy was the fourth of six children. His parents were George Beldham and Ann Benfil. His family had lived in the area for many generations. We don't know much about his schooling. But he could sign his name, which means he likely had some basic education.

Most of what we know about Billy Beldham comes from his talks with Reverend James Pycroft in 1837. Billy was 71 years old then. His memories, and those of his friend William Fennex, helped Pycroft write The Cricket Field (1854). Billy's earliest memory of cricket was a match in 1780. His local team, Farnham Cricket Club, beat the Hambledon Club. He was 14 at the time.

Billy Beldham's Cricket Career

Billy Beldham's recorded cricket career lasted a very long time. It went from the 1782 season all the way to the 1821 season. This is one of the longest careers for a top player. We don't know the exact number of matches he played. Many match scorecards are missing. But it was definitely more than 250 games.

For example, the CricketArchive website lists 224 matches. In these games, Beldham scored 8,112 runs. His highest score in one game was 144 runs. He also took 275 wickets, with his best being seven wickets in one innings. He caught 406 balls and completed 52 stumpings.

Playing for Farnham and Odiham (1782–1786)

Holt Pound Oval in 2010

Billy Beldham's first mention in cricket records might be in 1782. Two players named Beldum played for Farnham Cricket Club. This was in their first known match at Odiham on August 13, 1782. Farnham won that game. If Billy Beldham was one of those players, he would have been 16 years old.

In 1784, Billy and his elder brother George played for Farnham against Odiham & Alton. This match was at the Holt Pound Oval. This was a new cricket ground. The Beldham brothers were asked to help set up the pitch. This was done by Lord Stawell, a member of the Hambledon Club.

In 1785, Farnham played more games. They had matches against Alresford and Petworth. They also played three matches against the famous Hambledon Club. Farnham lost the first match badly. But Billy Beldham later said that Farnham won at least one of the other games.

Playing for Hambledon and Hampshire (1785–1807)

George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea

Billy Beldham remembered playing for Farnham against Hambledon when he was 18. He scored 43 runs against David Harris's bowling. George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea, a very important cricket supporter, watched him. The next spring, Lord Winchilsea visited Billy. He arranged for Billy to have time off work to play cricket.

Billy was invited to play for Hampshire in June 1785. This was against an England team at White Conduit Fields. This was the start of his top-level cricket career. He also began playing for the Hambledon Club. He was paid five guineas if his team won and three if they lost. He also got two guineas for practice. This was a good income for the time.

One of Billy's best games was for Hambledon in 1789. This was at Lord's Old Ground against an England XIII. England batted first and scored 118 runs. Billy caught three balls. Hambledon struggled against the bowlers Robert Clifford and John Boorman. But Billy scored 94 runs, helping his team reach 150. England then scored 73 runs. Billy caught two more balls. Hambledon needed 42 runs to win. Billy scored 16 not out to help them win by 6 wickets.

Playing for England (1787–1820)

Billy Beldham's first match at Lord's was his known debut for England. This was against the White Conduit Club in June 1787. England batted first and scored 247. Billy scored 17 runs. He also took two wickets. White Conduit Club scored 112. England then scored 197, with Billy making the highest score of 63. White Conduit Club was all out for 93. Billy caught one ball and bowled two players.

Billy played for England teams for over 30 years. His last game for England was in July 1820 at the current Lord's ground. He played in 41 of these matches. His highest score for England was 91 runs. This was against Hampshire in July 1791. England won that match by a lot of runs.

Even at 53 years old, in June 1819, Billy was still good enough for England. He played as a wicket-keeper in one match and helped dismiss three batsmen. He also made the top score of 79 runs for England. Three weeks later, he scored 72 runs in another match. People said his performances were "very wonderful" for his age. One report said he hit the fast bowler George Brown so hard that Brown was "afraid to bowl at him".

Playing for Surrey (1788–1817)

The River Thames at Moulsey Hurst, a popular sporting venue in the 18th century.

Even though he played a lot for Hampshire, Billy Beldham was from Surrey. He played for his home county team many times, with 52 matches recorded. His first game for Surrey was in June 1788 against Hampshire. His last was in June 1817 against England.

In a match at Moulsey Hurst in June 1788, Billy caught two balls. A few weeks later, in July, Billy scored 59 runs for Surrey against Hampshire. He also bowled two players and caught two.

From 1793 to 1810, Surrey and England played each other every year. In a match in July 1793, Billy opened the batting for Surrey. He scored 106 not out and stayed batting through the whole innings. This was a great achievement. He also caught four balls in that match. Surrey won by 53 runs.

Billy had one of his best games in June 1794 at Lord's Old Ground. He opened the batting and scored 72 runs. In Surrey's second innings, both Billy and Harry Walker scored over 100 runs. Billy scored 102. Surrey won by 197 runs. This was when Billy was "at his zenith," meaning at his peak.

Playing for Marylebone Cricket Club (1790–1818)

As a professional player, Billy Beldham sometimes played for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). He played in at least 29 matches for MCC. His first known games for them were in August 1790. His last was in August 1818 when he was 52 years old.

In his first MCC match, Billy scored 24 and 16 runs. He also helped dismiss nine batsmen, by bowling five of them and catching four. In another match, he scored 46 runs. Even when his team lost, Billy often played well. In May 1791, he bowled five Middlesex batsmen in one innings. This was a rare achievement at the time.

Commemorative plaque on the site of Lord's Old Ground. Beldham made his highest score there in 1792.

Billy Beldham scored three centuries (over 100 runs) in his career. His highest score was 144 runs for MCC against Middlesex. This match was played in May 1792 at Lord's Old Ground. At that time, the highest score ever recorded was 167. Billy's team won that match by a huge 274 runs.

Cricket became less popular during the later years of the Napoleonic Wars. Fewer matches were played from 1810 to 1814. But Billy continued his career. He played for MCC twice more in 1818 when he was 52. He still scored well, with scores of 36, 49, and 31.

Gentlemen versus Players Matches (1806–1821)

In 1806, Billy Beldham did something unusual. He played for both the Gentlemen and the Players teams. These were the first two matches between these two types of teams. The Gentlemen were amateur players, while the Players were professionals.

In the first match, Billy played for the Gentlemen. He scored 16 runs, caught three balls, and bowled one player. The Gentlemen won that match. For the second match, Billy was on the Players team. He didn't score many runs, but the Gentlemen still won.

Billy played in three more of these matches after they started again in 1819. He was 53 years old then. In 1819, the Players won against the Gentlemen for the first time. Billy scored 15 runs in the first innings. In 1820, Billy scored 16 and 2 runs.

Other Teams and Matches

In the 1700s, cricket matches were not organized into leagues. Teams were put together for specific games. So, great players like Billy Beldham played for many different teams. Besides Hambledon, Surrey, MCC, and England, he played for counties like Berkshire, Kent, and Middlesex. He also played for local clubs like Godalming.

Many matches were set up for people to bet on. Some teams had funny names like "Right-handed v Left-handed" or "A to M v N to Z". Billy played in five of the "A to M v N to Z" matches. In one of them, he scored 45 and 51 runs. His team won by 75 runs. Teams were also often named after their rich supporters, like "Earl of Winchilsea's XI". Billy played in over 60 matches for these types of teams.

Another interesting team was "The Bs". This team was formed sometimes between 1805 and 1832. All the players' names started with the letter 'B'. Billy played for the Bs four times. In one famous match in 1810, the Bs played an England XI. The Bs only had nine players whose names started with B. So, they had two extra players join them.

The Bs struggled and only scored 137 runs. Billy was out for 0. England then scored 100 runs, with Billy catching four balls. The Bs then had a terrible second innings and were all out for only 6 runs! This is one of the lowest scores ever recorded in cricket history. England then won the match.

End of Billy Beldham's Career

Billy Beldham's last recorded top-level match was in July 1821. It was another Gentlemen v Players match. He was 55 years old. The Gentlemen batted first and scored 60 runs. Billy caught one ball. The Players started well and scored over 200 runs. Billy came in to bat at number eight and scored 23 not out. The Gentlemen's captain gave up the match, even though it wasn't finished.

Billy later said he was injured during that match and needed a runner to run for him while he batted. He also said that professional players didn't like these matches. Even though he stopped playing top-level cricket, Billy kept playing for many years. People said he was still playing when he was between 60 and 70 years old!

Billy Beldham's Cricket Style

Billy Beldham is mostly remembered as a great attacking batsman. He was very good at judging when to run between the wickets. He also understood the game well and was a fantastic fielder. He was also a very good change bowler. This made him a true batting all-rounder.

He used the standard underarm action and threw the ball with a pitched delivery. His throws were "high and well," and "fast-medium." He was known for being a "safe pair of hands" when in the field. He usually fielded in the slips position. Billy is also credited with many stumpings. This means he was good at catching the ball when the wicket-keeper didn't. His best fielding performance was catching seven balls in one match. He did this twice!

Billy Beldham, along with other great players, helped create what we now call modern batting. He had a strong defense, but he was also good at hitting the ball hard. It's said that his brother-in-law, John Wells, taught Billy the importance of keeping his left elbow high when batting. This was a new idea back then. But it's now a standard part of how right-handed batsmen play.

When Billy was interviewed, he said that he and two other players changed batting. They introduced the cut shot and playing the ball forward. However, other sources say that an earlier player might have invented these moves.

Billy Beldham's photograph was taken when he was in his nineties. This makes him the earliest cricketer to have a photograph. He is still known as the best batsman of the late 1700s and early 1800s. In 1997, a cricket writer named John Woodcock named Billy Beldham in his list of the 100 Greatest Cricketers of All Time.

Billy Beldham's Personality

Billy Beldham was described as an "active man" who was about five feet, eight and a half inches tall. He was called "Silver Billy" because of his light-colored hair and fair skin.

Billy was known for being honest and playing fairly. People said the only time he did something wrong was when he put mud and sawdust on a ball he bowled. This was during a match in 1806. It helped him get the player out. In a time when betting and fixing matches were common, Billy was mostly honest. He once said that he was tricked by two players who didn't play their best. He lost money because of it. He then admitted to joining in one match where he helped fix the game to get his money back. But he said that was the only time he ever did something like that.

Billy Beldham's Family and Life After Cricket

The Barley Mow pub, overlooking Tilford Green

Billy Beldham moved to Tilford after he stopped playing cricket. He was the landlord of a pub called The Barley Mow for many years. He lived there for his last 41 years.

He was married twice. With his first wife, Ann Smith, he had one daughter, also named Ann, who sadly died very young. His second wife, also named Ann, had eight children with him between 1804 and 1819. She lived seven years longer than him. Billy and his second wife are buried in the Tilford churchyard. Their graves don't have markers, but people think they are in the north-west corner. Billy's old cottage is still next to the pub today.

Billy Beldham's sister, Hannah, married another famous cricketer, John Wells.

Billy Beldham died in Tilford on February 26, 1862. He was 96 years old. Even after he stopped playing, he was still famous. In 1862, a magazine reported that "Old Beldham" had died. It also said that he had been invited to Lord's cricket ground and was honored there. He was also advertised to appear at The Oval to attract more people to a match.