Blayney Hamilton facts for kids

Blayney Balfour Hamilton (born June 13, 1872, in County Louth, Ireland – died December 16, 1946, in Dublin, Ireland) was a talented Irish athlete. He was famous for playing cricket, badminton, and tennis. In cricket, he was a right-handed batsman and a left-arm spin bowler. He played for the Ireland cricket team 19 times between 1891 and 1907. One of these matches was a special type called a first-class match.

Cricket Career Highlights

Blayney Hamilton first played for Ireland in August 1891 against a team called I Zingari. He played against them two more times the next year.

In September 1892, he traveled with the Irish team to North America. He played against Canada in Toronto. In that game, he took 5 wickets for 48 runs. This was his first "five-wicket haul," which means taking five or more wickets in one game.

After the Canada match, he played against All New York on Staten Island. He scored 80 runs in Ireland's first innings. This was his highest score ever for Ireland. Next, he played a three-match series against Philadelphia. The series ended in a 1–1 tie. Hamilton did very well with the ball, taking 18 wickets in total. In one match, he took 6 wickets for 64 runs. This was his best bowling performance for Ireland at that time. This series was also special because Bart King played his first games. Bart King is thought to be the best American cricketer ever.

The next year, Hamilton played against teams like I Zingari, the Combined Services, and Surrey. He scored 60 not out (meaning he wasn't dismissed) against Surrey. This was his second and last "half-century" (scoring 50 or more runs) for Ireland. The year after that, he took 12 wickets in a match against I Zingari. This was the first time he took more than 10 wickets in a single match. His best bowling figures in that game were 6 wickets for 33 runs.

Hamilton's cricket career slowed down after this. He played against South Africa and the MCC in the mid-1890s. He took 10 wickets in a match against the MCC in 1896.

He returned to the Irish team twice more. He played against South Africa in June 1901 after almost five years away. He played against South Africa again in August 1907, after more than a six-year break. His very last match for Ireland was also his only first-class match.

Cricket Statistics

Overall, in all his matches for Ireland, Blayney Hamilton scored 490 runs. His batting average was 18.85 runs per innings. He also took 95 wickets with a bowling average of 15.12 runs per wicket. He scored two half-centuries (50+ runs). He took five wickets in an innings seven times and took ten wickets in a match twice.

Badminton Success

Blayney Hamilton was also a very successful badminton player. He won nine Irish Open titles between 1902 and 1908.

Other Sports

Besides cricket and badminton, Hamilton also played field hockey and tennis for Ireland. He was a true all-around athlete!

A Sporting Family

Blayney came from a family of famous athletes. His three older brothers were also excellent at sports:

• William Drummond Hamilton played cricket and tennis for Ireland.
• Willoughby Hamilton was once ranked the number one tennis player in the world.
• Francis Cole Lowry Hamilton played cricket for Ireland.

Even Blayney's children followed in his footsteps! Three of his own children became international badminton players: Arthur Hamilton, Willoughby Hamilton, and Mavis Hamilton.