Billy King (sportsman)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | William Robert King |
| Born | 16 December 1902 County Clare, Ireland |
| Died | January 1987 (aged 84) Dublin, Ireland |
| Batting | Left-handed |
| Bowling | Left-arm orthodox spin |
| Domestic team information | |
| Years | Team |
| 1922 | Dublin University |
Source: CricketArchive, 15 December 2007 | |
William Robert King (16 December 1902 – January 1987)[1] was an all-round sportsman who played cricket for both Ireland[2] and the Straits Settlements,[3] and played rugby union for Singapore.[2]
Biography
[edit]Educated mainly in County Tipperary, he excelled at sport, particularly cricket and rugby union. He entered Trinity College Dublin in 1921, where he quickly found himself part of the Dublin University Cricket Club,[2] for whom he played a first-class match against Essex in 1922.[4] His sole appearance for the Irish national side came against Wales in August 1923,[5] scoring 45 as Ireland beat Wales by an innings.[2]
Soon after that match, he took up an appointment in Singapore, and eventually played both rugby for Singapore[2] and cricket for the Straits Settlements, playing against the Federated Malay States in 1926.[6] He joined the SSVF Straits Settlements Volunteer Force in 1924, and was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the Battle of Singapore. He was captured when the city fell in 1942 and spent the remainder of the war working on the Burma Siam railway and in Changi POW camp. He later returned to live in Ireland, and married late in life, having children in his mid 60s.[2]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Cricket Archive profile
- ^ a b c d e f CricketEurope Stats Zone biography
- ^ Teams played for by Billy King at CricketArchive
- ^ First-class matches played by Billy King at CricketArchive
- ^ CricketEurope Stats Zone profile Archived 21 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Scorecard of Federated Malay States v Straits Settlements, 31 July 1926 at CricketArchive
- 1902 births
- 1987 deaths
- Irish soldiers in the British Army
- Rugby union players from County Clare
- Cricketers from County Clare
- Irish cricketers
- Straits Settlements cricketers
- Dublin University cricketers
- Singaporean rugby union players
- British Army personnel of World War II
- British World War II prisoners of war
- World War II prisoners of war held by Japan
- Recipients of the Military Medal
- Irish rugby union players
- British Army soldiers
- Military personnel from County Clare