Frank Walters
Francis Henry Walters (9 February 1860 – 1 June 1922) was an Australian cricketer. He played in one Test match in March 1885, and played first-class cricket from 1881 to 1896.[1]
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Francis Henry Walters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 9 February 1860 East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 1 June 1922 (aged 62) at sea, off Bombay, India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2+1⁄2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium-pace | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Only Test (cap 42) | 21 March 1885 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1880/81–1893/94 | Victoria | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1895/96 | New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Life and career
Beginning with Victoria in 1880–81, Walters had played six first-class matches, with a top score of 32, when he was selected for his only Test, the Fifth Test against England in 1884–85. Batting in the middle order, he scored 7 and 5, and England won by an innings and thus won the series 3–2.[2] He reached 50 for the first time, and went on to score 122, for The Rest against the Australian XI in 1888–89, and it was probably this innings that led to his selection in the Australian team to tour England in 1890.[3]
Walters was not successful in England, scoring 351 runs at an average of only 10.02.[3] He displayed his best form in the seasons after the tour, when other players were preferred for the Australian team. Opening the innings for Victoria against New South Wales in 1890–91, he scored 106 in a team total of 181.[4]
He moved to Sydney in 1895 after purchasing the Criterion Hotel there, and played a few matches in 1895–96 for New South Wales. All four of his first-class centuries were scored at the Sydney Cricket Ground.[3] Writing after Walters' death, the Test player and journalist Jack Worrall said, "He was class enough for any company in the land as a batsman, though he was particularly slow in the field."[5]
Walters married Clara Louisa Barber in Melbourne in January 1884.[6] He became a prosperous real estate investor in Sydney.[7] He died at sea off Bombay[note 1] while he and his wife were returning to Australia after an extended holiday in England.[3]
Notes
- According to cricket authorities, but contemporary newspaper reports say he died after his ship left Colombo for Sydney.
References
- "Frank Walters". CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- "5th Test, Melbourne, Mar 21 – 25 1885, England tour of Australia". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- The Oxford Companion to Australian Cricket, Oxford, Melbourne, 1996, p. 561.
- "New South Wales v Victoria 1890-91". CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- J.W. (17 June 1922). "The Death of Frank Walters". The Australasian: 26.
- "Marriages". The Argus. Melbourne: 11. 22 January 1909.
- "Well-Known Cricketer". The Sun: 7. 6 June 1922.