| Country | England |
|---|---|
| Fullname | William George Armitstead |
| Birth date | 22 March 1833 |
| Birth place | Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, England |
| Death date | 12 March 1907 (aged 73) |
| Death place | Goostrey, Cheshire, England |
| Batting | Right-handed |
| Role | Batsman |
| Club 1 | Oxford University |
| Year 1 | 1853–1857 |
| Club 2 | Manchester |
| Year 2 | 1852 |
| Club 3 | Gentlemen of the North |
| Year 3 | 1862 |
| Club 4 | MCC |
| Year 4 | 1864 |
| Columns | 1 |
| Column 1 | First-class |
| Matches 1 | 14 |
| Runs 1 | 293 |
| Bat avg 1 | 12.20 |
| 100s/50s 1 | 0/0 |
| Top score 1 | 38 |
| Deliveries 1 | ? |
| Wickets 1 | 2 |
| Bowl avg 1 | ? |
| Fivefor 1 | 0 |
| Tenfor 1 | 0 |
| Best bowling 1 | 2/? |
| Catches/stumpings 1 | 6/– |
| Date | 31 May |
| Year | 2014 |
| Source | https://cricketarchive.com/Players/27/27522/27522.html CricketArchive |
William George Armitstead (22 March 1833 – 12 March 1907) was an English first-class cricketer. A right-handed batsman, Armitstead was a member of a cricketing family: his brother Henry played first-class cricket, while brothers John and Robert, and nephew William, all played school cricket.[1] Armitstead played fourteen first-class matches between 1853 and 1862, the majority for Oxford University with solitary appearances for the Gentlemen of the North, Manchester Cricket Club, and the Marylebone Cricket Club.[2]
Armitstead was also a founding member of the Free Foresters Cricket Club, along with his brother Henry.[3] It was during a match between a United England XI and the Free Foresters in 1861 that he is credited with the introduction of the white coat for cricket umpires.[1] Armitstead requested that the umpires wear something white, as their existing garments were causing him to lose sight of the ball and the bowler's hand during delivery.[4][5]
Armitstead had a modest batting record, scoring only 293 runs in twenty-five innings at a batting average of 12.20.[6] 249 of these runs were made for Oxford, for whom he made eleven appearances.[7] His best was a score of 38, made opening the batting against the Marylebone Cricket Club on 3 June 1853.[8] He took six catches, and is noted as having bowled however his bowling style or statistics are not recorded.[1][6]
He also played non-first-class at county level for Oxfordshire, Cheshire (while also playing at club level for Sandbach), and one match in 1863 for Shropshire.[9]
Armitstead was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford where he graduated B.A. in 1857 and M.A. in 1862.[10] After graduating at Oxford he was ordained as a Church of England deacon in 1859 and priest in 1860 by the Bishop of Chester.[10] He was vicar of Goostrey, Cheshire, from 1862 until his death there in 1907.[11]
References
- ^ "Player Profile: William Armitstead". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
- ^ "FC Batting Per Team". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
- ^ "Obituaries in 1912". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
- ^ WKR Bedford (1895). Annals of the Free Foresters. London: Free Foresters Cricket Club. p. 44. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "Cricket". Auckland Star. 22 July 1905. p. 12. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "Player Profile: William Armitstead". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
- ^ "FC Batting By Team". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "Oxford University v Marylebone Cricket Club University Match 1853". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ Percival, Tony (1999). Shropshire Cricketers 1844-1998. A.C.S. Publications, Nottingham. pp. 6, 40. ISBN 1-902171-17-9.Published under Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians.
- ^ Crockford's Clerical Directory, 1904. Horace Cox, London. p. 34.
- ^ "Landed families of Britain and Ireland: (179) Armitstead of Cranage Hall"