William Victor Fox

Infobox cricketer biography
playername = William Fox
female =


country = England
fullname = William Victor Fox
nickname =
living =
dayofbirth = 8
monthofbirth = 1
yearofbirth = 1898
placeofbirth = Middlesbrough
countryofbirth = England
dayofdeath = 17
monthofdeath = 2
yearofdeath = 1949
placeofdeath = Withington, Manchester
countryofdeath = England
heightft =
heightinch =
heightm =
batting =
bowling =
role =
club1 = Worcestershire
year1 = 1923—1932
deliveries = balls
columns = 1
column1 = FC
matches1 = 163
runs1 = 6,654
bat avg1 = 26.61
100s/50s1 = 11/26
top score1 = 198
deliveries1 = 209
wickets1 = 2
bowl avg1 = 68.50
fivefor1 = 0
tenfor1 = 0
best bowling1 = 1-13
catches/stumpings1 = 89/0
date = 1 August
year = 2008
source = http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/29/29520/29520.html

William Victor Fox (8 January 1898—17 February 1949) was an English sportsman who played both cricket and football to a high level.

Cricket

Fox made his first-class debut for Worcestershire in May 1923, making 5 and 7 in an innings defeat against Hampshire at Southampton. [cite web |url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/10/10726.html |title=Hampshire v Worcestershire in 1923 |accessdate=2008-08-01 |publisher=CricketArchive] However, thereafter he contributed some useful innings throughout the season and ended not far short of a thousand runs, including his maiden century, an unbeaten 178 against Northamptonshire. [cite web |url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/10/10889.html |title=Northamptonshire v Worcestershire in 1923 |accessdate=2008-08-01 |publisher=CricketArchive] His average that summer was a useful 32.70, but his career came to an enforced (though temporary) end at the end of the season when MCC ruled that his qualification was invalid.Obituary. "Wisden Cricketers' Almanack" 1950.]

Fox's cricketing career resumed in 1926, and from then until 1930 he was a regular in the Worcestershire team. In a usually weak batting side, Fox performed well, making his thousand runs in 1926, 1928 and 1929, and missing out by a single run in 1927. [cite web |url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/29/29520/f_Batting_by_Season.html |title=First-class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by William Fox |accessdate=2008-08-01 |publisher=CricketArchive] His best season was 1929; in this year he made 1,457 first-class runs at an average of 31, with two hundreds and seven fifties. It was in 1929 also that Fox hit his career-best innings: 198 against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. [cite web |url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/13/13271.html |title=Warwickshire v Worcestershire in 1929 |accessdate=2008-08-01 |publisher=CricketArchive]

His form fell away in 1930, and after hitting 134 against Lancashire at the start of July [cite web |url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/13/13557.html |title=Lancashire v Worcestershire in 1930 |accessdate=2008-08-01 |publisher=CricketArchive] Fox made only one further half-century in 15 innings that year. [cite web |url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/cgi-bin/ask_the_player_oracle.cgi?playernumber=29520 |title=Player Oracle |accessdate=2008-08-01 |publisher=CricketArchive] He played not at all in 1931, and although he appeared four times in 1932 he did nothing of any note in those games.

He was a strictly occasional bowler, sending down fewer than 35 overs in his career and claiming just two first-class wickets. His victims were both substantial cricketers: Yorkshire's George Macaulay in 1926 [cite web |url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/12/12071.html |title=Yorkshire v Worcestershire in 1926 |accessdate=2008-08-01 |publisher=CricketArchive] and Leicestershire's Alan Shipman in 1929. [cite web |url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/13/13244.html |title=Worcestershire v Leicestershire in 1929 |accessdate=2008-08-01 |publisher=CricketArchive]

Fox died at the early age of 51 following an operation.

Football

Fox played football for Middlesbrough, Wolves and Newport County.

Notes

References

* [http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/29/29520/29520.html William Fox] from CricketArchive
*cricinfo|ref=england/content/player/13180.html