Huntsman Williams
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Benjamin Huntsman Williams | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 10 June 1944 Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 3 August 1978 (aged 34) near Turk Mine, Matabeleland, Rhodesia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Left-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Left-arm fast-medium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Bowler | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1963/64 | Orange Free State | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1966/67–1969/70 | Rhodesia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: CricketArchive, 15 November 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Benjamin Huntsman Williams (10 June 1944 – 3 August 1978) was a Rhodesian first-class cricketer.
Williams, a left-arm fast-medium bowler, was a good enough player in his youth to have represented Rhodesian Nuffield, South African Schools and Rhodesia Country Districts by his 18th birthday.[1]
He made his first-class debut in the 1963/64 Currie Cup season, playing for Orange Free State against North Eastern Transvaal. Despite opening the bowling in each innings, he failed to take a wicket.[2]
In 1966 he appeared for Matabeleland against the touring Australian team, in a non first-class fixture. He took four first innings wickets, Bob Simpson, Bob Cowper, Ian Redpath and Keith Stackpole.[3] This earned him a call up to the Rhodesian side to take on the same opponent and he made two further first-class appearances in the 1966/67 Currie Cup competition. He didn't play again for Rhodesia until the 1969/70 Currie Cup, when he took part in four matches.[4]
When not playing cricket, Williams worked as a farmer, in Inyati. On 3 August 1978, while on duty as a police reserve, he was fatally wounded in the arm by a rocket-propelled grenade fired at his vehicle by Bush War guerrillas during an ambush. He died of wounds later that day.[5][6]
References[edit]
- ^ "Miscellaneous Matches Played By Huntsman Williams (5)". CricketArchive.
- ^ "Orange Free State v North Eastern Transvaal". CricketArchive.
- ^ "Matabeleland v Australians". CricketArchive.
- ^ "First-Class Matches played by Huntsman Williams (9)". CricketArchive.
- ^ "Obituaries in 1978". Wisden. 5 December 2005.
- ^ "Benjamin Huntsman Williams: The cricketer killed by a Bush War rocket". cricketcountry.com. May 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2020.