William Thomas Greensmith (16 August 1930 – 15 July 2022) was a former English cricketer who played in 379 first-class matches, most of them for Essex, between 1947 and 1963.[1][2] He was born in Middlesbrough, then in Yorkshire.

Bill Greensmith
Personal information
Full name
William Thomas Greensmith
Born(1930-08-16)16 August 1930
Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, England
Died15 July 2022(2022-07-15) (aged 91)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm leg-break and googly
RoleAll-rounder
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1947–1963Essex
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 379
Runs scored 8,249
Batting average 19.92
100s/50s 1/27
Top score 138*
Balls bowled 44,941
Wickets 733
Bowling average 28.59
5 wickets in innings 21
10 wickets in match 2
Best bowling 8/59
Catches/stumpings 149/–
Source: CricketArchive, 6 November 2024

An all-rounder, the right-handed Greensmith usually batted in the lower middle order, and was a right-arm leg-spin and googly bowler. Without ever hitting the heights – he never scored 1000 runs in a season and nor did he ever take 100 wickets – he was an integral part of the Essex team from the start of the 1951 season through to 1963, when he was replaced in some games by Robin Hobbs and retired at the end of the season. After he retired from cricket he emigrated to Australia, where he lived until his death in 2022. At the time of his death he was Essex's oldest capped player. His daughter is fashion designer Melanie Greensmith.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "GREENSMITH, William Thomas | Funeral Notices | Melbourne".
  2. ^ "Player profile: Bill Greensmith". CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  3. ^ Selinger-morris, Samantha (22 June 2011). "Frock'n'roll is here to stay". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 July 2022.