William Back (c. 1856 – 15 February 1911) was an Australian

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er who played at first-class level for

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

in 1893, including in its inaugural first-class match. Born on

Rottnest Island Rottnest Island ( nys, Wadjemup), often colloquially referred to as "Rotto", is a island off the coast of Western Australia, located west of Fremantle. A sandy, low-lying island formed on a base of aeolianite limestone, Rottnest is an A-class ...

, Back played for

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

in the WACA grade cricket competition, and led the league's

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

s during the 1887–88 season, scoring 267 runs from ten innings at an average of 53.50. His only state-level matches played during Western Australia's tour of the eastern colonies in early 1893. He opened the batting for the side in both of its two first-class matches on the tour, against

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, variously partnering with Percival Hussey,

Harry Bennett Harry Herbert Bennett (January 17, 1892 – January 4, 1979), was a boxer, Naval sailor, and businessman. From the 1920s through 1945, he worked for Ford Motor Company and was best known as the head of Ford’s "service department", the company's ...

, and

Ernest Randell Ernest Arthur Randell (25 January 1873 – 12 May 1938) was an Australian cricketer who played three first-class matches for Western Australia in the 1890s. He was an all-rounder who batted left-handed and bowled left-arm orthodox spin. Early ...

. In the first match, Back scored four and seven runs, and in the second match, a

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...

and one run, with Western Australia

following on In the game of cricket, a team who batted second and scored significantly fewer runs than the team who batted first may be forced to follow-on: to take their second innings immediately after their first. The follow-on can be enforced by the team ...

in both matches. He also played in two other matches on tour, against the

Melbourne Cricket Club The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) is a sports club based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1838 and is one of the oldest sports clubs in Australia. The MCC is responsible for management and development of the Melbourne Cricket Ground ...

and a "juniors" representative team from Victoria. Little else is known of his life. Having apparently worked as a forwarding agent on the Fremantle wharves, Back died in

on 15 February 1911, and was buried in the

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

section of

Fremantle Cemetery Fremantle Cemetery is a cemetery located in the eastern part (Palmyra) of Fremantle, Western Australia. Established in 1898, it is known as the final resting place of Bon Scott, several murderers and dozens of other notable Australians. There ...

the following day. He had been a member of a local fraternal organisation, the Oddfellows, before his death, as well as a founding member of the Fremantle District Cricket Club, who wore

black armband In Western culture, a black armband signifies that the wearer is in mourning or wishes to identify with the commemoration of a family friend, comrade or team member who has died. This use is particularly common in the first meeting following the lo ...

s in their next match."WACA PENNANT COMPETITIONS"
– ''

The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...

''. Published 20 February 1911.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Back, William 1850s births 1911 deaths Australian Anglicans Australian cricketers Burials at Fremantle Cemetery Cricketers from Perth, Western Australia Western Australia cricketers Sportsmen from Western Australia