William Francis Neilson (24 September 1850 – 2 May 1880) was an English-born New Zealand

cricketer 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 ...

who played for

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

in the 1870s. Born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, Neilson moved to New Zealand as a young man. He had his best cricket performances in the match against

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

in 1876–77, when he scored 57 not out in the second innings batting at number nine, and then took 5 for 19 to wrap up the Otago innings and the match. In 1877–78 Neilson organised and captained Canterbury's first trip to the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

, when they dismissed

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

for 13 at the

Auckland Domain The Auckland Domain, also known as Pukekawa / Auckland Domain, is a large park in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the oldest park in the city, and at is one of the largest. Located in the central suburb of Grafton, the park land is the remains o ...

. A few weeks later he captained Canterbury to victory over the touring Australians, the Australians' only loss of the tour. He also led the Canterbury team that toured Tasmania and Victoria in 1878–79. A popular figure in

, he was the best amateur billiards player in New Zealand, a fine games player and horse rider, and a prominent owner of racehorses. He died on 2 May 1880 after a long illness, aged 29.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Neilson, William 1850 births 1880 deaths New Zealand cricketers Canterbury cricketers English emigrants to New Zealand Cricketers from Liverpool