William Prest (1 April 1832 – 10 February 1885) was a

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 and

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

born in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

. He lived most his life in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

where he went on to become co-founder of

Sheffield Football Club Sheffield Football Club is an English football club from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, although now based in nearby Dronfield, across the county boundary in Derbyshire. They currently compete in the . Founded in October 1857,

and captained

Sheffield Cricket Club The Sheffield Cricket Club was founded in the 18th century and soon began to play a key role in the development of cricket in northern England. It was the direct forerunner of Yorkshire County Cricket Club and some of the teams fielded by Sheffi ...

(''aka'' Yorkshire). He was also involved with the formation of a local regiment, the Hallamshire Rifles, with which he served for most of his life. William was son of John and Arabella Prest and moved with them to Sheffield when his brother John Beevor Prest bought a wine business. There he became a noted cricketer and played cricket for Sheffield 16 times between 1852 and 1862. He scored 286 runs at an average of 10.21 as a batter and got at total of 3 wickets for 69 runs as a bowler. All 3 wickets came in the same match. In the winter of 1854, Prest attended the meeting at the Adelphi Hotel in Arundel Gate when the

agreed to lease a new ground from the

Duke of Norfolk Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the county of Norfolk. The current duke is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk. The dukes ...

next to

Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramal ...

. He also played for "The Eleven" against "The Twenty-two" in the first cricket match at the venue on 30 April 1855. He was bowled out by Joseph Rowbotham in the first innings without scoring a run a thus became the first player to score 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 ...

at the ground. Prest was co-founder of Sheffield F.C. and the

Sheffield Rules The Sheffield Rules was a code of football devised and played in the English city of Sheffield between 1858 and 1877. The rules were initially created and revised by Sheffield Football Club, with responsibility for the laws passing to the Shef ...

for football. He took part in football matches played by Sheffield C.C. from 1855. In 1857 he and

Nathaniel Creswick Sir Nathaniel Creswick (31 July 1831 – 20 October 1917) was an English footballer who co-founded Sheffield FC, the oldest football club in the world, in 1857. With William Prest, he established the Sheffield Rules, which were highly influ ...

decided to create a football club. The club was officially formed on 24 October with Prest becoming one of the vice-presidents. The club also established an annual athletics meeting to be held at the end of each season. At the inaugural event, watch by a crowd of 4000, Prest excelled, winning a total of 12 events. In 1859 William Prest was involved with the formation of the 2nd West Yorkshire Rifles, better known as the Hallamshire Rifles. He was involved with the battalion until his death and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He died on 10 February 1885 (aged 52) due to a seizure caused by a burst blood vessel. His funeral was held at

Sheffield General Cemetery The General Cemetery in the City of Sheffield, England opened in 1836 and closed for burial in 1978. It was the principal cemetery in Victorian Sheffield with over 87,000 burials. Today it is a listed Landscape (Grade II*) on the English Herit ...

three days later with full military honours. The route was lined with several thousand mourners.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prest, William 1832 births 1885 deaths Cricketers from Sheffield Cricketers from York Sheffield F.C. players Creators of association football History of football in England Burials at Sheffield General Cemetery English cricketers Gentlemen of the North cricketers Sheffield Cricket Club cricketers North v South cricketers Association footballers not categorized by position English footballers English cricketers of 1826 to 1863