William Lankham
{{short description|New Zealand cricketer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=July 2013}}
{{Infobox cricketer
| name = William Lankham
| image =
| caption =
| country = New Zealand
| fullname =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1861|12|4|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Auckland, New Zealand
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1886|12|2|1861|12|4}}
| death_place = Devonport, New Zealand, Auckland
| family = George Lankham (father)
| batting =
| bowling = Right-arm medium-fast
| club1 = Auckland
| year1 = {{nowrap|1882/83–1883/84}}
| columns = 1
| column1 = First-class
| matches1 = 5
| runs1 = 90
| bat avg1 = 12.85
| 100s/50s1 = 0/0
| top score1 = 27
| deliveries1 = 1,367
| wickets1 = 53
| bowl avg1 = 7.05
| fivefor1 = 6
| tenfor1 = 4
| best bowling1 = 7/13
| catches/stumpings1 = 7/–
| date = 29 September
| year = 2014
| source = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/22/22285/22285.html CricketArchive
}}
William Lankham (4 December 1861 – 2 December 1886) was a New Zealand cricketer who played five first-class matches for Auckland in the 1880s before his death from tuberculosis at the age of 24. In the history of first-class cricket, he has the highest average of wickets per match among bowlers with 50 wickets or more, with 10.6 wickets per match; the next best average is 8.4.{{cite web |title=First-Class Most Wickets per Match |url=https://stats.acscricket.com/Records/First_Class/Overall/Bowling/Most_Wickets_per_Match.html |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=5 March 2025}}
Life and career
A tall, strongly-built right-arm opening bowler, Lankham had an outstanding season for the Auckland United club in 1880–81, taking 84 wickets at an average of 3.32, helping Auckland United to an undefeated season.{{cite journal |title=Auckland United Cricket Club |journal=The New Zealand Herald |date=14 June 1881 |page=6 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18810614.2.31}} He played for the Auckland XXII against the touring English team in 1881–82, taking 3 for 69 off 87 four-ball overs. The English captain, Alfred Shaw, regarded Lankham as the best bowler the tourists faced in New Zealand.{{cite journal |title=W. Lankham |journal=Observer |date=16 December 1882 |page=4 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TO18821216.2.16}}
Lankham played his first first-class match in December 1882 for Auckland against Canterbury in Christchurch. He took 7 for 39 in Canterbury's first innings; on the second day, which was also his 21st birthday, he made the second-top score in Auckland's first innings with 27, batting at number ten; then he took 4 for 60. Canterbury nevertheless won by 27 runs.[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/2/2658.html Canterbury v Auckland 1882-83] Auckland then travelled to Wellington, where Lankham took 3 for 28 and 4 for 41 in an Auckland victory.[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/2/2659.html Wellington v Auckland 1882-83] The team then crossed Cook Strait again to play Nelson. In a match in which 40 wickets fell for 370 runs, Lankham took 6 for 18 and 4 for 39, and Auckland won by four runs after the Nelson last-wicket pair had put on 50, the highest partnership of the match.[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/2/2660.html Nelson v Auckland 1882-83]
Three months later Taranaki travelled to Auckland to play their initial first-class match, but Lankham was too much for them, bowling unchanged through both innings to take 13 for 35 (7 for 13 and 6 for 22) and dismiss Taranaki for 63 and 55 to give Auckland an innings victory.[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/2/2669.html Auckland v Taranaki 1882-83] Lankham finished the season as the leading wicket-taker in New Zealand with 41 wickets at an average of 6.34.[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Seasons/Seasonal_Averages/NZ/1882-83_f_Bowling_by_Average.html 1882-83 bowling by average]
In 1883-84 Auckland played only one first-class match, against Canterbury in Auckland. Lankham bowled for most of the first innings and unchanged in the second to take 6 for 60 and 6 for 54, and Auckland won by four wickets.[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/2/2774.html Auckland v Canterbury 1883-84] Later that season, while playing club cricket, he suffered a burst blood vessel, and was never able to play again.{{cite journal |title=Death of W. Lankham |journal=New Zealand Herald |date=3 December 1886 |page=5 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18861203.2.30}} He died from tuberculosis two days before his 25th birthday.Grey River Argus, 4 December 1886, p. 2.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{cricinfo|id=37633}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lankham, William}}
Category:New Zealand cricketers
Category:Cricketers from Auckland
Category:19th-century deaths from tuberculosis