William Hammersley
Encyclopedia
William Josiah Sumner Hammersley (born 25 September 1826, Ash, Surrey
, England
- died 1886) was a prominent sports journalist for Bell's Life in Victoria and later The Australasian (Victoria), one of the four men credited with setting down the original rules of the Australian rules football
.
. He was educted privately in Billericay
and at Trinity College, Cambridge
, though he did not graduate with a degree.
He was a prominent cricketer, having played for Cambridge University Cricket Club
, Surrey County Cricket Club
and Marylebone Cricket Club
.
He married Jane Thirkettle, 23 Sep 1849, in London, England and had four children.
Hammersley migrated to Melbourne
and upon his arrival to Australia
, he became a member of the Melbourne Cricket Club
and worked as a sports journalist.
He captained the first Victorian XI to visit Sydney
for an inter-colonial match in 1857 and was a right arm batter/bowler between 1847 and 1861.
He was a personal friend of fellow Cambridge cricketer Thomas Wentworth Wills and helped to give momentum to Wills calls to form a football club.
In 1859 he became a founding member of the Melbourne Football Club
and involved in popularising the club's football code.
Hammersley is also believed by some to have been instrumental in introducing Victorian Rules to Sydney
and in the early formation of the New South Wales Football Association
.
He died on 15 November 1886 in the Melbourne
suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria
and buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery
.
Ash, Surrey
Ash is a village and civil parish in the borough of Guildford, Surrey, with a population of 17,549 according to the 2001 census. It is at the far west of the Guildford borough, and the urban development in the parish runs directly into Aldershot, which is on the western side of the River...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
- died 1886) was a prominent sports journalist for Bell's Life in Victoria and later The Australasian (Victoria), one of the four men credited with setting down the original rules of the Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
.
Life
He was educated at Aldenham SchoolAldenham School
Aldenham School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged thirteen to eighteen, located between Elstree and the village of Aldenham in Hertfordshire, England...
. He was educted privately in Billericay
Billericay
Billericay is a town and civil parish in the Basildon borough of Essex, England. It lies within the London Basin, has a population of 40,000, and constitutes a commuter town east of central London. The town has three secondary schools and a variety of open spaces...
and at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, though he did not graduate with a degree.
He was a prominent cricketer, having played for Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
, Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
and Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
.
He married Jane Thirkettle, 23 Sep 1849, in London, England and had four children.
Hammersley migrated to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and upon his arrival to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, he became a member of the Melbourne Cricket Club
Melbourne Cricket Club
The Melbourne Cricket Club is a sporting club based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1838 and is regarded as the oldest sporting club in Australia....
and worked as a sports journalist.
He captained the first Victorian XI to visit Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
for an inter-colonial match in 1857 and was a right arm batter/bowler between 1847 and 1861.
He was a personal friend of fellow Cambridge cricketer Thomas Wentworth Wills and helped to give momentum to Wills calls to form a football club.
In 1859 he became a founding member of the Melbourne Football Club
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
and involved in popularising the club's football code.
Hammersley is also believed by some to have been instrumental in introducing Victorian Rules to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and in the early formation of the New South Wales Football Association
Australian rules football in New South Wales
Australian rules football in New South Wales has been played since the 1870s, however it has a troubled history in the state, traditionally lags in popularity as a winter sport behind the rugby football codes....
.
He died on 15 November 1886 in the Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria
Fitzroy, Victoria
Fitzroy is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. Its borders are Alexandra Parade , Victoria Parade , Smith Street and Nicholson Street. Fitzroy is Melbourne's...
and buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery
Melbourne General Cemetery
The Melbourne General Cemetery is a large necropolis located north of the city of Melbourne in the suburb of Carlton North.-History:...
.