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The trouble for Will was that he was turned off some of the things that he excelled at – at there are many – by being overexposed to them at Cranleigh. Music was one; cricket, sadly, was another. An talented batsman who relied on his natural eye to cover-up technical flaws, Will scored three hundreds in his final end-of-term festival at Cranleigh and for several seasons showed frustratingly inconsistent glimpses of what he was capable of when batting for the OCs. A superb player of spin, especially off his legs, he was less comfortable against quick bowling. His bowling, a skiddy medium-pace, was surprisingly effective, especially abroad – in Antigua and Kenya he was at his most deadly. As a short-leg he was one of the finest seen on Jubilee, all the more remarkable given that he wore glasses. Fearless (often to the point of stupidity – he would, if spurred, get so close to the batsman that the umpire had to intervene), he took some breathtaking catches but so good was his eye that he was rarely struck. Off the field he was a key player, his ability to undertake any ridiculous challenge providing some memorable evenings and one or two hospital visits. By the end of the Kenyan tour he had grown so weary of the game that he retired, still short of his 30th birthday. What might have he achieved had he been more turned on to the game?
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Personal Details
Full name William Robert Stephens
Born Farnborough, April 30, 1971
Height 5ft 11ins
Nickname King Billy, Baldie
Batting right-hand middle-order
Bowling right-arm medium
Clubs Merrow
OC Career 1989 to date
School 1st XI 1987 to 1989
Tours Antigua 1997, Sri Lanka 1999, Kenya 2001
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Career Statistics
Batting
| M |
I |
No |
HS |
Runs |
Av |
50 |
100 |
C |
St |
| 76 |
56 |
6 |
72 |
1124 |
22.48 |
6 |
0 |
39 |
0 |
Bowling
| O |
M |
R |
W |
Av |
BB |
5WI |
SR |
ER |
| 352.0 |
52 |
1360 |
52 |
26.15 |
4-10 |
- |
40.6 |
3.9 |
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