Flint Billy Image 3 Nottinghamshire 1920

Description

Underwood, Nottinghamshire born Billy Flint played first class cricket for Nottinghamshire between 1919 and 1929, taking 236 wickets and scoring 3,345 runs in his 145 match cricket career. A right handed batsman, he scored 3 centuries and 11 half centuries with a highest score of 103 at an average of 19.33. As a right-arm medium pace bowler he had a best performance of 6-23 and once took 10 wickets in a match, taking 5 wickets in an innings 6 times. His wickets came at 29.51 a piece. He also took 77 catches in first class cricket.

He also was a successful professional footballer, playing at right half. Flint was a one club stalwart who signed for First Division Notts County in 1908 from Eastwood Rangers and made his Football League debut against Sunderland in April 1909. Originally signed as a forward, he had started his football career with junior clubs Underwood & Bagthorpe in 1906 and Eastwood Rangers in 1907. By 1910 he had become a regular fixture in the first eleven and although Notts County were relegated three times during his 17 years at Meadow Lane (latterly in his final season), he was also a member of their 1914 (when he scored 14 goals as an inside forward including a hat-trick at Leeds City in January 1914) and 1923 teams which both won The Second Division Championship, and was elected Club Captain in 1923.  Such was his service that he received two benefit matches from Notts County.

It was from November 1914 that he started playing predominantly at right half, but his career was soon interrupted by the suspension of peacetime football due to the onset of the First World War, during which he served in the Armed Forces. In total he played 408 times for Notts County scoring 41 goals, playing his last game for them in April 1926 in the season they suffered relegation from the First Division before retiring already aged 36.