| William Frith | |
| Country: | New Zealand |
| Fullname: | William Frith |
| Birth Date: | 26 June 1856 |
| Birth Place: | Edmonton, Middlesex, England |
| Death Place: | Ashburton, Canterbury, New Zealand |
| Batting: | Left-handed |
| Bowling: | Slow left-arm orthodox |
| Role: | Bowler |
| Family: | Charlie Frith (brother) |
| Club1: | Canterbury |
| Club2: | Otago |
| Year2: | 1881/1882 |
| Club3: | Canterbury |
| Year3: | 1882/83–1888/89 |
| Club4: | Wellington |
| Year4: | 1889/90–1893/94 |
| Columns: | 1 |
| Column1: | First-class |
| Matches1: | 15 |
| Runs1: | 243 |
| Bat Avg1: | 12.15 |
| 100S/50S1: | 0/1 |
| Top Score1: | 51 |
| Deliveries1: | 2,501 |
| Wickets1: | 79 |
| Bowl Avg1: | 10.18 |
| Fivefor1: | 6 |
| Tenfor1: | 3 |
| Best Bowling1: | 8/18 |
| Catches/Stumpings1: | 17/– |
| Date: | 13 December |
| Year: | 2022 |
| Source: | https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/william-frith-37077 Cricinfo |
William Frith (26 June 1856 – 19 November 1949) was an English-born New Zealand first-class cricketer who played fifteen matches for Canterbury, Otago and Wellington between 1877 and 1894.
Frith was principally an accurate left-arm bowler, but he was also a useful middle-order batsman "with a style of his own", and one of the most brilliant fieldsmen in New Zealand.[1] In 1880–81 he took 8 for 18 for Canterbury against Otago.[2] In 1889–90 he took four wickets in each innings and made 46 in Wellington's victory over Auckland when nobody else in the match exceeded 30.[3] He bowled successfully against touring Test teams, taking three wickets cheaply for Canterbury against the 1878 Australians and five wickets for Otago against the 1882 English team.[4]
Frith was born in England in 1856 and was employed as a printer and, for a time, as a professional cricketer. He married Sophia Skeltan in 1878 and the marriage produced seven children, but she divorced him in 1904 on the grounds of "habitual drunkenness and cruelty [and] failure to maintain [her] and her family".[5] His brother, Charlie Frith, also played cricket for Otago and Canterbury.[6]