| William Robertson | |
| Nickname: | Pro[1] |
| Birth Date: | 4 March 1864 |
| Birth Place: | Invercargill, New Zealand |
| Death Place: | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Bowling: | Right-arm off-spin |
| Club1: | Canterbury |
| Year1: | 1893-94 to 1900-01 |
| Columns: | 1 |
| Column1: | First-class |
| Matches1: | 12 |
| Runs1: | 68 |
| Bat Avg1: | 7.55 |
| 100S/50S1: | 0/0 |
| Top Score1: | 15 |
| Deliveries1: | 2880 |
| Wickets1: | 85 |
| Bowl Avg1: | 14.44 |
| Fivefor1: | 10 |
| Tenfor1: | 4 |
| Best Bowling1: | 9/98 |
| Catches/Stumpings1: | 5/0 |
| International: | true |
| Country: | New Zealand |
| Source: | https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/william-robertson-38339 Cricinfo |
| Date: | 24 September |
| Year: | 2014 |
William Robertson (4 March 1864 – 5 April 1912) was a New Zealand cricketer who played first-class cricket for Canterbury from 1894 to 1901 and played in New Zealand's first representative matches.
An off-spinner who opened the bowling, on his first-class debut for Canterbury against Auckland in January 1894 Robertson took 8 for 59 then, bowling unchanged throughout the second innings, 6 for 48.[2] In his next match he took 6 for 72 (unchanged again) and 2 for 72.[3] Selected for New Zealand's first representative match in February 1894, he was New Zealand's outstanding player, taking 6 for 76 and 4 for 73 in a 160-run loss to New South Wales.[4] He then took seven wickets against Otago and eight against Hawke's Bay to give him 47 wickets in five matches at an average of 12.12. He was New Zealand's leading wicket-taker for the season.[5]
After taking only one wicket in the first match in 1894-95, he then took 4 for 65 and 9 for 98 against Wellington,[6] 6 for 54 and 5 for 40 against Fiji,[7] and four wickets against Otago, to finish with 29 wickets at 14.00. He was New Zealand's joint leading wicket-taker for the season.[8]
He played only one match in 1895-96, for New Zealand against New South Wales, when he took three wickets and made his highest score, 15, in a tenth-wicket partnership of 67 with Arthur Fisher that gave New Zealand a sufficient lead to enable them to go on to their first victory.[9] After a gap of five years he returned to the Canterbury side in 1900-01 for his final two matches, and took six wickets.
Dick Brittenden said of Robertson: "He spun the ball either way a prodigious amount ... Small and slender, he suffered much ill-health, and asthma ended a brilliant career cruelly early." An accident in his youth had resulted in the loss of two fingers of his left hand.[10]
Often known as "Billy" or "Pro", Robertson was also a successful cricket coach.[11] [12]