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| William Lines | |
|---|---|
| Name | William Lines |
| Birth date | 1955 |
| Birth place | Brisbane |
| Batting | Right-handed |
| Bowling | Right-arm medium-fast |
| Role | All-rounder |
| Clubs | Queensland |
| Years | 1976–1984 |
William Lines
William Lines (born 1955) is a former Australian cricketer who represented Queensland cricket team in the late 1970s and early 1980s. A right-handed batsman and right-arm medium-fast bowler, he played Sheffield Shield and List A matches during a period that overlapped with the careers of Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee, and Rod Marsh. Lines combined performing for state sides with involvement in club cricket across The Gabba and regional venues, later transitioning into coaching and sports administration with ties to Queensland Cricket and community organizations.
Lines was born and raised in Brisbane and came through the junior ranks of the Woolloongabba and Sandgate club systems. He attended Brisbane State High School, where he played in schoolboy competitions alongside contemporaries who progressed to play for Australia national cricket team and state sides such as New South Wales cricket team and Victoria cricket team. Lines furthered his studies at the University of Queensland, combining tertiary education with appearances for the university cricket side that competed in the Brisbane Grade Cricket competition. His early mentors included coaches from the Queensland Academy of Sport and former state players active in the Australian Cricket Board administration.
Lines made his first-class debut for the Queensland cricket team in the mid-1970s during an era shaped by the influence of World Series Cricket and leading fixtures featuring stars from England cricket team and West Indies cricket team. He played in Sheffield Shield campaigns against sides such as South Australia cricket team, Western Australia cricket team, and Tasmania cricket team. On the limited-overs front, Lines appeared in domestic one-day competitions that brought him into contests versus New South Wales Blues and touring international squads including matches involving Zimbabwe national cricket team and developmental teams from Pakistan national cricket team. His state career coincided with administrators like members of the Australian Cricket Board negotiating player contracts and competition formats.
Lines also participated in representative fixtures for Queensland Country and played during off-seasons in Australian club tours to England and fixtures involving Marylebone Cricket Club and county sides such as Middlesex County Cricket Club and Surrey County Cricket Club. He played in marquee domestic matches at venues including The Gabba, Adelaide Oval, and WACA Ground, sharing dressing rooms and opponents with notable cricketers from the Chappell family and bowlers from the West Indies cricket team.
As a batsman, Lines was known for a compact technique influenced by coaches who had worked under systems used by Don Bradman-era traditions and modernized by contemporaries from the Australian Institute of Sport. He often batted in the middle order, providing stability after top-order partnerships featuring players like John Dyson and Greg Ritchie. His right-arm medium-fast bowling emphasized accuracy, seam movement, and change-of-pace tactics reminiscent of county professionals who toured Australia, drawing comparisons to bowlers who combined economy and control rather than express pace.
Statistically, Lines compiled a modest first-class record with several half-centuries and key lower-order partnerships in Sheffield Shield encounters. He recorded best bowling figures in a state match that influenced a Queensland victory over South Australia and notched useful contributions in domestic List A competitions against teams such as New South Wales and Victoria. His performances in grade cricket included seasons with leading run aggregates and wicket tallies, earning selection for representative fixtures and invitations to play in development matches organized by entities including the Australian Cricket Board and Queensland Cricket.
After retiring from state cricket in the mid-1980s, Lines remained active in the cricketing community through coaching appointments at club and school levels, working with programs run by Queensland Cricket and local councils. He served as a coach and mentor for junior players who later represented Australia national cricket team and state sides, liaising with administrators from bodies like the Australian Sports Commission and regional sporting organizations. Lines also undertook roles in sports development and management, contributing to facility projects near Brisbane River and participating in charity matches supporting foundations such as organizations affiliated with former players from the Chappell family and Ian Healy.
In his personal life, Lines balanced sporting commitments with family and business interests in Brisbane and regional Queensland. He maintained connections to former teammates and opponents from the Sheffield Shield era, appearing at reunions and state cricket anniversaries alongside figures from the Australia national cricket team and past Queensland squads.
Lines is remembered within Queensland cricket circles for steady contributions during a transitional period marked by the emergence of professional reforms led in part by the Australian Cricket Board and the commercial impact of World Series Cricket. His coaching and development work earned recognition from community clubs and regional cricket associations, and he received acknowledgment at club award nights and state celebrations honoring past players. Lines's involvement in nurturing junior talent is cited by some former protégés who progressed to play for Queensland and Australia national cricket team, ensuring his legacy extends into subsequent generations associated with venues like The Gabba and institutions including the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame ceremonies in which veterans and contributors are often celebrated.
Category:Australian cricketers Category:Queensland cricketers Category:1955 births Category:Living people