Billy Taylor

Billy Victor Taylor (born 11 January 1977) is an English former cricketer who played first-class cricket for both Hampshire and Sussex. He played for Sussex from 1999 to 2003, and was a member of the Sussex team that won their first ever County Championship in 2003. After struggling to establish himself at Sussex, Taylor joined Hampshire ahead of the 2004 season. He would play for Hampshire until 2009, after which he became an umpire and was appointed to the ECB Full Umpires List in 2016.

Early life Taylor was born in January 1977 in Southampton, where he was educated at Bitterne Park School. He began playing club cricket in Winchester alongside his brothers, James and Martin. A right-arm medium-fast bowler, he initially trialled with Hampshire, but was rejected in 1997. Instead, he began playing minor counties cricket for Wiltshire, He had a pre-season trial with Sussex in 1998, impressing enough for them to sign him. Whilst awaiting his Sussex first team debut, Taylor continued to play minor counties cricket for Wiltshire; it was for Wiltshire that he made his debut in List A one-day cricket against the Northamptonshire Cricket Board in the first round of the 1999 NatWest Trophy.

Cricket career Sussex Two months later, he made his senior Sussex debut in a one-day match against Middlesex at Arundel in the National League; Taylor made ten one-day appearances for Sussex in 1999, He featured five times in the 2000 County Championship, At the time, Sussex under the captaincy of Chris Adams, operated a football-style rotation system to help keep their bowlers fit throughout the season, with Taylor coming into the Sussex team to cover their main strike bowlers. In one-day cricket during the 2000 season, Taylor made thirteen appearances and took 18 wickets at an average of 21.61; he put in a man-of-the-match display in the third round of the NatWest Trophy against the Middlesex Cricket Board, taking 4 for 26. Prior to the start of the 2001 season, Taylor required surgery for a stress-fracture on his heel which he had suffered while playing club cricket in New Zealand, meaning he missed Sussex's pre-season tour of Grenada. He subsequently missed the first two weeks of the season, having broken a finger. His eleven one-day appearances in 2001 yielded him 15 wickets at an average of 21.60, In his ten appearances, he enjoyed success with 32 wickets at an average of 32.53. He would finish the season as Sussex's leading one-day wicket-taker. In 28 first-class matches for Sussex, he took 71 wickets at an average of 35.11, In 76 one-day appearances, he took 109 wickets at an average of 22.89.

Hampshire In October 2003, Taylor signed a three-year contract with Hampshire. Alongside twelve one-day appearance in 2004, Taylor featured infrequently for Hampshire during the 2005 season, with eight first-class and seven one-day appearances.

In the first match of the 2006 County Championship against Middlesex, Taylor took the first ever hat-trick at the Rose Bowl, on the way to career best figures of 6 for 32. In six first-class appearances that season, he took 12 wickets at an average of 30.33. Taylor was awarded his county cap in 2006. Following the 2006 season, Taylor was utilised as a one-day specialist. In July 2011, he stood in a Women's One Day International between England and Australia at Lord's; three years later in August 2014, he would stand in a Women's Test match between England and India at Wormsley. Having first stood as umpire in senior men's domestic cricket in 2011, Taylor was appointed to the ECB Full Umpires List in January 2016, following the retirement of Mark Benson. As of , he has stood in 85 first-class, 41 one-day, and 100 Twenty20 matches. In 2024, he officiated in the Major League Cricket season and returned for the 2025 Major League Cricket season.