| Francis Appleyard | |
| Country: | England |
| Fullname: | Francis Appleyard |
| Birth Date: | 26 September 1905 |
| Birth Place: | Clifton, Yorkshire, England |
| Death Place: | Stevenage, England |
| Batting: | Right-handed |
| Bowling: | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Club1: | Essex |
| Club2: | MCC |
| Year2: | 1946–1950 |
| Columns: | 1 |
| Column1: | First-class |
| Matches1: | 18 |
| Runs1: | 74 |
| Bat Avg1: | 6.72 |
| 100S/50S1: | 0/0 |
| Top Score1: | 15* |
| Deliveries1: | 2,951 |
| Wickets1: | 30 |
| Bowl Avg1: | 40.33 |
| Fivefor1: | 2 |
| Tenfor1: | 0 |
| Best Bowling1: | 5/14 |
| Catches/Stumpings1: | 12/– |
| Date: | 18 October |
| Year: | 2008 |
| Source: | https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/4/4763/4763.html CricketArchive |
Francis Appleyard (26 September 1905 – 12 October 1971) was an English first-class cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler. He was born in Clifton, Yorkshire and died in Stevenage.[1]
Appleyard began his Minor Counties career playing for Hertfordshire in 1931, and continued to play Minor Counties cricket until the outbreak of the Second World War. He made his first-class cricketing debut in 1939 for Minor Counties. During the war, Appleyard made ten appearances for a British Empire XI against various assembled teams.
Appleyard made his County Championship debut in the 1946 season, for Essex. A steady fast-medium bowler,[2] Appleyard had best bowling figures of 5 for 14. He made four further first-class appearances during 1947, a season which once again saw Essex under-perform in the County Championship and he did not play again in the County Championship beyond this season.
Appleyard made just one further first-class appearance, for the Marylebone Cricket Club against Minor Counties, in 1950.
Appleyard's sons, Peter and John, both played cricket for Hertfordshire.