England Players - Billy Bryant

England Football Online
Players Index	Page Last Updated 30 December 2022

Billy Bryant	Clapton FC 1 appearance, 0 goals P 1 W 1 D 0 L 0 F 3: A 2 100% successful 1925 captain: none minutes played: 90

Timeline
	William Ingram Bryant
Birth	1 March 1899, a British Subject born in Ghent, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium Attended St. Olaves Grammar School in Orpington.
	Not on the 1901 census, but the 1911 census return shows the birthplaces of the five children. The Bryants had returned to England and returned to Belgium at some point, and most certainly in Ghent in April 1901.
	According to the 1911 census, William Ingram is now the oldest of five children to their parents Bryan Ingram and Gertrude Agnes (née Fletcher). They live at 195 Brockley Rise in Forest Gate. His father is a commercial traveller, selling seeds.
	According to the 1921 census, William Ingram is a clerk, boarding William and Florence Sibley at Sherwood Cottage in Feering.
Marriage	to Dorothy Nellie Isard [registered in Lewisham, December 1921]. They had six children, Kenneth I. (b.1922), Betty M. (b.1924), Dennis I. (b.1925), Molly A. (b.1926), John N. (b.1928) and Michael W. (b.1929).
"SEQUEL IN PENZANCE COUNTY COURT "A sequel to an accident which happened on the Penzance-Heslton road, bear Germoe cross-roads, last November, in which Miss Clemo, of Penzance, sustained serious injuries, was heard at Penzance County Court, on Wednesday, before His Honour Judge Lias. The litigants were William Ingram Bryant, a London commercial traveller, living at Catford, who as plaintiff, claimed Ā£45 2s 7d as damages to his saloon motor car; and Andrew Lawry, jun., of Varfell, Long Rock, who, as defendant, counter-claimed Ā£22 10s. for damages to his motor cycle. "Both sides were represented by counsel. Mr. Cope Morgan (instructed by Messrs. Ponsford and Devenish, London), appeared for the plaintiff; and Mr. J. Lhind Pratt (instructed by Messrs. Borlase and Venning, Penzance) for the defendant. "Mr. Cope Morgan said the accident occurred on the Heston-Penzance main road on November 9th of last year about 3 o'clock one Sunday afternoon. The damages were agreed. There was a claim of Ā£45 2s 7d. by the plaintiff, and a counter-claim of Ā£22 10s. by the defendant. Plaintiff was driving a motor-car, with a woman and some children behind, from Helston, and the collision was with the defendant, who was on a motor-cycle, with a pillion rider. Defendant was approaching from the direction of Penzance. He submitted that the foundation of the trouble was the speed of the motor-cycle, the speed being such as not to enable the defendant to control his position on the road. A crucial point was that the motor-car at the point of collision was driven by the cycle into and along its near side hedge. The violence of the blow, when the cycle came into the plaintiff, was such that the car scraped along the hedge so as to shift the chassis about an inch. The plaintiff's car was struck on the front offside. As the result of the accident, the steering-wheel was knocked out of the plaintiff's hands, and the car went on for something like six yards completely out of control, and went off to its offside again. Just before the accident, a Ford van was approaching, and the plaintiff only got vision of the cycle for six yards after the passing of the van. The approaching van blocked up the view behind it. As the plaintiff approached the Ford van came around into his vision, and by the shape and nature of the road, the van obliterated anything behind it from the plaintiff's view. The motor-cyclist came out from his near side, no doubt in order to overtake the slow-moving Ford van. The force of the impact was such that defendant must have been going at 40 m.p.h. To avoid the collision, the cyclist must have turned the wheel, with the result that he actually escaped plaintiff with his front wheel, and the offside foot-rest of the motor cycle struck the front wheel of the car. After the impact, defendant was found in the middle of the road about six yards behind the stationary car, on his near side of the road. Plaintiff was travelling about 25 or 30 miles an hour. " 'The defendant puts his case upon the force of the impact,' said Mr. Cope-Morgan, 'and I suggest that he is right in taking that as the test of this case. But if it were my car which ran into him and exercised upon him my force of impact, it is clear he might have been thrown over to his near side of the road, but it is perfectly clear that I should not be taking pieces out of the hedge on my near side first, and if the force of the impact were applied as he desires to say, my submission is that nothing in the world would have driven me into my left-hand hedge. When you come to look at the real evidence as shown by that mark in the hedge, it is perfectly plain that my story is the right one, and that his way of explaining the force of the impact is the wrong one.' "William Ingram Bryant, commercial traveller, said in the twelve months prior to the accident he had driven 20,000 miles. On the date of the accident he was coming from Helston to Penzance, and in his car he had Mrs. Roskruge and her two children. Before the Ford van came into view, he was going at 25 or 30 miles an hour. Witness then bore out his Counsel's statement of the case. "Cross-examined by Mr. Lhind Pratt: His front axle was driven out of truth, and set back on the offside. It appeared to be perfectly safe to drive fast. He did not admit going at least 40 miles an hour. In passing the van he had gone in nearer to his left-hand side normally, and afterwards he came out more to the centre. "Mr. Lhind Pratt: You didn't by any chance hit the hedge before you hit the cycle, did you?- No. "Mr. Lhind Pratt said the cycle was struck on the exhaust, and suggested that that meant that the cycle was struck broadside on. "His Honour suggested that it was rather against Mr. Lhind Pratt's theory that there was a right angle collision between two cars in a 10-ft road. He could hardly see how it could be possible. "Mr. Lhind Pratt (to Mr. Bryant): Leaving out for a moment the question as to whether you hit the hedge before hitting the cycle or not - having hit the hedge, your car went practically straight across the road, didn't? "His Honour: An angle of about 45 degrees? Is that right? - Witness: Yes. "Mr. Lhind Pratt contended that the damage to the car showed that it was practically a head-on collision. "Mr. Lhind Pratt pointed out that Mr. Bryant had not taken action till September of this year, and His Honour asked against whom was Miss Clemo taking action. "Mr. Lhind Pratt said Miss Clemo had taken no action yet, but as far as one could gather she would take action against both parties to the action. "Mrs. Annie Lavina Roskruge, of Helston, a passenger in the car at the time of the accident, said she remembered the Ford van approaching at a considerable distance. Mr. Bryant was on his correct side of the road, and she observed the van passing the car, and immediately it passed she heard the impact. Witness and seen nothing, and thought the collision was with the van, but later saw that the van had cleared them. The she saw the cycle swerving away from the car. Witness' impression was that the impact threw them into the hedge. "Stanley Wm. James Thorne said he was an A.A. Scout and on the day in question was patrolling on that road and came on the scene soon after the accident. The motor-cycle had been moved and was against the hedge. The motor-car was at as angle against the gate. There were four marks of the motor-cycle on the road. They were at an angle towards the near side. The first mask started 7 ft. from the off hedge and ended up 4 ft. from the near side. "Andrew Lawry described the accident and the incidents leading up to it. The plaintiff was about 20 yards away when witness first saw him. The plaintiff's car came towards him, with the result that the car hit the cycle in the rear. The car was travelling about 40 m.p.h. The cycle was in the same condition now as it was at the time of the accident. "By Mr. Cope Morgan: He slowed down at the cross-roads to 25 m.p.h., and after passing them he accelerated, but not a great deal. "Mr. Cope Morgan: Do you say you only put on 5 miles an hour after passing the cross-roads? "Witness: About that. "If you were threatening to run into something, and, by natural instinct you turn to the left, that would save the front part of the machine and yourself? - Possibly so, sir. "That is exactly what happened here. You turned over to your left, and so saved yourself? - I was already on my left hand side of the road then. "Evidence was also given by Francis Henry Pascoe, driver of the Ford van, of Rosparvah Gardens, Heamoor. "Insp. Matthews, who went to the scene an hour after the accident, was another witness. He said the rim of the front off wheel of the plaintiff's car was nearly cut through. "After His Honour and counsel had inspected the damaged cycle, Mr. Lhind Pratt addressed His Honour, and said the case was an exceptional one. Plaintiff's case was an exceptional one. Plaintiff's case was that the cyclist was pulling up to overtake the van, but as to that he was only conjecturing that from what he saw when he passed the van. It was manifestly impossible that a motor-cycle should knock a car broad-side on into the hedge. The damage to the cycle could have occurred and only occurred, if plaintiff, after passing the van, had gone to the incorrect side of the road, or that he hit the hedge and cannoned off across the road. "His Honour said it was very difficult to understand how the damage to the front wheel rim of the car could have happened. If he had had a jury to assist him, he had no doubt they would come to the conclusion that, if defendant had been on his correct side, his cycle could not have made the marks in the road as described by the A.A. Scout. He was unable to accept that defendant was riding on his proper side of the road, and that he was bumped into by the plaintiff. He found, as a fact, that defendant was on his wrong side. Broadly, he thought what happened was was that defendant came across the road - for what reason His Honour did not know - then suddenly saw the plaintiff, tried to get across as fast as he could, and got caught in the movement. The result was that plaintiff's car was thrown into the hedge. Defendant was responsible for the accident, and must pay plaintiff his claim of 45 £ 2s. 7d. The counter claim would be dismissed." - Thursday, 12 November 1931, The Cornishman and Cornish Telegraph.
	According to the London Electoral Rolls, William Ingram Bryant was still residing with his parents at 195 Brockley Rise until his marriage. From 1928, he and his wife, Dorothy, were living at 57 Broadfield Road in Hither Green. By 1932, they were living with his sister and mother at 28 Garlies Road in Sydenham, where they still were, until at least, in 1939 According to the 1939 register, William S., a Salesman of agricultural seed, is married to Dorothy N., and are living at 28 Garlies Road in Lewisham
Death	21 January 1986 in Witham, Essex, aged 86 years 326 days [registered in Braintree, January 1986].
Source	Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990], the family tree at Prattens.co.uk &
Playing Career
Club(s)	After asking for a trial, Bryant joined Clapton FC as an inside-forward, before they played hm successfully at the back, to become one of the best amateur centre-half backs in the country, and becoming the club captain. Bryant agreed to assist Millwall Athletic FC on 6 August 1925. Returned to Clapton FC in May 1931, retiring in 1933, and represented the Isthmian League.
Club honours	FA Amateur Cup winners 1923-24, 1924-25; Football League Division Three (south) winners 1927-28;
Individual honours	FA Charity Shield winners with Amateurs 1925, 1926;
Distinctions	Also played cricket with Old Olavians CC, and also Witham CC after WW2.
Height/Weight	6' 1", 12st. 0lbs [1927].
Source	Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990].
England Career
Player number	One of five who became the 490th players (493) to appear for England.
Position(s)	Centre-half
Only match	No. 146, 21 May 1925, France 2 England 3, an end-of-season friendly match at Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes, Paris, aged 26 years 81 days.
Major tournaments	None
Team honours	None
Individual honours	England amateur (seven appearances).
Distinctions	None
Beyond England
Later a football reporter for The Sunday Referee and a director of a wholesale seed company. - An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who. Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.51/52.

Billy Byrant - Career Statistics
Squads	Apps	comp. apps	Mins.	Goals	goals ave.min	comp. goals	Capt.	Disc.
1	1	0	90	0	0 min	0	none	none
minutes are an approximation, due to the fact that many matches rarely stick to exactly ninety minutes long, allowing time for injuries and errors.

Billy Byrant - Match Record - All Matches - By Type of Match

Type

FTS

FAv

AAv

Pts%

W/L

Away - Friendly

3.00

2.00

100.0

All

3.00

2.00

100.0

Billy Byrant - Match History

Club: Clapton F.C. - 1 full cap
F.A. International Select Committee - 1 full capx

Age 26

1 146 21 May 1925 - France 2 England 3, Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris Fr AW Start ch

Notes

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CG