Billy Light made his name as a cricketer with Hampshire, and especially with Devon, but also turned out for Exeter City Reserves during the 1905/06 season.

Billy, a cricket professional with Devon, was one of a large group of new players in the summer of 1905 which also included Budden another cricketer employed by the county club. He was soon in action for the reserves against Torquay United on 30 September but did not receive a good write-up from the reproter fro, the Devon and Exeter Gazette who considered him to be an inferior footballer to Budden.

Nothing much was then heard of Billy's football career and it was his cricket that continued to catch the eye. Educated at Marlborough College, he was an all-rounder (left hand bat, right arm bowler) who made his first-class debut for Hampshire in 1897 as he went on to make 12 appearances for his home county.

Arriving as a professional at County Ground in Exeter in 1902, he made 164 Minor County Championship appearances for his new county through to 1928. High in the list of all-time performers, he scored 6,382 runs (seven centuries; 38 fifties; top score 157) and took 584 wickets with seven 10 wicket match (and 39 five wicket innings) hauls with a best analysis of 9-55.

Billy died of a heart attack at home in Exeter on 10 November 1930 and is buried in the Higher Cemetery where his memorial stone displays cricketing motifs.