[3] He died at the age of 46 at his home in the southern Wellington suburb of Island Bay, leaving a widow, Bessie, and five children.
[4][5] A left-arm medium-pace bowler, at the beginning of his career in Christchurch club cricket Halley was described as a promising bowler who "bowls left hand round the wicket, delivers right at the end of the crease, and, moreover, breaks back a good bit".
[7] On his first-class debut against Wellington in 1886-87 he bowled unchanged throughout both innings (partnered by a fellow Scotsman, David Dunlop) to take 5 for 33 and 4 for 19 for match figures of 37.3–12–52–9 (five-ball overs).
[8] When Canterbury played the English touring team in 1887-88 he took 6 for 50 in the first innings, including four caught and bowled.
[9] In 1890 a local newspaper described Halley thus: "The best bowler of the Province, breaks both ways, and uses his head, always gets wickets.