Henry Willis (cricketer)

Henry Willis (17 March 1841 – 29 September 1926) was an English banker and cricketer.

Henry Willis

Personal information
Full name	Henry Willis
Born	(1841-03-17)17 March 1841 Sydenham, Kent, England
Died	29 September 1926(1926-09-29) (aged 85) Horton, Epsom, Surrey, England
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1868	Surrey
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 1 Runs scored 7 Batting average 3.50 100s/50s 0/0 Top score 7 Catches/stumpings 0/–
Source: Cricinfo, 23 June 2012

Life

He was born at Sydenham, Kent, the eldest son of Henry Willis, of Horton Lodge, Epsom, a banker in Lombard Street.^[1][2] His sister Marianne married in 1862 Henry Paull, the Member of Parliament.^[3]

Willis was educated privately.^[4] By 1863 he was working in Willis, Percival & Co., the private bank in Lombard Street at which his father was the senior partner.^[5] When the bank failed in 1878, his personal assets contributed in the liquidation to the settlement of liabilities.^[6] The bank was taken over, and he became a manager of the new concern at the same address.^[7]

Cricketer

Willis's batting style is unknown. He made a single first-class appearance for Surrey against Yorkshire in 1868 at The Oval.^[8] Surrey won the toss and elected to bat, making 195 all out, with Willis being dismissed during the innings for a duck by Tom Emmett. Yorkshire responded by making 389 all out in their first-innings, to which Surrey responded in their second-innings by being dismissed for just 52, with Willis being dismissed by George Atkinson for 7 runs. Yorkshire won the match by an innings and 142 runs.^[9]

This was Willis's only major appearance for Surrey. He was the Captain of the Epsom Cricket Club for many years.^[10]

Family

In 1866, Willis married Emmeline, daughter of James Levick of Hookfield, Epsom;^[11][12][13] they had a son, Henry — who married Mina Gertrude, daughter of the cricketer E. M. Grace — and six daughters. Willis died at Horton Lodge near Horton, Surrey, on 29 September 1926.