Guy Longfield Willatt (7 May 1918 – 11 June 2003) was an English

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er who played

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...

for

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

from 1938 to 1947, for Nottinghamshire from 1939 to 1948, for Scotland from 1948 to 1950 and for Derbyshire from 1950 to 1956. He was captain of Derbyshire from 1951 to 1954 and also played for

Marylebone Cricket Club Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...

(MCC). Willatt was born at The Park,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

. He was educated at

Repton School Repton School is a 13–18 Mixed-sex education, co-educational, Independent school (United Kingdom), independent, Day school, day and boarding school in the English Public school (United Kingdom), public school tradition, in Repton, Derbyshire, ...

and

St Catharine's College, Cambridge St Catharine's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1473 as Katharine Hall, it adopted its current name in 1860. The college is nicknamed "Catz". The college is located in the historic city-centre of Camb ...

. He played cricket for

, two years before the war and at the same time performed in the second and first team at

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

. However his university education was interrupted by the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

,Obituary in The Times
/ref> when he served as an officer in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

. He still played for Nottinghamshire teams during the war. He resumed his studies at

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

and in 1947 was a football blue as well as captaining Cambridge University. He scored 90 in the

Varsity Match A varsity match is a fixture (especially of a sporting event or team) between two university teams, particularly Oxford and Cambridge. The Scottish Varsity rugby match between the University of St Andrews and the University of Edinburgh at Murray ...

that year. He continued playing for Nottinghamshire in the years immediately after the war. On leaving university he moved to

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, where he taught at

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, is now part of the Se ...

and scored for The Grange. While he was in Scotland from 1948 to 1950 he played four times for

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. In 1950 Willatt returned from Scotland to teach at Repton and, like

John Eggar John Drennan Eggar (1 December 1916 – 3 May 1983) was an English schoolmaster and first-class cricketer who played for Oxford University and Hampshire in 1938 and for Derbyshire from 1946 to 1954. Eggar was born in Nowshera, British India, t ...

and Dick Sale, combined cricket for

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

with his teaching career. He was also released from teaching in the summer term so he could captain the county. He was designated captain in the 1950 season but was hampered by injury and

Pat Vaulkhard Patrick Vaulkhard (15 September 1911 – 1 April 1995) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Nottinghamshire in 1934 and for Derbyshire between 1946 and 1952, being captain in 1950. Vaulkhard was born in Nottingham. He deb ...

substituted for him in the role while on the field Willatt was an unpredictable, middle-order batsman during his first season. He took over as captain in the 1951 season and occupied the post for the next three years, in which he played consistently for the team. He scored a century against his former team

in 1951 and Derbyshire finished eleventh in the County Championship. In

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

, which was his personal best season, Willatt scored 1,624 runs, at an average of 35.3 including two centuries and the club were fourth in the Championship. In the 1953 season Willatt's batting average dropped, and Derbyshire slipped to sixth. Willatt scored centuries against

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

and

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

in the 1954 season and the club finished third in the county table. In 1954 Willatt left Repton for

Heversham Grammar School Heversham is a small village and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 647, increasing at the 2011 census to 699. It is situated above the marshes of the Kent estu ...

in Westmoreland, but continued playing for Derbyshire. In the 1955 season Willatt played five games for Derbyshire, and in his last season,

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

, he played four. Willatt played cricket for the MCC between 1951 and 1970 playing a first-class game against

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in 1961. He was also playing for

Kendal Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, south-east of Windermere and north of Lancaster. Historically in Westmorland, it lies within the dale of th ...

Cricket Club. Willatt was a left-handed batsman and played 303 innings in 185 first-class matches at an average of 29.10 and a top score of 146. He was a right-arm slow bowler and took three first-class wickets at an average of 45.00 and a best performance of 2 for 18.Guy Willatt at Cricket Archive
/ref> Off the field, Willatt was a moderniser who eliminated amateur-professional segregation at the club Willatt became headmaster at

Pocklington School Pocklington School is an independent school in Pocklington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1514 by John Dolman. The school is situated in of land, on the outskirts of the small market town, from York and from Hull. ...

, Yorkshire, in 1966 where he stayed until his retirement in 1980. He then returned to Derbyshire to live, becoming chairman of the Derbyshire Cricket committee from 1986 to 1990 and president of the club in 1995. Willatt and his wife Marion were married for ? years until her death. They had three sons. He died at

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

aged 85. Willatt's son,

Jonathan Jonathan may refer to: *Jonathan (name), a masculine given name Media * ''Jonathan'' (1970 film), a German film directed by Hans W. Geißendörfer * ''Jonathan'' (2016 film), a German film directed by Piotr J. Lewandowski * ''Jonathan'' (2018 ...

, played first-class cricket for

in 1989. Willatt had two elder brothers: Sir Hugh Willatt was a former secretary general to the Arts Council, and Geoffrey Willatt, a veteran of the prisoner of war camp Stalag Luft III.

References

External links

*
Appreciation by Michael Henderson in The SpectatorObituary in The Independent
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willatt, Guy 1918 births 2003 deaths Military personnel from Nottingham People educated at Repton School Alumni of St Catharine's College, Cambridge Royal Artillery officers English cricketers Cambridge University cricketers Nottinghamshire cricketers Derbyshire cricket captains Cricketers from Nottingham Scotland cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Gentlemen cricketers British Army personnel of World War II