Sir Wilfred William Hill Hill-Wood (8 September 1901 – 10 October 1980) was an English financier and

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 str ...

er who played first-class 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 ...

between 1919 and 1936, as well as for

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

and

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).

Early life

Hill-Wood was the second son of

Sir Samuel Hill-Wood, 1st Baronet Sir Samuel Hill Hill-Wood, 1st Baronet (21 March 1872 – 4 January 1949) was a British businessman, Conservative politician, cricketer and football club chairman. Early life Wood was born in Glossop, Derbyshire, the son of Samuel Wood, a co ...

, and his wife Hon. Rachel Bateman-Hanbury. His father was a Member of Parliament and had also played cricket for Derbyshire. He was educated at

Ludgrove Ludgrove, or Ludgrave, or Ludgraves, was an estate and farm in Middlesex between Monken Hadley in the west and Cockfosters in the east in what is now north London. It was centered on Ludgrove Farm (the Blue House) near to Cockfosters. History The ...

and

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

, where he played for the first XI, appearing in the Eton-Harrow match in 1918, 1919 and 1920. He then went to

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

Cricketing career

Hill-Wood made his debut for Derbyshire in the 1919 season when he took 2 wickets and scored a total of 49 in two innings against

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

. He played two more games in 1919 and next played one game for Derbyshire in the 1921 season. In 1921 and 1922 he was playing for

. He took part in a

(MCC) tour of New Zealand in 1922/23 and was a regular in the Derbyshire side in the 1923 season. He played two matches for Derbyshire in the 1924 season and five for them in the 1925 season in which years he also played for the Eton Ramblers. In 1932/33 he played during a tour of India, and performed again for Derbyshire in the 1935 and

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

seasons. His last matches were in 1938 and 1939 for the MCC against the universities. Hill-Wood was a right hand batsman and played 60 innings for Derbyshire in 35 matches. His top score was 107 and his average 25.74. He played 21 innings in 14 matches for Cambridge University with a top score of 81. He was a leg-break bowler and took 49 wickets at an average 31.08 for Derbyshire. He took 14 wickets at an average of 28.85 for Cambridge University. His best overall match count was 5 for 62.

Financial career

Hill-Wood was Managing Director of Morgan, Grenfell & Co. 1939–67, and during the Second World War was with the

British Purchasing Commission The British Purchasing Commission was a United Kingdom organisation of the Second World War. Also known at some time as the "Anglo-French Purchasing Board", it was based in New York City, where it arranged the production and purchase of armaments fr ...

. He was Chairman of Eversholt Estate Development and Vice-President of St Pancras Housing Association. He was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 1946 for his work as Director, Western Area, Postal and Telegraph Censorship Department. He was a personal friend of King George VI and advised the royal family on financial affairs. He was knighted in 1976 as a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, an order in the personal gift of

The Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

Family

As well as his father, Hill-Wood's brothers

Basil Basil (, ; ''Ocimum basilicum'' , also called great basil, is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae (mints). It is a tender plant, and is used in cuisines worldwide. In Western cuisine, the generic term "basil" refers to the variety also k ...

, Denis and Charles played cricket for Derbyshire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill-Wood, Wilfred 1901 births 1980 deaths Cambridge University cricketers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Derbyshire cricketers English cricketers Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge English cricketers of 1919 to 1945 Younger sons of baronets Viceroy's XI cricketers People educated at Ludgrove School Cricketers from Chelsea, London