William Wills Robinson (17 June 1847 – 14 September 1929) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

-born New Zealand

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. He played 12 first-class matches for

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

between 1873 and 1885. Robinson was educated at

Epsom College Epsom College is a co-educational independent school on Epsom Downs, Surrey, England, for pupils aged 11 to 18. It was founded in 1853 as a boys' school to provide support for poor members of the medical profession such as pensioners and orph ...

in England before moving to New Zealand, where he lived from about 1868 to 1889. A tall man with a curly black beard, he was a slow left-arm bowler, "a free bat and a great fighter", and an outstanding

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. He captained Auckland in all 12 of his matches. Leading them on their southern tour in late 1873, when they played their first first-class matches, he took 20 wickets at an average of 7.30, and they won all three matches. He had a sporting goods store in

before returning to England in 1889. Robinson was also one of the pioneers of

rugby football Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union and rugby league. Canadian football and, to a lesser extent, American football were once considered forms of rugby football, but are seldom now referred to as such. The ...

in New Zealand, helping to establish the game in Auckland soon after his arrival in New Zealand in about 1868. In 1905, after he returned to England to live in

Wellingborough Wellingborough ( ) is a large market and commuter town in the unitary authority area of North Northamptonshire in the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England, 65 miles from London and from Northampton on the north side of the River Nen ...

, he wrote a series of articles on the early history of rugby in New Zealand for ''

The Pall Mall Gazette ''The Pall Mall Gazette'' was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood. In 1921, '' The Globe'' merged into ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', which itself was absorbed in ...

''. He coached the boys at

Wellingborough School Wellingborough School is a co-educational day independent school in the market town of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire. It was established in 1595 and is one of the oldest schools in the country. The school today consists of a Prep school ...

for more than 30 years.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, William 1847 births 1929 deaths People educated at Epsom College New Zealand cricketers Auckland cricketers Cricketers from Birmingham, West Midlands English cricket coaches

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