Henry Willis (17 March 1841 – 29 September 1926) was an English banker and cricketer.
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Batting | Unknown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Relations | Charles Willis (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1868 | Surrey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 23 June 2012 |
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]
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]
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.