Bob Willis, centre, with Ian Botham, left, and Mike Brearley in 1979. ©JPIMedia Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. They had a daughter, Katie, who was born in 1984. This website and its associated newspaper are members of Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Willis was educated at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, playing his early cricket for the Stoke de Auburn Cricket Club, where he later became vice president and life member, and two seasons at Cobb Auvers. “Bob is survived by his wife Lauren, daughter Katie, brother David and sister Ann. Willis passed away on December 3, 2019, after a brief battle with thyroid cancer. After his retirement in 1984 – he had vowed initially to spend time at home with his first wife, Juliet, and their daughter, Katie-Anne – his knowledge and understanding of the game were put to good use in the commentary box, where his no-nonsense assessment and dry wit proved popular. Bob played football for his school. At 32 and having just recovered from knee surgery, he went into the third Ashes Test at Headingley knowing his international career was fast approaching a crossroads. Willis had to shelve his plans to go to university when his A-level grades fell below what was required and briefly contemplated a career as an insurance agent, having already had a spell as a petrol pump attendant. Former England captain Bob Willis has died at the age of 70, The @EnglandCricket great took 325 wickets in 90 Tests from 1971 to 1984, Read more https://t.co/ovoOPyBh3Y pic.twitter.com/scJ0WMf99g, — BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) December 4, 2019. On the field, he continued to prosper, playing club cricket for Cobham Avorians and representing Surrey Schools and later the Surrey Young Cricketers. Robert George Dillon Willis is known as Bob Willis, born 30 May 1949 in Sunderland, County Durham. Willis was one of the stars of England's 1981 Ashes series. Needing to find work over the winter, Willis took an office job at Harrods while also playing football as a goalkeeper for Guildford City reserves and later Corinthian Casuals. Bob Willis was born on May 30, 1949, in Sunderland, England. They had a daughter, Katie, who was born in 1984. The newest member of the family spent only a matter of weeks on Wearside, where his father Ted was a journalist, before the family relocated to Manchester, the baby receiving a somewhat rude welcome at the hands of a porter at Piccadilly Station when his carry-cot was dropped on to the rails. When he was five years old, the family moved once again, this time to the Surrey village of Stoke d’Abernon, and it was there that his love of sport, in particular and cricket and football, blossomed. He married his second wife, Lauren Clark, in 2005. Home › Bob Willis Wiki, Bio, Age, Died, Wife, Career, Net Worth, Instagram. Bob is the fourth leading wicket-taker behind England’s Jimmy Anderson since 2019. , Ian Botham, and Stuart Broad. Nevertheless, in the Ashes series against Australia in 1981, the Test team got a career-best eight wickets. Bob Willis Died. Hull murderer who helped restrain London Bridge terrorist while on day release receives Royal Pardon, Accusations mount over peerage snub for former Archbishop of York John Sentamu. Although born in Sunderland, Willis lived in Manchester as a teenager and was a deep supporter of Manchester City FC. Although born in Sunderland, Willis lived in Manchester as a youngster, and was a keen supporter of Manchester City F.C., having first attended a match at Maine Road in 1954, as well as seeing the 1955 FA Cup Final against Newcastle United. He was the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1978. England great Bob Willis would have been "unbelievably stunned and proud" to see counties competing for a trophy bearing his name, his widow Lauren Clark has said. Under-performance in his O-levels meant Willis had to stay back a year and, although he belatedly knuckled down, by his own admission he became something of a rebel. His childhood was spent growing up in Sunderland with his two siblings. Willis married his first wife, Juliet Smail in 1980. It formed a commentary partnership with Botham. However, it was then that Willis produced the performance of his life, pounding across the Yorkshire turf in the manner of an enraged bull to blast his way through what remained of the Australian batting line-up to return career-best figures of eight for 43 and secure an improbable 18-run victory. Share. Willis led England’s numerous bowling attacks between 1971 and 1984, scoring 325 wickets at over 25.20 runs in over 90 Test matches, this time only for Dennis Lilley. Bob Willis passed away on December 3, 2019. His career also yielded 308 first-class appearances and 889 wickets for Surrey and Warwickshire, for whom he left his first county ahead of the 1972 season, and he was awarded an MBE in 1982. His father, John Wills worked for BBC. He said later: “Unfortunately, the carry-cot contained the youngest Willis and there may be those among my later acquaintances who will point to this unscheduled shaking and say that it explains a lot.”. Willis made his debut at Sydney in January 1971 as the tourists took a 1-0 lead in the series after the first two Tests had been drawn and the third washed out and he retained his place for the rest of the tour to launch his international career in earnest. Botham called Willis “a tremendous turner .. an excellent teammate and an inspiration” as well as “the only world-class fast bowler to have in my time as an England player.”. He married his second wife, Lauren Clark, in 2005. (adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({}). Willis captained England in 18 Tests and 28 ODIs between June 1982 and March 1984. In addition to the Test field, Willis played 64 ODIs Internationally, got 80 wickets, and was the best cricketer in List-A with 421 wickets in 20.18. In 1965, Willis added his third name “Dylan” through Dead Pool in honor of American composer Bob Dylan, of which he was a fan. The pair have one daughter, Katie, who was born in 1984. He made his County Championship bow against Yorkshire at Scarborough and continued his education at Trent Bridge, where he took a creditable five for 78 in the first innings against Nottinghamshire, but only after the great Gary Sobers had dented his early return of four for 11. The right arm and the aggressive fast bowler have a pretty long run-up. But having tasted second XI action with Surrey, he jumped at the offer of a season’s trial in 1969 and a weekly pay packet of £12 and 10 shillings. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. However, he managed two half-centuries at the first-class level, and for a time there was a record number of test runs. The new season bought a one-year contract and the task of battling for a place in the team, but, having finished the campaign out of the first XI, it came as something of a shock when, at the age of 21, he was summoned to Australia to join the England squad. Bob completed his primary education at Royal Grammar School. In 1980, Bob married Juliet Smales. Set just 130 to win, Australia embarked upon their second innings fully expecting to ease their way to victory with the minimum of fuss and, having reached 56 for one, were well on course. The youngest of three siblings, he added Dylan a his third forename by deed poll as a teenager, in tribute to the singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, whom he admired. Standing at almost 6ft 6in and a model of intensity, he was an intimidating sight as he embarked upon his idiosyncratic 30-yard run-in before delivering the ball at menacing pace. Bob Willis married his first wife, Juliet Smail, in 1980. In all, he would play 90 Tests, including a spell as captain, for his country over 13-and-a-half years and take 325 wickets – he was only the second Englishman to reach 300 after Yorkshire’s Fred Trueman – at an average of 25.20. As a Thea Ender, Willis made a slight impression on the bat, scoring a top score with 28 runs.
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