Guy Longfield Willatt (7 May 1918 — 11 June 2003) was a cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Nottinghamshire, Scotland and Derbyshire which he captained. He was a left-handed batsman and a right-arm slow bowler. Willatt was born at The Park, Nottingham. He was educated at Repton School and St Catharine's College, Cambridge. He played cricket for Cambridge University, two years before the war and at the same time performed in the second and first team at Nottinghamshire.

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  • Guy Longfield Willatt (7 May 1918 — 11 June 2003) was a cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Nottinghamshire, Scotland and Derbyshire which he captained. He was a left-handed batsman and a right-arm slow bowler. Willatt was born at The Park, Nottingham. He was educated at Repton School and St Catharine's College, Cambridge. He played cricket for Cambridge University, two years before the war and at the same time performed in the second and first team at Nottinghamshire. However his university education was interrupted by the Second World War, when he served as an officer in the Royal Artillery. He still played for Nottinghamshire teams during the war. He resumed his studies at Cambridge and in 1947 was a football blue as well as captaining Cambridge University. He scored 90 in the Varsity Match that year. He continued playing for Nottinghamshire in the years immediately after the war. On leaving university he moved to Edinburgh where he taught at Edinburgh Academy and scored for The Grange. While he was in Scotland from 1948 to 1950 he played four times for Scotland. In 1950 he returned to Repton to teach and, like John Eggar and Dick Sale, combined cricket for Derbyshire with his teaching career. He was designated captain in 1950 but was limited by injury and Pat Vaulkhard substituted for him in the role while on the field he was an unpredictable, middle-order batsman during his first season. He took over as captain for the next three years, in which he played consistently for the team. In his best year, 1952, Willatt scored 1,624 runs, at an average of 35.3. In 1954 Derbyshire finished third in the county table. Off the field, Willatt was a moderniser who eliminated amateur-professional segregation at the club In 1954 he left Repton for Heversham Grammar School in Westmoreland, but continued playing for Derbyshire. In 1955 Derbyshire finished in midtable, and in his last season, 1956, he played very little. Willatt played cricket for the MCC between 1951 and 1970 playing a first class game against Ireland, in 1961. He was also playing for Kendal Cricket Club. Willatt became headmaster at Pocklington School, 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 died at Derby aged 85. Willatt's son, Jonathan, played first-class cricket for Cambridge University 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.
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  • Derbyshire cricket captains
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  • 1951-1954
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  • Guy Longfield Willatt (7 May 1918 — 11 June 2003) was a cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Nottinghamshire, Scotland and Derbyshire which he captained. He was a left-handed batsman and a right-arm slow bowler. Willatt was born at The Park, Nottingham. He was educated at Repton School and St Catharine's College, Cambridge. He played cricket for Cambridge University, two years before the war and at the same time performed in the second and first team at Nottinghamshire.
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  • Guy Willatt
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