William Mycroft

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William Mycroft (February 1, 1841 — June 19, 1894) was an English cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and a left-arm fast bowler. Mycroft was born in Brimington.

Mycroft debuted for Derbyshire against Lancashire in 1873, in a match which, despite ending in defeat for his team, gave Mycroft a tightly-bowled six-wicket haul on his debut. He played in occasional matches held in this and the following year, before joining the team on a regular basis, and, in 1875 hit a phenomenal average of 7.37, with season-best figures of 9-80. This form was to last into the following year when he hit then-record bowling figures of 9-25, which would last nearly fifty years before being bettered by Billy Bestwick.

He would find himself playing more regularly in 1875 and 1876, turning out for Derbyshire and Marylebone Cricket Club, before gaining a regular spot in the Derbyshire team in the 1877 season. At this time he found himself in an assembled team of cricketers in several Gentlemen vs. Players matches, Mycroft's fellow Players including past and future England Test representatives Arthur Shrewsbury, George Ulyett, John Selby, Tom Emmett, and Fred Morley.

The following seasons were very much split into two distinct halves for Mycroft, those matches played for MCC and those matches played for Derbyshire, however, with poor form in the tailend as he was approaching his forties, Mycroft would spend most of the early parts of the seasons during the 1880s on the sidelines, preferring instead to play during the summer months. Mycroft quit first-class cricket in 1886, and, having umpired four first-class matches prior to his retirement, he later umpired two more during the 1891 season.

Mycroft holds the Derbyshire record for most wickets in a single match, with figures of 17-103 against Hampshire in 1876. He had 87 five-wicket innings in his career, and a total of 28 ten-wicket matches, the first in 1875 against Nottinghamshire becoming the first of six in a single season.

Mycroft died of influenza at the age of 53 in Derby. Mycroft's half-brother, Thomas, played for Derbyshire between 1877 and 1885.

[edit] Trivia

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The younger brother of Sherlock Holmes was named Mycroft, apparently as a nod to the cricketer.^[1]