William Thomas Taylor (14 April 1885 – 17 August 1976) was an English

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er who played for

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

between 1905 and 1910. He served as secretary of Derbyshire for 51 years from 1908 to 1959. Taylor was born at

Wirksworth Wirksworth is a market town and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England. Its population was 4,902 in the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census.Area E04002820 (Wirksworth parish) in Table PP002 - Sex, from Wirkswor ...

the son of Walter Taylor of Fern House and his wife Alice. His father was a manufacturer of artificial fertilizer. Taylor made his Derbyshire debut during the 1905 season, against

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

but made little impression. In the 1906 season, he played a match during a West Indian tour of England, when he took two wickets, one of them being of Lebrun Constantine. Taylor played two games during the 1910 season, probably as a substitute, in which he was able to keep up his consistency between Test cricketer

Arnold Warren Arnold Warren (2 April 1875 – 3 September 1951) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire between 1897 and 1920 and played for England in 1905. He was the first bowler from Derbyshire to take 100 wickets in a se ...

and pre-war Derbyshire representative

Frederick Bracey Frederick Cecil Bracey (20 July 1887 – 28 March 1960) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire from 1906 to 1914 Bracey was born at Glossop, Derbyshire. He made his debut for Derbyshire in the 1906 season, in ...

. Taylor was a right-handed batsman who played 8 innings in 4 matches with a top score of 11 and an average of 7.57. He was a right-arm medium-pace bowler and took 2 wickets at an average of 28. On 8 August 1908, Taylor became secretary of Derbyshire County Cricket Club, when he was described in the Derbyshire Cricket Guide as "(An) enthusiastic worker of a firm but courteous disposition who is likely to prove a successful official, combining the advantages of a good business training with an intimate knowledge of cricket and cricketers". He often accompanied the XI to away matches and acted as scorer and substitute. He went on to serve the club for over 51 years, turning down an invitation to act as secretary for Lancashire in 1932. During the First World War he reached the rank of captain before he was badly wounded. He would have been the manager of the MCC side to South Africa in 1927 had Guy Jackson been able to lead it.Wisden Obituaries in 1976
/ref> In 1953, his ''History of Derbyshire Cricket'' was published in Wisden. He retired as secretary on 31 December 1959 after 51 years and 149 days. After his retirement, he was appointed to the Committee, and was Honorary Secretary from 1962 to 1972. It was said of him "Few men have done so much for cricket". MCC elected him as life member, the only county secretary to be elected while still in office. Taylor died in

Breadsall Breadsall is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Erewash in Derbyshire, England. The population of the village at the 2021 census was 792 Breadsall Priory is one of the oldest buildings in the village. The village is almost contiguous w ...

at the age of 91. His brother, Francis Taylor, five years his junior, also played first-class cricket for Derbyshire although they never played in the same match. His two other brothers died in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Will 1885 births 1976 deaths English cricketers Derbyshire cricketers People from Wirksworth Cricketers from Derbyshire 20th-century English sportsmen