Tom Wills
| Tom Wills | |
|---|---|
Wills, c. 1857
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| Born |
Thomas Wentworth Wills 19 August 1835 Molonglo Plain, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 2 May 1880 (aged 44) Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia |
| Cause of death | Stab wound (suicide) |
| Resting place | Warringal Cemetery, Victoria, Australia |
| Partner(s) | Sarah Barbor |
| Parent(s) |
Horatio Wills Elizabeth McGuire |
| Relatives |
Thomas Antill (cousin) H. C. A. Harrison (cousin) |
| Cricket information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Batting style | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling style | Right-arm medium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | All-rounder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1854 | Gentlemen of Kent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1855 | Gentlemen of Kent and Surrey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1855–56 | Marylebone Cricket Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1855–56 | Kent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1856 | Kent and Sussex | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1856 | Gentlemen of Kent and Sussex | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1856 | Cambridge University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1856–76 | Victoria | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1864 | G. Anderson's XI | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Umpiring information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FC umpired | 1 (1871) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: CricketArchive, 24 April 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thomas Wentworth "Tom" Wills (19 August 1835 – 2 May 1880) was an Australian sportsman who is credited with being his country's first cricketer of significance and a founder of Australian rules football.
Born in the British colony of New South Wales to a wealthy family descended from convicts, Wills grew up in the bush on properties owned by his father, the pastoralist and politician Horatio Wills, in what is now the Australian state of Victoria. He befriended local Aborigines, learning their language and customs. At the age of 14, Wills was sent to England to attend Rugby School, where he became captain of its cricket team, and played an early version of rugby football. After Rugby, Wills represented the Cambridge University Cricket Club in the annual match against Oxford, and played at first-class level for Kent and the Marylebone Cricket Club. An athletic all-rounder with exceptional bowling skills, he was regarded as one of the finest young cricketers in England.
Returning to Victoria in 1856, Wills achieved Australia-wide stardom as a cricketer, captaining the Victorian team to repeated victories in intercolonial matches. He played for, and was secretary of the Melbourne Cricket Club, but his larrikin streak and defections to other clubs strained their relationship. In 1858 he called for the formation of a "foot-ball club" with a "code of laws" to keep cricketers fit during winter. After founding the Melbourne Football Club in 1859, Wills co-wrote the first laws of Australian rules football. He and his cousin H. C. A. Harrison spearheaded the sport's development as captains, umpires and administrators.
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