Vale Bob Willis

[K]

Icon, survivor, grandee: Farewell Bob Willis, the man with the longest run

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/28226311/farewell-bob-willis-man-longest-run

"Willis's death today, aged 70, is a shattering and irreparable loss to the sport."


Bob Willis, hero of Headingley, inspired teammates with his excellence

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/dec/04/bob-willis-hero-headingley-inspired-teammates-excellence-dedication

"So how could such a flawed physical specimen achieve so much? ...

However, Willis possessed many invisible virtues. He had a deep reservoir of willpower and he drove himself ferociously hard – running miles to improve his stamina in an age when this was not a conventional thing to do. He was also utterly single-minded...

Teammates are a reliable barometer and you would be hard-pressed to find any who do not speak well of Willis, citing not only his unrelenting passion for playing for England but also a piercing, dry sense of humour. Away from the cricket he smiled quite often and was the most entertaining of companions. Perhaps more telling are reports of a dinner that Willis had with England’s pace bowlers a couple of years ago. The youngsters arrived warily since this was the man who always seemed to be slagging them off on Sky; they left enlightened and entertained after the most congenial of evenings, recognising that Bob Willis was actually one of them."


BBC:

https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/50655612

Gower: "He has always been making points and he makes them very firmly. Anyone seeing that game would have seen a burning bright passion coming through the eyes."

https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/50664838

[Pies4shaw]

Very sad news.

[K]

Sky News:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU0BIIezNhQ


The Telegraph:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5INbpnet4I

[K]

Farewell, Bob Willis: English cricket loses a man who embodied the very best of its heart and soul

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/bob-willis-tribute-obituary-england-cricket-test-captain-quotes-a9233146.html

"In many ways, his was a story of triumph over trials. Aged 26, he’d had operations in both knees which, at 6ft 6ins, should have meant the end. He battled on for nine more years...

For a generation, he was one of few hopes against Australia: a fast bowler of the sort of snarl they love over there, bounding in from an angled approach and following it up with a disdainful stare many more would become familiar with when he moved into television.
...

Willis also had the honour of captaining his country in 16 Tests between 1982 and 1984, a period in which he says he marshalled “a moderate England side”. He oversaw seven wins in that time but maybe his best act of leadership came as vice-captain when he ordered Botham to run out Geoffrey Boycott during a Test match in 1978 against New Zealand because the Yorkshireman was scoring too slowly.
...

He was never a cheerleader and, more importantly, never a gobshite. He was the type to tell you what he thought without boasting about how he was telling you what he thought. The words came naturally, as did the cynicism, but, heck, maybe you’d lose your loving feeling if you had to run the rule over enough English batting collapses.
...

Really and truly though, the very best bits of The Verdict were when Willis could not control his joy."

[K]

"He was not seeing anything else other than the batsman and the stumps. He had blinkered vision, a bit like a racehorse galloping towards the finish line.

"None of us needed to speak to him. There was no point anyway as his focus, emotion and passion all came together in that moment and he blew the Aussies away." -- Geoffrey Boycott

"He was unique back then. Just look at some of his celebrations and that long wiggly run up, with the unusual arm gathering behind him and the flowing locks. I can still see him now running off at Headingley looking in a complete daze.

"A great bowler but not a great batsman. He even forgot to take his bat out with him once and that was classic Bob." -- Former England captain Nasser Hussain

"Such a sad time for cricket fans all around the world. Rest In Peace Bob. You shall be remembered forever for what you have done on the pitch." -- former West Indies batting great Viv Richards

(Reuters)

[K]

Mark Nicholas:

Bob Willis, funny and acerbic on camera, kind and warm behind it

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/28235161/mark-nicholas-england-legend-bob-willis

"The piece de resistance came at Headingley in 1981. There is nothing I can add to the many thousands of words that have celebrated that incredible performance on the most extraordinary of days other than to say that Bob had those figures of 8 for 43 in his soul. Somewhere, sometime RGD Willis was going to do something utterly compelling, ridiculous even, as if it were written. He cared so deeply for the game - almost to the point of aching - and the destruction of Australia on July 21, 1981 was both a return for his investment in sweat and blood and a calling card for his future as pre-eminent observer, coach and critic. It is infuriating that his intelligent ideas for the game's future were never absorbed, considered or acted upon. Twice he put forward detailed reform of the English cricket system and twice his words fell on deaf ears.

Those of us lucky to know him well have golden memories of friendship, a gift that comes in many guises. With Bobby, friendship came in an unconditional, organic form and with a leaning towards kindness. Examples of it have been everywhere this past couple of days but none better illustrates his legacy than the journey made by two fine men of Adelaide, one a wine-maker, the other from the motor industry, who travelled to sit by his bed last week and share the final chapter. They, like Sir Ian Botham who telephoned with the news, are beset by grief.

Bob knew right and wrong like few others and when I sought his advice at the early stage of my stuttering career, he invited me to dinner at a favourite Indian restaurant. In summary, his message was: "Be true to yourself, trust yourself, leave nothing out there and let others do the worrying." "