| RIP Bob Willis. 16:05 - Dec 4 with 2346 views | Snipper |
Just announced he’s died.
Great bowler. |  | | |  |
| RIP Bob Willis. on 16:08 - Dec 4 with 2325 views | Boston |
Out for a respectable, though slightly disappointing 70. |  |
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| RIP Bob Willis. on 16:12 - Dec 4 with 2308 views | Tonto |
I wondered why he wasn't on the debate on Sky for the NZ series... such a shame and that was a bt of a shock.
His 8-43 a Headingly was overshadowed somewhat by Botham's batting, and then the follow ups in the remaining tests, but that bowling (and the look of determination on his face) will stick with me more than the somewhat fortuitous Botham batting and was what really won that game....
Enjoyed him on the debate as a pundit too - said it like it was instead of sugar coating it. |  |
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| RIP Bob Willis. on 16:17 - Dec 4 with 2296 views | Snipper |
| RIP Bob Willis. on 16:12 - Dec 4 by Tonto |
I wondered why he wasn't on the debate on Sky for the NZ series... such a shame and that was a bt of a shock.
His 8-43 a Headingly was overshadowed somewhat by Botham's batting, and then the follow ups in the remaining tests, but that bowling (and the look of determination on his face) will stick with me more than the somewhat fortuitous Botham batting and was what really won that game....
Enjoyed him on the debate as a pundit too - said it like it was instead of sugar coating it. |
That 8/43 is legendary, but if it wasn’t for Botham’s fortuitous innings, BW wouldn’t have had the chance to do it.
They’re both legends for that game alone. | | | |
| RIP Bob Willis. (n/t) on 16:21 - Dec 4 with 2288 views | flynnbo |
[Post edited 4 Dec 2019 16:26]
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| RIP Bob Willis. on 16:23 - Dec 4 with 2280 views | flynnbo |
So sad. A hero of mine when I was growing up. Played as keeper for Guildford City too for a while. RIP Bob. | | | |
| RIP Bob Willis. on 16:25 - Dec 4 with 2274 views | paulparker |
Liked his commentary , shame |  |
| And Bowles is onside, Swinburne has come rushing out of his goal , what can Bowles do here , onto the left foot no, on to the right foot
That’s there that’s two, and that’s Bowles
Brian Moore
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| RIP Bob Willis. on 16:29 - Dec 4 with 2261 views | loftboy |
Used to always “be him”’when playing test matches with my mates. RIP |  |
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| RIP Bob Willis. on 17:36 - Dec 4 with 2155 views | Nov77 |
I remember at junior school when I first started playing cricket, another kid was trying to copy bob Willis, he walked back to the boundary rope, over it, though the trees, into the neighbouring field, and then began his run up, when he eventually made it to the bowling crease he hurled the ball into the ground a few inches in front of him and the ball never made it more than a few feet down the pitch. |  |
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| RIP Bob Willis. on 17:59 - Dec 4 with 2120 views | R_from_afar |
| RIP Bob Willis. on 17:36 - Dec 4 by Nov77 |
I remember at junior school when I first started playing cricket, another kid was trying to copy bob Willis, he walked back to the boundary rope, over it, though the trees, into the neighbouring field, and then began his run up, when he eventually made it to the bowling crease he hurled the ball into the ground a few inches in front of him and the ball never made it more than a few feet down the pitch. |
My late dad, God rest his soul, looked like an older version of Bob Willis.
Willis was a rare gem, someone who could blast batsmen out with pure pace. Anyone remember that Duncan Fearnley bat he used to champion, the one with loads of little holes in the blade? RIP Bob.
Talking of long run-ups, the cricket club I used to play for had one bowler who fancied himself as a bit of a speed merchant. He was a nice guy but bowled at a very pedestrian pace, in spite of a huge run-up. My club was full of wicked mickey-takers and they used to call him Curtley.
We also had Jonathan Batty at our club when he was a teenager, the bloke who played county cricket for years. He also had the mickey ripped out of him (not by me akshully); they mimicked his (at the time) whiny accent and used to try to run him out in matches because whilst very correct, his batting was quite slow. Batty had the last laugh, though, because he went on to have a great professional career, being described as the finest player of his generation never to play for England, and married a dancer from Strictly. Back of the net!  |  |
| "Things had started becoming increasingly desperate at Loftus Road but QPR have been handed a massive lifeline and the place has absolutely erupted. it's carnage. It's bedlam. It's 1-1." |
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| RIP Bob Willis. on 19:21 - Dec 4 with 2025 views | Kiwi76 |
Sad news as remember him fondly from all those 1 Day Series in Aussie with the coloured outfits - nice pale blue for you guys and the (in)famous beige for NZ.
Quality player and always quite visibly giving it 100%. [Post edited 4 Dec 2019 19:21]
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| RIP Bob Willis. on 21:22 - Dec 4 with 1914 views | loftus77 |
| RIP Bob Willis. on 19:21 - Dec 4 by Kiwi76 |
Sad news as remember him fondly from all those 1 Day Series in Aussie with the coloured outfits - nice pale blue for you guys and the (in)famous beige for NZ.
Quality player and always quite visibly giving it 100%. [Post edited 4 Dec 2019 19:21]
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"The Aussies, they hate to lose - and I think they're going to lose (1981)."
RIP Goose - wonderful cricketer and the last great out-and-out fast Test bowler England has produced to date (IMHO).
Also, the last fast bowler to regularly captain the England Test team?? [Post edited 4 Dec 2019 21:23]
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| RIP Bob Willis. on 23:15 - Dec 4 with 1826 views | CamberleyR |
Very sad news. Carried the English fast bowling burden virtually single handedly throughout the 70s being the only world class genuine quick bowler we posessed back then. His 8-43 at Headingley will live forever in Ashes folklore and gave us one of English sport's greatest days. His honest, pithy comments on The Verdict were always worth watching as well especially if England had had a shocker that day.
Thanks for the memories Bob. RIP. [Post edited 4 Dec 2019 23:18]
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| RIP Bob Willis. on 23:21 - Dec 4 with 1816 views | timcocking |
A shame. |  | | |
| RIP Bob Willis. on 00:39 - Dec 5 with 1774 views | hubble |
Very sad to hear this news. Bob Willis connects me to a glorious, sadly missed era in cricket, one that he was a key player in. The last era before the game got truly commercialised perhaps. We used to call him whistling Bob Willis as we imagined him breezing past the wicket. RIP Bob. |  | | |
| RIP Bob Willis. on 03:11 - Dec 5 with 1743 views | PlanetHonneywood |
I suspect a lot of us waking to this news have been transported back to that wonderful crazy series in 1981.
As someone said above, it might have been seen as Botham’s Ashes, but it wouldn’t have been but for Bob. |  |
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| RIP Bob Willis. on 08:29 - Dec 5 with 1664 views | MrSheen |
Must have been horrifying to face. Mad staring eyes, always seemed to be charging downhill. (Probably because he made Mike Hendrick struggle uphill from the other end.) |  | | |
| RIP Bob Willis. on 09:56 - Dec 5 with 1602 views | Rs_Holy |
My earliest memories of watching test cricket were the England team of the mid to late seventies. He was a true character from that era of great sporting characters. He was a great pundit on Sky too, never pulled any punches… RIP big man. |  | | |
| RIP Bob Willis. on 19:02 - Dec 5 with 1426 views | FredManRave |
| RIP Bob Willis. on 00:39 - Dec 5 by hubble |
Very sad to hear this news. Bob Willis connects me to a glorious, sadly missed era in cricket, one that he was a key player in. The last era before the game got truly commercialised perhaps. We used to call him whistling Bob Willis as we imagined him breezing past the wicket. RIP Bob. |
When I read your "Whistling Willis" comment it reminded me of the "Bustling Bob Willis" quote from possibly the first ever sports video I bought on VHS of Botham's Ashes. And the nickname is also mentioned in the below article;
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/bustling-bob-willis-was-an-ashes-giant-3p22r6
And as somebody else mentioned on the thread I also used to imitate his run up but would then fail miserably with the actual delivery hence my weekend cricket of playing for the local 3rd XI consisting of batting 11 and never getting a bowl!
Sad to hear of the passing of one of those memorable sporting greats from the 70's and 80's.
RIP Bob Willis. |  |
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