Bill Storer

Bill Storer was the first wicketkeeper to regularly stand up to quick bowlers, although he bent rather than squatted and was almost upright at the point of taking the ball. Unlike other most contemporary keepers, he was a capable batsman who twice averaged more than fifty in a season, and once scored hundreds in both innings of a match (the first professional to do so) against Yorkshire. He was also a more than capable legspinner when he could persuade others to don the pads. He was unfortunate in that his career coincided with that of Warwickshire's Dick Lilley, and he played only six Tests between 1897-98 and 1899. He retired in 1900 aged only 33. He also played football for Derby County.
Martin Williamson