Born in Methley, Leeds, Yorkshire, where his father was rector,[2] Savile was educated at Rossall School (1863 to 1866) and Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he won his cricket Blue in 1868.
[3][2] He was a right-handed batsman who scored 529 first-class runs at an average of 23.00, with his only century, 105 coming for Cambridge University against the MCC in 1868.
[5] During a brief stay in New Zealand he played one first-class match for Canterbury against Otago in their ninth annual contest in December 1871.
He made the highest score of the match, 58, and took four catches keeping wicket.
[7] A local paper said "a finer innings [had] never been played in the interprovincial match".