He played cricket for Cambridge University, two years before the war and at the same time performed in the second and first team at Nottinghamshire.

However his university education was interrupted by the Second World War,[1] when he served as an officer in the Royal Artillery.

He scored a century against his former team Nottinghamshire in 1951 and Derbyshire finished eleventh in the County Championship.

In 1952, which was his personal best season, Willatt scored 1,624 runs, at an average of 35.3 including two centuries and the club were fourth in the Championship.

Willatt scored centuries against Kent and Sussex in the 1954 season and the club finished third in the county table.

In 1954 Willatt left Repton for Heversham Grammar School in Westmoreland, but continued playing for Derbyshire.

Willatt was a left-handed batsman and played 303 innings in 185 first-class matches at an average of 29.10 and a top score of 146.