William Mycroft is a suggestion that Arthur Conan Doyle derived the name of Mycroft the older brother of Sherlock Holmes from William Mycroft. Conan Doyle was a first-class cricketer who later played for MCC and had a respect for fast bowlers. Mycroft played his last first-class match for MCC in 1886. He umpired four first-class matches before his retirement and later umpired two more during the 1891 season. He died of influenza at the age of 53 in Derby. Mycroft's half-brother, Thomas, played for Derbyshire between 1877 and 1885. William Mycroft William Mycroft (1 February 1841 – 19 June 1894) was an
Thomas Mycroft season. In the 1878 season he played one game for Derbyshire against the All England XI but started playing predominantly for MCC. Derbyshire over the period was well served by their regular wicket-keepers Alfort Smith and James Disney. Mycroft played a large number of non-status matches for MCC against local clubs until 1883 and one or two first-class matches for MCC each year. In 1882 against Hampshire he took a rare bowling stint of 7 overs without gaining a wicket but scored 11 and 10 in his two innings. In the 1884 season Mycroft played ten county matches for Derbyshire,