English cricketer, one of the greatest of all time, remembered especially for his graceful left-handed batting. His impressive record in first-class cricket included an aggregate of 58,969 runs, 145 centuries (100 runs in a single innings), more than 2,000 wickets, and 1,018 catches, which remains a world record. In each of three successive seasons, he scored 2,000 runs and took 100 wickets.

During his career (1906–38), Woolley played for the Kent County Cricket Club, and in 64 Test (international) matches he scored 3,283 runs for England. After retirement he coached at King's School, Canterbury, and later moved to Canada.