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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Henry William Russell Bencraft | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 4 March 1858 Southampton, Hampshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 25 December 1943 (aged 85) Compton, Hampshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm fast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Ernest Read (nephew) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1876–1896 | Hampshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1881–1885 | Marylebone Cricket Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 24 August 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sir Henry William Russell Bencraft JP (4 March 1858 — 25 December 1943) was an English first-class cricketer, sports administrator, medical doctor, businessman and philanthropist. Bencraft was an important figure in the early history of Hampshire County Cricket Club, overseeing the club from the loss of its first-class status to its reacquisition of that status, both as a player and an administrator. As an administrator, he is credited with saving Hampshire County Cricket Club from extinction in 1880, and later played a role in its reacquisition of first-class status and joining of the County Championship in 1895. Outside of Hampshire cricket, he sat on the committee of the Marylebone Cricket Club, then the governing body of cricket.
Bencraft took an interest in other sports beside cricket and was described as a pioneer of association football in Southampton, holding the chairmanship of Southampton St. Mary's F.C., and was instrumental in the club's move from the Antelope Ground to Northlands Road. He was president of the Hampshire Football Association, overseeing the formation of the Southern Football League. In rugby union, he was president of the Hampshire Rugby Football Union and played for the Trojans. He also held administrative positions across other sporting organisations in the Southampton area.
In his hometown of Southampton, Bencraft played a prominent role in business and civic life, holding appointments with a number of prominent businesses in the town, in addition to sitting on the town council and serving as a magistrate, which he managed alongside his medical career. He was involved in philanthropy in Southampton, raising money for a number of causes and supporting disabled soldiers during the First World War.