My father, Henry Pryor, who has died aged 92, devoted much of his life to grassroots cricket coaching and the invention of the bowling machine Merlyn. Dissatisfied with the bowling machines available, Henry began building Merlyn models. In 2003 John Abrahams, then the ECB National Academy assistant coach, viewed the Merlyn prototype, and asked for it to live at the academy in Loughborough. Two years later, Henry was manoeuvring Merlyn around the Ashes Test venues in a horse box. Born in Knockholt, Kent, Henry was one of four children of Olive (nee Woodall) and Charles Pryor, a tea merchant.