Christopher Cross (cricketer)

Christopher Smith Cross (26 October 1852 – 26 June 1919) was a New Zealand cricketer and businessman who played first-class cricket in New Zealand from 1874 to 1895.

Christopher Cross
Personal information
Full nameChristopher Smith Cross
Born(1852-10-26)26 October 1852
Nelson, New Zealand
Died26 June 1919(1919-06-26) (aged 66)
Mosman, Sydney, Australia
BowlingFast-medium
RoleAll-rounder, occasional wicket-keeper
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1873-74 to 1888-89Nelson
1879-80West Coast
1884-85 to 1895-96Wellington
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 22
Runs scored 538
Batting average 14.54
100s/50s 0/2
Top score 67
Balls bowled
Wickets 20
Bowling average 9.45
5 wickets in innings 0
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 4/10
Catches/stumpings 11/2
Source: Cricinfo, 13 December 2017

Cross was born in Nelson, where his father, James Smith Cross, was the harbourmaster.[1][2] He married Anne Green in Nelson in May 1876.[3]

Cross was a hard-hitting batsman, a fast-medium bowler, a fine fieldsman and sometimes wicket-keeper.[4] He made his highest first-class score for Wellington when they defeated Otago in 1892-93; he scored 67, easily the highest score of the match, an innings of "sterling cricket, comprising excellent cutting and driving".[5][6] He captained the Wanganui team that inflicted the only defeat on the touring Australians in 1880-81.[7] In 1882, while batting at the St John's ground in Wanganui, Cross hit a ball that travelled 156 yards before it landed.[8] This hit was still a New Zealand record in the late 1950s, and may still be.[9]

He worked as a financial agent and merchant.[10][11] Later he moved to Australia, where he had a business in Sydney as a coal exporter and shipping agent.[12] He died in Sydney after a long illness, leaving a widow, three sons and two daughters.[2]

References

  1. "Personal". Wanganui Herald. 3 July 1919. p. 5.
  2. "Personal Items". Nelson Evening Mail. 18 July 1919. p. 4.
  3. "[untitled]". Nelson Evening Mail. 30 May 1876. p. 2.
  4. "Interprovincial cricket". Auckland Star: 3. 1 December 1893.
  5. "Wellington v Otago 1892-93". CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  6. "Otago v. Wellington". Evening Post: 2. 4 January 1893.
  7. "Wanganui v Australians 1880-81". CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  8. "Local and General". Wanganui Chronicle. 5 December 1882. p. 2.
  9. Irving Rosenwater, "The Longest Hits on Record", The Cricketer, Spring Annual 1959, pp. 72–74.
  10. "In Bankruptcy". Wanganui Herald: 3. 29 June 1883.
  11. "Resident Magistrate's Court". Wanganui Chronicle: 2. 8 July 1880.
  12. "A Deal in Flour". Daily Herald: 4. 26 July 1910.
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