OBITUARY

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26027, 2 February 1950, Page 6

OBITUARY

MR A. E. RIDLEY

A well-known New Zealand and Canterbury representative cricketer, IMr Archiebald Ernest Ridley, died at ! Christchurch yesterday at the age oi 80. Mr Ridley represented New Zeai land in the 1896-97 season against Australia and against a Queensland touri ing team. He represented Canterbury !at various dates between 1890 and 1904

; and captained Canterbury in 1901-2. Mr Ridley was a popular player 1 , an ; excellent outfield, and a courageous : batsman. When New Zealand, fielding ■l5 men, played the Australians ‘at Christchurch in 1896. the batsmen I found Ernest Jones, the Australian I fast bowler, hard to play? Ridley ! stood a yard out of his crease, which disconcerted Jones, causing him to lose his length. Ridley went on to make 23, top score in New Zealand’s first innings, and 20 run out in the second innings. New Zealand lost that match by five wickets. Against Queensland ■he made 9 and 30. and New Zealand won by 182 runs. j Cricketers of the period will remember Mr Ridley’s famous one-handed catch to dismiss Fisher, of Otago, at Lancaster Park. Running along the boundary, he caught the ball above his head with his left hand.

Mr Ridley was a member of the Canterbury team in 1894, captained by L. A. Cuff. That team is considered one of the really great Canterbury teams of the early days. Six members of the Lancaster Park Club were in the Canterbury team that year. As well as Mr Ridley they were Cuff, de Maus, Lavatt, Wilding, and Clifford Ridley, Mr Ridley’s brother. At Christchurch in 1900 he made top score of 63 in Canterbury’s second innings against a Melbourne Cricket Club team, which included Hugh Trumble and J. W. Cave.