CRICKET.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIII, Issue 787, 6 April 1905, Page 15

CRICKET.

The Governor of Fiji related an amusing incident at the luncheon given by the Suva Cricket Club to the Australians. The ball flew from a batsman’s bat and while in the air divided. One jialf was caught and he was appealed to to give his decision. ft ♦ # w

Describing the match between the Australians and Eighteen of Fiji, a correspondent writes me that visitors were present from Levuka, Navua, and Rewa, while the whole of Suva turned out to see the match. The utmost enthusiasm was shown, and the cricketers were delighted with their reception.

Cricket was almost a dead letter on Saturday, as the Domain was occupied by the sports. At North Shore, Eden got the local men out for 78, towards which Hussey contributed 37, and Prime 20. As. Eden have 97 on the slate for 5 wickets, they appear certain to win.

The Auckland Grammar School, or rather Sisam, gave the St. John’s College team an awful licking on Saturday, winning by 202 to 36 and 18. Sisam made IC6, retired, and took 12 wickets tor 29 runs.

Writing of the one-time famous hitter, C. I. Thornton, the following interesting remarks are made by W. A. BettisAvorth in “Cricket” '. —“In 1898 a record of the longest hits appeared in James Lilly white’s Cricketers’ Annual. It is headed by a hit of 175 yards by Mr W. Fellowes on the Christchurch ground at Oxford, in 1856, but it is not on record that the distance was arrived at by anything but guess work. The longest authenticated hit is variously given as 168 and 162 yards. This was by Mr Thornton during practice at Brighton, and the distance was there and then measured by the Rev. James Pycroft, the well-known author of the ‘Cricket Field.’ Most of Mr Thornton’s other famous hits were measured immediately after they were made, and the distance ranges from 152 yards to 140. It is noticeable that in the list given in Lillywhite’s Mr Thornton’s name appears six times, and Bonnor’s name three times. Bonnor’s largest authenticated hit was 147 yards, at Mitcham. This was - measured by Mr Fred Gale and others. I think I should place Bon-

nor and Lyons first among the greatest hitters I have seen. Bonnor is said to have made longer hits than Lyons, but, as far as I can understand, they were never measured, and it is very difficult to guess distances, as I have often seen in the cases of my own hits, some of them, when measured, proving to be much longer than they seemed, while others were not as long. But I saw Bonnor hit A. P. Lucas out of the ground at Scarborough three or four times, and they were all very big hits. Alfred Lubbock could hit about as hard as most people, and I once saw him drive W. H. Wathen out of the Chislehurst ground over the lodge gate in the Empress Eugenie’s park—a very big hit indeed. Jessop can hit more balls than anyone I have seen, but perhaps he can hardly be classed as a hitter pure and simple. I’ve seen W. G. make some tremendous hits when he has been letting himself go ; I once saw him hit A. G. Steel to square-leg out of the ground at Scatborough, and nobody had ever done this before. The ball was breaking away a little and he had a go at it, just happening to catch it full. Among other men who could hit with immense power were George Ullyett, Percy M’Donell, W. J. Ford and C. E. Green. I doni’t think that men nowadays hit as hard as these.”