Charlie Frith

Charlie Frith (19 January 1854 – 3 April 1919) was an English-born New Zealand cricketer who played first-class cricket for Canterbury and Otago between 1877 and 1890.

For the English footballer, see Charlie Frith (footballer).

Charlie Frith
Personal information
Full name
Charles Frith
Born(1854-01-19)19 January 1854
Bodmin, Cornwall, England
Died3 April 1919(1919-04-03) (aged 65)
Dunedin, New Zealand
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium-paced off-spin
RelationsWilliam Frith (brother)
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1877/78–1880/81Canterbury
1881/82–1889/90Otago
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 14
Runs scored 66
Batting average 4.12
100s/50s 0/0
Top score 9
Balls bowled 2,575
Wickets 63
Bowling average 9.60
5 wickets in innings 6
10 wickets in match 1
Best bowling 7/25
Catches/stumpings 12/0
Source: CricketArchive, 4 October 2014

Life and career

Charlie Frith's family moved from England to New Zealand in 1867.[1] A "tall, cheery fellow with an easy, full overarm action",[2] Frith was "a right-hand medium-paced bowler, with a slight off-break. His great success as a bowler was his ability to keep a fine length ... he was able, even on a perfect wicket, to quickly wear a spot that enabled him to get work on the ball."[3]

In February 1877 he took 6 for 23 and 3 for 29 for a Canterbury XVIII against James Lillywhite's XI; in the only close match of the English team's six-week tour of New Zealand, Canterbury lost by 23 runs.[4] Some of the English players tried to persuade him to return to England and play county cricket, but he preferred to stay in New Zealand.[5] In 1877-78 Frith was part of the Canterbury XV that beat the Australians, taking the wickets of Bannerman, Horan, Bailey and Gregory, and finishing with match figures of 81–48–55–4 (four-ball overs).[6]

He took 6 for 34 and 4 for 29 when Canterbury beat Otago by nine wickets in 1879–80.[7] In the return match the next season, George Watson scored a record 175 for Canterbury, then Charlie's brother William took 8 for 18 in the first innings and Charlie took 7 for 25 in the second to give Canterbury victory by an innings and 232 runs.[8] In 1883–84, now playing for Otago, he took 5 for 8 in Tasmania's second innings to help Otago to an eight-wicket victory.[9] In senior club cricket in Dunedin in 1886–87, playing for the Phoenix club, he took 111 wickets at an average of 4.13.[10] In his last first-class match, in 1889–90, he bowled unchanged throughout both innings (53.4 five-ball overs in all) to take 5 for 24 and 3 for 18 in a victory over Canterbury.[11]

Dan Reese called him "the first great bowler in New Zealand cricket".[5] He was one of the 14 players chosen in 1927 by the New Zealand cricket historian Tom Reese as the best New Zealand cricketers before the First World War,[12] and one of the 11 Reese chose in 1936 as the best New Zealand team of all time.[13]

Frith umpired four first-class matches in New Zealand between 1885 and 1900.[14] The Otago–Southland match in 1901-02 was played in his benefit, and he was presented with £51 as a result.[15]

He worked as a newspaper compositor,[16] having served his apprenticeship with the Christchurch Press.[17]

See also

References
  1. "The Otago-Southland Benefit Match". Evening Star: 2. 20 February 1902.
  2. Don Neely & Richard Payne, Men in White: The History of New Zealand International Cricket, 1894–1985, Moa, Auckland, 1986, p. 29.
  3. Evening Post, 8 April 1919, p. 3.
  4. Canterbury v James Lillywhite's XI 1876-77
  5. Dan Reese, Was It All Cricket?, George Allen & Unwin, London, 1948, pp. 438–39.
  6. Canterbury v Australians 1877-78
  7. Otago v Canterbury 1879-80
  8. Canterbury v Otago 1880-81
  9. Otago v Tasmania 1883-84
  10. "Cricket". Evening Star: 2. 15 June 1887.
  11. Otago v Canterbury 1889-90
  12. "New Zealand Cricket: Mr. T. W. Reese's book". Otago Daily Times: 3. 8 April 1927.
  13. "The Best N.Z. Eleven". Press: 17. 3 April 1937.
  14. Charles Frith as Umpire
  15. Otago Daily Times, 8 October 1902, p. 2.
  16. Otago Daily Times, 4 April 1919, p. 6.
  17. Press, 4 April 1919, p. 7.
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