A HISTORY OF SUSSEX 



22 June and following days the Aboriginal 

 Blacks of Australia, with Mr. W. S. Norton as 

 captain, played Hastings on the Central Ground. 8 

 In 1872 the dissolution of the Hastings United 

 Club caused the Hastings Central Club to come 

 to the fore, and in the next year this club, now 

 the principal one, changed its name to that of 

 the Hastings and St. Leonards Cricket Club, the 

 first president being Mr. A. J. Brook. He was 

 followed by Mr. F. Ransom, and Mr. S. T. 

 Weston, and for the last ten years of the club's 

 existence the office was filled by Mr. T. Parkin. 

 James, the third brother of that great cricketing 

 family of Phillips, was the most useful player 

 in the new Hastings and St. Leonards C.C. A 

 most brilliant field at cover-point, he was also a 

 safe and stylish bat, and he headed the club bat- 

 ting averages nearly every season. A county 

 player, too, of note, he stood in 1878 at the top 

 of the batting averages for Sussex. In conjunc- 

 tion with his brother Henry, the Sussex wicket- 

 keeper, he played on many occasions with the 

 South of England Eleven. After the dissolution 

 of the Hastings and St. Leonards C.C. in 1893, 

 he brought out a most excellent little ' record ' of 

 the doings of the club. In September 1873 

 the United South of England Eleven again 

 visited Hastings, playing twenty-two of the town 

 and neighbourhood with R. Fillery. 



The first East Sussex Club, as we have seen, 

 ended its existence in 1857; in 1874 another 

 East Sussex Club was formed with its ground at 

 Bopcep, St. Leonards, having Mr. T. (now 

 Lord) Brassey for its patron, and Mr. H. M. 

 Curteis as president. In 1878 this club was 

 dissolved, and a year or two afterwards a new 

 club was formed, called the South Saxons, with 

 its ground at Bopeep. This club, still in exist- 

 ence, has had a most successful career. 9 



8 The writer of this article played for his native 

 town, and when in Australia in 1891, he saw re- 

 corded in the Melbourne Press the death of Mullagh, 

 the best player by far in the Aboriginal team, and for 

 many years the sole survivor of those who visited 

 England. 



' Among those who have greatly contributed to the 

 success of the South Saxons C.C. may be mentioned 

 Mr. W. H. Benthall, Mr. A. H. Trevor, Mr. Her- 

 bert Pigg, Mr. A. M. Sutthery, Mr. C. J. M. God- 

 frey, Col. W. A. Hankey, Mr. A. W. Soames, Mr. 

 C. J. Ebden, Rev. H. Von E. Scott, Mr. H. Curteis, 

 Mr. R. M. Curteis, Mr. W. A. Young, Mr. A. E. 

 Tillard, Rev. H. C. L. Tindall, Mr. G. G. Grundy, 

 Mr. S. P. Bucknill, Mr. J. W. Knapp, Mr. R. W. 

 Adamson, Mr. C. J. Smith, Mr. A. F. Smith, Mr. 

 W. F. Langley, Mr. C. H. Von Roemer, Mr. C. H. 

 Young, Mr. F. G. Chichester, Mr. A. R. Cowper- 

 Coles, Mr. A. L. Sayer, Mr. W. Leigh-Smith, jnr., 

 Mr. E. T. Lambert, Mr. G. H. Bryce, Mr. G. K. 

 Papillon, Mr. H. G. Papillon, Mr. W. Carless, Mr. 

 H. L. Dunn, Mr. W. Leetham, Mr. J. E. C. Leslie 

 Mr. G. R. Murray, Mr. W. C. T. Beasley, Mr. W. 

 Rogers, and Mr. T. Parkin. 



One of the best known members is Mr. W. H. 

 Benthall, who was in the Marlborough College 

 and Cambridge University Elevens, and was 

 for some years one of the finest bats of the day, 

 taking part for many years in the annual contest 

 between the Gentlemen and the Players. He 

 was president of the Civil Service C.C., and has 

 played for Devonshire, Buckinghamshire, and 

 Middlesex. Another notable South Saxon is 

 Mr. A. H. Trevor, who was in the Winchester 

 and Oxford University Elevens. He has been 

 very successful in the few matches in which he 

 assisted Sussex, scoring over a hundred runs for 

 Sussex against Kent in the first match in which 

 he played for his county. He is, however, best 

 known for his great batting feat for the Orleans 

 Club against Rickling Green in 1882, on which 

 occasion, in conjunction with the late Mr. G. F. 

 Vernon, he helped to put on 603 runs for the 

 second wicket (his individual score being 338 

 runs) which stood as a record partnership for 

 thirty years, until beaten by that of Captain Oates 

 and Private Fitzgerald of the Royal Munster 

 Fusiliers, which realized 20 runs more. 



It was in 1875 that Dr. W. G. Grace made 

 his long score of 210 runs in the Central Ground 

 when playing for the South of England against 

 eighteen of Hastings and District. In his great 

 innings ' W.G.' made a huge drive out of the 

 ground which landed 118 yds. from the wicket. 

 This was the first score on the Central Ground of 

 over 200 runs made by any batsman. The 

 ' record score' is the 234 not out by K. S. Ran- 

 jitsinhji, made in 1892 in the memorable match 

 between Sussex and Surrey played on the Central 

 Ground, when Sussex piled up the enormous 

 score of 704 for eight wickets. Next comes the 

 score of 227 not out by Mr. H. S. Johnstone, 

 Mr. E. J. McCormick following with 212 runs 

 to his credit. 



In August 1878 the Australians played their 

 first match at Hastings against eighteen of 

 Hastings and District. In the following year the 

 United North of England Eleven played eighteen 

 of Hastings and District, and Sussex played 

 Leicestershire, both matches on the Central 

 Ground. In the county match Mr. E. J. 

 McCormick made a successful ' first appearance ' ; 

 he afterwards played for some ten years for 

 Sussex, and in 1882 headed the batting averages 

 for his county. He was a fine free bat, hitting 

 well all round, and is one of the few cricketers 

 who have scored over 200 runs in a single 

 innings at Hastings. 



In 1880 the Australians again visited the 

 town ; and in the same year a remarkable per- 

 formance was accomplished by R. Standen of 

 Hastings, who when keeping wicket for the local 

 club in a match against the South Saxons, 

 stumped 2 and caught 5, thus having a hand in 

 securing seven wickets out of ten. 



In August 1886 the Surrey Club and Ground 



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