William Henry Skitch (31 August 1860 – 13 July 1944) was a New Zealand cricketer. He played two first-class matches for Otago during the 1883–84 season.[1]

Bill Skitch
Personal information
Full name
William Henry Skitch
Born(1860-08-31)31 August 1860
Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
Died13 July 1944(1944-07-13) (aged 83)
Kawakawa, Northland, New Zealand
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1883/84Otago
Source: CricInfo, 24 May 2016

Skitch was born at Bendigo in Australia and was educated at Bendigo School. After moving to New Zealand he was prominent in Otago cricket as a player, administrator and umpire for 34 years until he moved to Auckland for business reasons in 1907.[2][3] He umpired seven first-class matches, six of them at the Carisbrook ground in Dunedin, between 1898 and 1903.[4][5] He was elected a life member of the Dunedin Cricket Club, of which he was one of the founders, in 1901.[6] He also won prizes as a professional sprinter and was a member of the Dunedin fire brigade teams that won competitions around New Zealand.[7]

Skitch married Ellen Matilda Mariner in Dunedin in November 1881.[8] She died at their home in Grey Lynn, Auckland, in May 1938.[9] He moved to live with his son in Manurewa, and died in July 1944, aged 83.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ "William Skitch". CricInfo. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  2. ^ McCarron A (2010) New Zealand Cricketers 1863/64–2010, p. 121. Cardiff: The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. ISBN 978 1 905138 98 2 (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 5 June 2023.)
  3. ^ "Presentation to Mr. W. H. Skitch". Otago Daily Times: 12. 2 November 1907.
  4. ^ "William Skitch as Umpire in First-Class Matches". CricketArchive. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Cricket". Evening Star: 7. 30 December 1940.
  6. ^ "Dunedin Cricket Club". Evening Star: 3. 4 May 1922.
  7. ^ a b "Obituary: Mr. W. H. Skitch". Evening Star: 4. 15 July 1944.
  8. ^ "Marriages". Evening Star: 2. 16 November 1881.
  9. ^ "Deaths". Auckland Star: 1. 25 May 1938.

External links edit