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Ernest Killick

KILLICK, ERNEST HARRY, who died at Hove on September 29, was closely connected with Sussex county cricket from 1893 until the time of his death. Born at Horsham on January 17, 1875, he learned cricket from uncles and Alfred Shaw, the famous slow bowler who played for Sussex after leaving Nottinghamshire, short and of rather slight build--5 ft. 6 in, and weighing 10 stone--he batted freely with all the best strokes of a left-hander and steadily improved from his first appearance for the county when 18.

Although having to wear spectacles in 1897 he became accustomed to what seemed a handicap and in 1905 he "did the double," scoring 1,392 runs and taking 108 wickets; his highest aggregate came next season--1,767, average 36.06. From July 1898 he played in 389 matches for Sussex without a break; altogether he scored 18,768 runs and took 729 wickets in first-class cricket before retiring during the 1913 season.

With great batsmen. like C, B. Fry, K, S, Ranjitsinhji and W, Newham, as contemporaries the diminutive Killick naturally suffered somewhat by comparison, but he accomplished notable performances. The highest of his 22 three-figure innings was 200 against Yorkshire at Hove in 1901, when his second-wicket stand with Fry realised 349 runs. He showed freedom in strokes all round the wicket, especially in cutting, and excelled in 1899 against the Australians with admirable innings of 106 and 57.

In bowling he experienced extremes of fortune, taking four Nottinghamshire wickets for two runs, five Hampshire wickets for two runs, seven Essex wickets for 10 runs and five for 14 against Nottinghamshire at Hove in 1910, the other deadly spells being on foreign soil. For a set off to these successes may be mentioned his help to Alletson, the Notts giant, who at Hove in 1911 occupied only 40 minutes in scoring 142 out of 152 added for the last wicket. In an over from Killick, including two no-balls, Alletson made 34 runs with three 6's and four 4's the scoring strokes. Scorer for Sussex for many years, he sometimes did duty after the war.

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