| Christopher Cross | |
| Country: | New Zealand |
| Fullname: | Christopher Smith Cross |
| Birth Date: | 26 October 1852 |
| Birth Place: | Nelson, New Zealand |
| Death Place: | Mosman, Sydney, Australia |
| Bowling: | Fast-medium |
| Role: | All-rounder, occasional wicket-keeper |
| Club1: | Nelson |
| Year1: | 1873-74 to 1888-89 |
| Club2: | West Coast |
| Year2: | 1879-80 |
| Club3: | Wellington |
| Year3: | 1884-85 to 1895-96 |
| Columns: | 1 |
| Column1: | First-class |
| Matches1: | 22 |
| Runs1: | 538 |
| Bat Avg1: | 14.54 |
| 100S/50S1: | 0/2 |
| Top Score1: | 67 |
| Wickets1: | 20 |
| Bowl Avg1: | 9.45 |
| Fivefor1: | 0 |
| Tenfor1: | 0 |
| Best Bowling1: | 4/10 |
| Catches/Stumpings1: | 11/2 |
| Date: | 13 December 2017 |
| Source: | http://www.espncricinfo.com/newzealand/content/player/36784.html Cricinfo |
Christopher Smith Cross (26 October 1852 – 26 June 1919) was a New Zealand cricketer and businessman who played first-class cricket in New Zealand from 1874 to 1895.
Cross was born in Nelson, where his father, James Smith Cross, was the harbourmaster.[1] [2] He married Anne Green in Nelson in May 1876.[3]
Cross was a hard-hitting batsman, a fast-medium bowler, a fine fieldsman and sometimes wicket-keeper.[4] He made his highest first-class score for Wellington when they defeated Otago in 1892–93; he scored 67, easily the highest score of the match, an innings of "sterling cricket, comprising excellent cutting and driving".[5] [6] He captained the Wanganui team that inflicted the only defeat on the touring Australians in 1880-81.[7] In 1882, while batting at the St John's ground in Wanganui, Cross hit a ball that travelled 156 yards before it landed.[8] This hit was still a New Zealand record in the late 1950s, and may still be.[9]
Cross worked as a financial agent and merchant in Wanganui.[10] [11] Later he moved to Australia, where he had a business in Sydney as a coal exporter and shipping agent.[12] He died in Sydney after a long illness, leaving a widow, three sons and two daughters.[2]