William Henry Skitch (31 August 1860 – 13 July 1944) was a New Zealand

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er. He played two first-class matches for

Otago Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...

during the 1883–84 season. Skitch was born at

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is an Australian city in north-central Victoria. The city is located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2022, Bendigo has a popula ...

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 Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

for business reasons in 1907.McCarron A (2010) ''New Zealand Cricketers 1863/64–2010'', p. 121. Cardiff:

The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians (ACS) was founded in England in 1973 for the purpose of researching and collating information about the history and statistics of cricket. Originally called the Association of Cricket Stati ...

.
Available online
at the

Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians (ACS) was founded in England in 1973 for the purpose of researching and collating information about the history and statistics of cricket. Originally called the Association of Cricket Stati ...

. Retrieved 5 June 2023.) He umpired seven first-class matches, six of them at the

Carisbrook Carisbrook (sometimes incorrectly referred to as Carisbrook Stadium) was a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The city's main domestic and international rugby union venue, it was also used for other sports such as cricket, football, ...

ground in Dunedin, between 1898 and 1903. He was elected a life member of the Dunedin Cricket Club, of which he was one of the founders, in 1901. He also won prizes as a professional sprinter and was a member of the Dunedin fire brigade teams that won competitions around New Zealand. Skitch married Ellen Matilda Mariner in Dunedin in November 1881. She died at their home in

Grey Lynn Grey Lynn is an inner suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, located to the west of the city centre. Originally a separate borough, Grey Lynn amalgamated with Auckland City in 1914. Grey Lynn is centred on Grey Lynn Park, which was not part of t ...

, Auckland, in May 1938. He moved to live with his son in

Manurewa Manurewa is a suburb in South Auckland, New Zealand, located south of Manukau, Manukau Central, and southeast of the Auckland City Centre. It is home to the Auckland Botanic Gardens, which receives over a million visitors a year. Manurewa h ...

, and died in July 1944, aged 83.

References

External links

* 1860 births 1944 deaths New Zealand cricketers New Zealand cricket umpires Otago cricketers New Zealand male sprinters Cricketers from Bendigo 19th-century New Zealand sportsmen {{NewZealand-cricket-bio-1860s-stub