Cricket 1890

1 Together joined in cricket’s manly toil .”— Byron Reghrtererd lor TranamissUm'Abroad. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1890. MR. PHILIP HILTON. B y R o b e r t T homs W h e n we find gentlemen who after having played for their County— in the long, long ago— still looking after that County’s interests with the greatest enthusiasm, it will at once be readily admitted that they are the kind of cricketers to uphold and advance the game. A nd such a one is Mr. Philip H ilton, for to his watchful­ ness and energy may be attributed the unearthing — amongst many others—of Alec Hearne and the sparkling left-haud trundler Martin who are now proving so particularly useful in the Kent team. Born at Selling, nearFaversham , in Kent,on March 10th, 1840, Mr. H ilton was educated at Cheltenham College, and although he was never drafted into his college eleven, it remained for him in after years to establish himself in the Kent County team, and henceforth to becom e one of the best known supporters of the game in that County. It is now som e thirty years since I first saw him—then in his teens—playing at a match in Kent. And since thfn I have watched him m ore or less every season , from the very tim e when he was in the County eleven, until now, when he is more closely identified with the cricket doings of the “ Incogniti Club.” From 1865 he was to be found in full form as a batsman, with strong defence and brilliant hitting, es­ pecially on the off-side ; and he has proved him self one of the best of “ all round fields ,” for he shone first as a m id-w icket and long-leg; then as a long-stop, to the punish­ ing bowling of m y late attached friend W illsher— one of the best, of the very best— and Mr. Robert Lipscombe, whose “ expressers” on the Bat and Ball ground at Gravesend—and elsewhere—had the knack of occasionally popping from the pitch over the batsman’s head ; so that long-stopping in those days was a heavy job to watch the ball, and back-up the wicket-keeper. Soon afterwards he “ put on the gloves ” and took to the w ick et; and when ’tis remembered that he has been acting as a “ snapper” season after season, it would be difficult to find his compeer as an amateur that has gone through this kind o freal milling for a quarter of a century. But ’tis not alone to the men of Kent or Kentish men, that Mr. H ilton is well know n; for he is one of the popular membersof the famous wandering club, “ The Incogniti.” And when I relate that during the past twenty years, I have seen him personally conduct and captain teams of roving “ Incogs ” at Brighton, Eastbourne, Lewes, W indm illH ill, Ilorsham, Southampton, Portsmouth, W itham , Colchester, Ipswich, Kings Lynn, Norwich, B ury St. Edmunds, Gunton Park, Cambridge, Newmarket, Huntingdon, Northampton, Derby, N otting­ ham, Chelford, Liverpool, Birkenhead, Manchester, Eccles, Leeds,York, Scarborough, Lytham , Shrewsbury, H ereford, Worcester, Bryn-y-Neuadd, & c.; it at once shows that he is no rara avis , in other lands than Kent. Whilst in batting at W orcester some years ago, he m et with a severe mishap, by disloca­ tion of the knee cap, which necessitated his being carried off the field; and the said accident has handicapped him in running ever since. But bandaged up he still pluckily sticks to it, and during the past season, was found to bo at home, both before and behind the sticks. And in wishing “ Happy New Years ” to the genial Phil H ilton—or Kentish Lion amongst his Incog friends—I sincerely hope for the good of cricket, that he m ay be found a “ roamer ” for unwritten seasons at the old haunts, wit which he has so long been happil familiar. The Xm as number o C r ic k e t is an appropriate one for this genial sportsman’s biography ; and the following incidents—con ­ nected with M r. Philip H illon— will be a suitable addition to th personal reminiscences of R. Thom H e is one of the oldest, most energetic, and best knownmembers of the Kent County Club, and no one has worked harder to advance its interests in every way. For the past few seasons he has captained a second X I. of Kent, at different cricket centres, with the object of spotting any likely youngster to draft into the County team. He was the founder and chief support of the “ Hundred of H oo ” Club and plso one of the most prom inent members of the old “ Gravesend rnd M ilton,’ for both of which clubs he stood forth with high averages as a batsman ; liis record for the season o f 1808 for the latter club, showing an average for 18 matches, of 39 18 per innings. On the occasion of the historical “ Jubilee Match ” at L ord’s he was especially chosen by the M.C.O. to play on the Veterars’ Fide, as a marked compliment to his services in the cause of cricket. From 1869 to March 1682 he was m aster of the “ Hundred of H o o ” pack of Harriers, which were regularly hunted by him. From that date he has been found—in the front rank—with the “ West Kent Foxhounds” and is Hon. Sec. to the said H u n t; succeeding Mr. Richard Russell, of Otford, in that office. He was also well known— as an old tim er—in the Football Field ; and can effectively handle the breech­ loader—amongst the gam e—in the open or in the covert. To sum up— in the words of an old and attached Kentish friend— “ no better sample of a genuine ‘ all round ’ sportsman can be found in the W eald of