Christie Morris
Encyclopedia
Charles Christopher "Christie" Morris (30 June 1882 to 17 June 1971) was an American cricket
er during the sport's brief North American "golden age". He was a right-handed batsman and a leg-break bowler.
's XI, although he met without success, scoring 1 and 0. In the summer of 1900, he played for the Haverford College
cricket team on a tour of England before he'd even began to attend classes. The following year, he first played for the USA national team
in their match against Canada
. He played for the USA five times in all.
He was first selected for the Philadelphian cricket team
in their home two match series against BJT Bosanquet
's XI in 1901. He went on to play 36 first-class matches, all but one for Philadelphia. He toured England with the Philadelphians on two occasions, in 1903 and 1908. On the 1903 tour, he scored 164 against Nottinghamshire
, his only first-class century. His final first class match was for a combined Canada/USA team against Australia
in 1913.
Harverford College has a library named for him which features the largest collection of cricket literature and memorabilia in the western hemisphere. He died at home in June 1971 aged 88.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er during the sport's brief North American "golden age". He was a right-handed batsman and a leg-break bowler.
Early cricket
The first known time he played cricket was in 1896 for his school team. By 1899 he was gaining wide recognition for his talents, and played for a Philadelphia Colts team against the touring K S RanjitsinhjiK S Ranjitsinhji
Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar was an Indian prince and Test cricketer who played for the English cricket team...
's XI, although he met without success, scoring 1 and 0. In the summer of 1900, he played for the Haverford College
Haverford College
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...
cricket team on a tour of England before he'd even began to attend classes. The following year, he first played for the USA national team
United States cricket team
The United States national cricket team is the team that represents the United States of America in international cricket matches. The team became an associate member of the International Cricket Council in 1965...
in their match against Canada
Canadian cricket team
The Canada cricket team is the national cricket team representing Canada in men's international competition. It is run by Cricket Canada.While Canada is not sanctioned to play Test matches, the team does take part in One Day International matches and also in first-class games against other...
. He played for the USA five times in all.
First-class cricket
Philadelphian cricket team
The Philadelphian cricket team was a team that represented Philadelphia in first-class cricket between 1878 and 1913. Even with the United States having played the first ever international cricket match against Canada in 1844, the sport began a slow decline in the country. This decline was...
in their home two match series against BJT Bosanquet
Bernard Bosanquet (cricketer)
Bernard James Tindal Bosanquet was an English cricketer best known for inventing the googly, a delivery designed to deceive the batsman. When bowled, it appears to be a leg break, but after pitching the ball turns in the opposite direction to that which is expected, behaving as an off break instead...
's XI in 1901. He went on to play 36 first-class matches, all but one for Philadelphia. He toured England with the Philadelphians on two occasions, in 1903 and 1908. On the 1903 tour, he scored 164 against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
, his only first-class century. His final first class match was for a combined Canada/USA team against Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
in 1913.
Later life
Morris was still playing regular cricket in 1933, and played for the Haverford alumni as late as 1951 when he was 69 years old. Christie Morris kept cricket alive in the 1930's in America. His close relationship with Norman Seagram, President of the Toronto Cricket Club encouraged tours between Canada and Haverford and also Bermuda where Seagram had a summer home.In 1937 he worked with K.A.Auty of Chicago in organizing a Gymkhana of American sides that helped maintain the profile of the game in the United States .His alma materAlma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
Harverford College has a library named for him which features the largest collection of cricket literature and memorabilia in the western hemisphere. He died at home in June 1971 aged 88.