Robert Neill (cricketer)

Robert Neill (20 January 1864 – 27 August 1930) was a New Zealand cricketer who played first-class cricket for Auckland between 1889 and 1906.^[1]

Robert Neill

Personal information
Born	(1864-01-20)20 January 1864 Greenock, Scotland
Died	27 August 1930(1930-08-27) (aged 66) Auckland, New Zealand
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm leg-spin
Relations	Thomas Neill (brother)
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1889/90–1905/06	Auckland
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 20 Runs scored 454 Batting average 14.64 100s/50s 0/1 Top score 94 Balls bowled 3,774 Wickets 134 Bowling average 12.90 5 wickets in innings 16 10 wickets in match 7 Best bowling 9/75 Catches/stumpings 16/–
Source: CricketArchive, 1 February 2017

Life and career

Neill grew up in Britain, then migrated to New Zealand, where he became a grain merchant in Auckland. At the time of his death aged 66 in August 1930 he was chairman of the United Permanent Building and Investment Society.^[2] His wife Nina predeceased him. They had one daughter.^[2]

A leg-spin bowler who usually opened the bowling, Neill took 9 for 75 in the first innings against Canterbury in 1891–92, in his second first-class match.^[3] He played for New Zealand in two matches in 1896-97: the loss to the Australians^[4] and the victory over the touring Queensland team.^[5] He again took nine wickets in an innings in 1897–98, 9 for 86 in the first innings of Auckland's loss to Canterbury.^[6]

When the cricket historian Tom Reese compiled his history of early New Zealand cricket, New Zealand Cricket, 1841–1914, in 1927, he selected a 14-man team of the best New Zealand cricketers of the period from 1860 to 1914. Neill was one of those selected.^[7]