DEATH OF BOBBY ABEL

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 25, 13 February 1937, Page 14

DEATH OF BOBBY ABEL

LITTLB MAN WHO WON GBEATr mm FAMEO IN SURREY CRICKET . ' The death of Robert, Al>Pi removes anpther of the great names from the roll of cricketer* qf a generation ago. Bobby Abel wa* 79 years of age and fpr a long time he had been nearly blind and his health far from good.' Abel's name i* associated with thosp pf Broekwell, Hayward, p, L. A. Jephr son, and other briiiiant players of Surrey'g most sup.cpssful era. He be'r gan his cpunty crickef late— at the age qf 24— in J884, and he fiqished it early, in 1904, because ihe eyesight. trpubie which had affected him on and Off for a numhep oi seasons became more apparent and the use of glasses did not entirely counteract it. In this period of 23 years he proved that a self-taught batsman of small stature could becpme the cpmpiete masfer qf any type of howling. Abel had patience, but he was never over,cautious, and few men of his time eouid §p cpmpletely put a curb on § fast bowler. His chief stuokes were on the leg side, and he scprned to adopt the sfance which later hecame §0 fashionable and necessitated the use of the pads so largeiy instead qf the bat. Abel began his career with Surrey almost a§ a club cricketer, but in three years he had made his name famous. Puripg the cqurse of his crieket life he piayed eight innings of 200 or over, and some of his partnerships with Bropkweli and. Hayward will go down in history with those of the famous Yopkshire pair, Brown and Tunnicliffe. • One of the most produGtive of these partnerships wa* 379 with Brpckwell against Hampshire at the Qval in August, 4807, but the biggest stand of all was his fourth wicket innings with Tom Hayward of 448 for Surrey against Yorkshire two years later. For eight years together, frpm 1895 to 1902, he scored over 2000 runs in each season of first-class crieket. The biggest innings of his life was 357 not out for Surrey against Somerset at the Oval in 1899. He was a briiiiant field in the slips and a fairiy succegsfu! giow bowler. His fam.e never sppijt him. He remained quiet and unassumtog throughout his days, all pf which, even when his playing career was endpd, were spept in the shadOW of his belpyed Qval.