A native of Pietermaritzburg, Natal, Maitland Hathorn was a nugget batsman who represented South Africa in 12 Tests during the early 20th century. Technically sound with a stable base, Hathorn was a difficult batsman to dislodge once set and his skills were on display particularly during his visits to England. In three trips to the country, he aggregated a combined tally of over 3000 runs at a good average although the last of the visits was a disastrous affair for him. The performances at Test level was underwhelming as well with only a century to show from the 20 innings that he batted. He excelled in first-class cricket though, crossing the three-figure mark as many as nine times in his career. In his early 30s, Hathorn’s health started to deteriorate drastically, leading to a disastrous season after which he decided to retire from the sport. The health issues continued to trouble him and he passed away at a very early age of 42 in Johannesburg.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan