real founder of the fierce-hitting school, however, was C. J. Thornton, who flourished from 1870 to 1880, and except perhaps Bonner no harder hitter has ever lived. Thornton, Bonner, McDonnell, Lyons, Hewitt, V. T. Hill, O'Brien, A. E. Trott, F. G. J. Ford, and Jessop—these are the names of perhaps the ten greatest hitters, but they are not by any means alike. Bonner, for instance, was a very hard hitter anywhere, including, what is rare in hitters pure and simple, the cut. Thornton, on the other hand, was famous for his big drives, the hardest of which were nearly straight over the bowler's head, and in this particular hit I do not think anybody has ever been quite so hard a hitter. Another characteristic of Thornton was that his biggest hits were made when he jumped out to meet the ball. Bonner, McDonnell, and Lyons, the three Australian hitters, used to hit fast-footed, as also does F. G. J. Ford. But for rapidity of run-getting and ability to hit balls of nearly every conceivable length, I regard Jessop as unequalled. There have been several wonderful Australian feats of hitting, notably one by Bonner at Scarborough in 1884, Lyons against M.C.C.
