Walter Raleigh Gilbert was a steady batsman, a very useful slow round-armed bowler, and a very good field at long-leg and cover-point, he played for Middlesex by birth in 1873 and 1874, for Gloucestershire by residence 1876 to 1886, and four times for the Gentlemen v. Players between 1874 and 1877. He also appeared in a few stray matches for Worcestershire and Northants. In 1873-74 he toured Australia under the captaincy of his cousin, W. G. Grace, and he took part in a very large number of minor matches, especially for the United South of England XI, which he managed after the death of G. F. Grace in 1880. His fielding at deep-leg to W. G. Grace's bowling was always excellent, for he covered much ground and was a sure catch. Although overshadowed by his famous cricketing cousins, he played a prominent part in the victories gained during Gloucestershire's greatest years. For Thornbury v. Sneyd Park in 1874 he made 254 not out, but in a match of note his highest innings was 205 not out for An England Eleven at Cambridge against the University in 1876, when he batted for about seven hours without a mistake and carried his bat through; he hit a 5, nine 4's and as many as sixty-six singles, and batted on each of the three days. At Canterbury later in the same season he scored 143 for Kent and Gloucestershire against England, and at Gloucester in 1885 made 102 v. Yorkshire. In the match with Notts. at Clifton in the last mentioned year he took seventy minutes to obtain 4 runs in his first innings, and two hours and three-quarters to score 21 in his second. Against Sussex at Brighton in 1878 he took four wickets for 12 runs and in the return, at Cheltenham, four for 8, while in the match with Lancashire at Clifton in 1878 he and W. G. Grace bowled unchanged through both innings. At the beginning of 1886 he became a professional, and the season was not far advanced before his career in first-class cricket ended abruptly. He then left England for Canada. He kept up the game in the Dominion and made hundreds in both Halifax and Montreal.
Wisden Cricketers Almanack