Brigadier-General Robert Montagu Poore, (20 March 1866 – 14 July 1938) was an Anglo-Irish

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er and

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer who, while serving in South Africa in 1896, played in three Test matches for the

South African cricket team The South Africa men's national cricket team, also known as the Proteas, represents South Africa in men's international cricket and is administered by Cricket South Africa. South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council. T ...

. He featured most prominently in

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is of three or more days scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adju ...

playing

county cricket Inter-county cricket matches have been played since the early 18th century, involving teams that are representative of the historic counties of England and Wales. Two county championship competitions have existed since the late 19th century at ...

in England for

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

between 1898 and 1906, where he gained a reputation as a

batsman In cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the cricket ball, ball with a cricket bat, bat to score runs (cricket), runs and prevent the dismissal (cricket), loss of one's wicket. Any player who is currently batting is, since Septembe ...

, having notable success in 1899 when he was the highest first-class run-scorer in England. Alongside playing for Hampshire, Poore also played first-class cricket in India for the

Europeans Europeans are the focus of European ethnology, the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe. Groups may be defined by common ancestry, language, faith, historical continuity, etc. There are ...

in the Bombay Presidency Matches. An all-round sportsman, he was also a capable

swordsman Swordsmanship or sword fighting refers to the skills and techniques used in combat and training with any type of sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to a ...

, and

polo Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

racquets Rackets or racquets is an indoor list of racket sports, racket sport played in the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada. It is infrequently called "hard rackets" to distinguish it from the related sport of squash (sport), squash (also cal ...

, and squash player, in addition to being a skilled

marksman A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision shooting. In modern military usage this typically refers to the use of projectile weapons such as an accurized telescopic sight, scoped long gun such as designated marksman rifle (or a sniper ri ...

. Poore had success in the Royal Naval and Military Tournaments, being adjudged the best

man-at-arms A man-at-arms was a soldier of the High Medieval to Renaissance periods who was typically well-versed in the use of arms and served as a fully-armoured heavy cavalryman. A man-at-arms could be a knight, or other nobleman, a member of a kni ...

on four occasions. Poore began his military service in the

Volunteer Force The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a Social movement, popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increa ...

with the 3rd (Royal Wiltshire Militia) Battalion of the

Wiltshire Regiment The Wiltshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment of Foot and the 99th Duke of Edinburgh's (Lanarkshire) Regiment of Foot. T ...

in 1883, before gaining a regular commission in the

in 1886. From there, he transferred to the 7th Hussars in the same year and shortly after served in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

, where he was aide-de-camp to the

Governor of Bombay Until the 18th century, Bombay consisted of seven islands separated by shallow sea. These seven islands were part of a larger archipelago in the Arabian sea, off the western coast of India. The date of city's founding is unclear—historians tr ...

. Poore served in the

Second Matabele War The Second Matabele War, also known as the First Chimurenga, was fought between 1896 and 1897 in the region that later became Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). The conflict was initially between the British South Africa Company and the Mata ...

in Southern Africa and later in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

from 1899 to 1902, during which he was seconded to the Mounted Military Police and served as

provost marshal Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of Military Police (MP). The title originated with an older term for MPs, '' provosts'', from the Old French (Modern French ). While a provost marshal is now usually a senior c ...

at Army Headquarters

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

. In this role, he played an important part in investigating and recording the war–crimes trial and execution of

Breaker Morant Harry Harbord "Breaker" Morant (born Edwin Henry Murrant, 9 December 1864 – 27 February 1902) was an English horseman, bush balladist, military officer, and war criminal who was convicted and executed for murdering nine prisoners-of-war ...

and

Peter Handcock Peter Joseph Handcock (17 February 1868 – 27 February 1902) was an Australian-born veterinary lieutenant and convicted war criminal who served in the Bushveldt Carbineers during the Boer War in South Africa. After a court martial, Handcock ...

. Decorated with the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

during the war, Poore later returned to the Hussars and served in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

between 1914 and 1918, commanding the Jhansi Brigade of the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

from 1915, for which he was made a

Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander ( GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) Appoint ...

in 1918. He retired from active military service in 1921. In later life, he was a deputy lieutenant for

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

Military career

The son of Major Robert Poore Senior and his wife, Juliana Lowry-Corry (daughter of Rear-Admiral

Armar Lowry-Corry Rear admiral (Royal Navy), Rear Admiral Armar Lowry Corry (1793 – 1 May 1855, in Paris) was a British naval officer. Naval career Corry entered the Royal Navy on 1 August 1805, became a Lieutenant on 28 April 1812, a Commander on 13 June 1815 ...

), he was born at

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

in March 1866. He was initially home educated, before attending

Cheam School Cheam School is a mixed preparatory school located in Headley, in the civil parish of Ashford Hill with Headley in Hampshire. Originally a boys school, Cheam was founded in 1645 by George Aldrich. History The school started in Cheam, Surre ...

in England. His father wished for him to enter the

, but he consistently failed the entry exams for Sandhurst. Poore joined the

as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

with the 3rd (Royal Wiltshire Militia) Battalion of the

in August 1883, before joining the 1st Battalion with a regular commission in the

in April 1886, having finally managed to pass the entry exams. In the same year, through the influence of his father, he obtained a transfer to the 7th Hussars. He served in

until 1895, where he was aide-de-camp to the Governor of Bombay, Lord Harris, from 1892. While stationed in India, he saw no active combat. From India, he proceeded with the 7th Hussars to South Africa, where he served in the

in neighbouring

Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...

from 1896 to 1897. He was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

during that conflict, before being promoted to brevet

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in May 1898. After a brief period in the United States procuring remounts for the army, Poore served in the

in South Africa, being seconded for service with the Mounted Military Police in October 1899. He was appointed

at Army Headquarters

in November 1899. In this capacity, Poore commanded the military police and was responsible to the commander-in-chief, Lord Roberts, and his successor in 1902,

Earl Kitchener Earl Kitchener, of Khartoum and of Broome in the County of Kent, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1914 for the famous officer Field Marshal Herbert Kitchener, 1st Viscount Kitchener of Khartoum. He had alread ...

. He was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

in March 1900, with Roberts praising Poore for his "care of prisoners" and conduct in "maintaining order in camp and on the line of march". He saw action in the

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( ; ) was an independent Boer-ruled sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeated and surrendered to the British Em ...

, where he took part in the battles of Paardeberg, Poplar Grove, Driefontein, Vet River, and Zand River; he subsequently saw action in the

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name ''Transvaal''. * South African Republic (1856–1902; ...

, where he took part in engagements at Pretoria and

Diamond Hill Diamond Hill is a hill in the east of Kowloon, Hong Kong. The name also refers to the area on or adjacent to the hill. It is surrounded by Ngau Chi Wan, San Po Kong, Wong Tai Sin and Tsz Wan Shan. Its northeast is limited by the ridge. It is ...

, and later in August 1900 in Western Transvaal at Bergendal. He received the

in April 1901, in recognition of his war service. In February 1901, he was tasked by Kitchener with forming a

Boer Boers ( ; ; ) are the descendants of the proto Afrikaans-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled the Dutch ...

commando, the Bushveldt Mounted Rifles. This was made up of surrendered Boer combatants, whose task it was to loot cattle from enemy forces. In August 1901, he gained the full rank of major, and was granted the local rank of lieutenant colonel in November 1901. As provost marshal, Poore was the lead investigator into the war–crimes allegations against

and

, which led to their trial and execution in February 1902. He published a diary, containing contemporary notes on the case. In the diary he puts forth his belief that Moran and Handock not only executed

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

, but also murdered a German missionary who witnessed the killings. Poore was critical of Kitchener in the diary, considering him "weak-kneed" and not tough enough in suppressing the rebellious Boers. He was subsequently responsible for drilling the firing squad which was to carry out the executions, and ensuring that the execution order was carried out. He returned home aboard the in July 1902 but would return to South Africa on military service in 1903 until his final departure in 1905. Having returned to the 7th Hussars, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in June 1911, before returning to India as commanding officer of the 7th Hussars. During the

, he was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in June 1915, and in August 1915 he was appointed commander of the Jhansi Brigade in the

, an appointment he retained for the remainder of the war. He remained in India throughout the war and did not see combat. Poore was appointed a

in the 1918 Birthday Honours. He relinquished his command of the Jhansi Brigade in October 1919, nearly a year after the end of the war, and was subsequently placed on the

half-pay Half-pay (h.p.) was a term used in the British Army and Royal Navy of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries to refer to the pay or allowance an officer received when in retirement or not in actual service. Past usage United Kingdom In the E ...

list. Poore retired from active service in March 1921 and was granted the honorary rank of brigadier-general.

Cricket career

India and South Africa

Poore was not initially overly enamoured with cricket. He learnt the game through the perusal of textbooks, reputedly chiefly from the '' Badminton Volume of Cricket'' (1888), as opposed to the classical coaching method; his arrival in India as a subaltern with the 7th Hussars made him realise his love for the game. Styling his game on that of

W. G. Grace William Gilbert Grace (18 July 1848 – 23 October 1915) was an English cricketer who is widely considered one of the sport's all-time greatest players. Always known by his initials as "WG", his first-class career spanned a record-equalling 4 ...

, he subsequently made his debut in

for the Europeans cricket team against the Parsees in August 1892 in the 1892–93 Bombay Presidency Match, and he played a second match against the same opponents the following month. In December of the same year, he played for

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

against Lord Hawke's touring team. He subsequently made four further first-class appearances for the Europeans across the 1894–95 and 1895–96 Bombay Presidency Matches, which included a maiden

century A century is a period of 100 years or 10 decades. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. ...

in the latter. He was prolific while playing for Government House in minor matches,

averaging In ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by how many nu ...

80 for the team. Poore continued his prolific form when he went to South Africa, scoring over 1,600 runs over the period of a few months. Among these were nine centuries, with Poore being the only batsman in South Africa to score centuries against Lord Hawke's touring team. His form led to him being called up to the South African team, with him featuring in three matches against

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in February–March 1896; these were subsequently afforded retrospective

Test status Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film) ...

. In his three Test appearances, he scored 76 runs at an average of 12.66, and took a single wicket. ''

Wisden ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "Bible of cricket" (or variations thereof) has been applied to ''Wi ...

'' noted that he did not distinguish himself in what were heavy defeats for South Africa. Following the Test, there was talk of Poore playing for

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

in the 1895–96

Currie Cup The Currie Cup () is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier domestic competition, four South African franc ...

, but the competition was called off due to unrest. His time spent playing on hard wickets in India and South Africa early in his career is credited with developing and refining his batting style.

Hampshire and later cricket

Poore returned to England on leave in 1898, playing in a first-class match for the

Marylebone Cricket Club The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's, Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London, England. The club was the governing body of cricket from 1788 to 1989 and retain ...

(MCC) against

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket List of Test cricket grounds, venue in St John's Wood, Westminster. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex C ...

in May, in which he scored a half century which helped the MCC to an innings victory. Just over one week later, he made his debut in

for

against

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

in the 1898 County Championship, at the age of 32. He made twelve appearances for Hampshire in 1898, alongside an additional two appearances for the MCC. In his first full season of first-class cricket in England, he scored 735 runs at an average of 28.26, making two centuries. Gents-v-Players-1899

The following season, Poore was the highest first-class run-scorer in England, scoring 1,399 runs (including seven hundreds) between 12 June and 12 August at an average of 116.58. Against Somerset, he made 304, which was the highest individual first-class score for Hampshire until it was surpassed by Dick Moore's 316 in 1937. While compiling his score, he shared in a partnership of 411 for the sixth wicket with fellow army officer Captain Wynyard (225) – as of this remains a Hampshire record for the sixth wicket. Poore's innings was described by the ''

Southern Daily Echo The ''Southern Daily Echo'', more commonly known as the ''Daily Echo'' or simply ''The Echo'', is a regional tabloid newspaper based in Southampton, covering the county of Hampshire in the United Kingdom. The newspaper is owned by Newsquest, on ...

'' as being "a remarkable feat of physical endurance" on "a sweltering July day". In 21 innings over the course of the entire season, Poore scored 1,551 runs at 91.23, a record average for an English season not broken until

Don Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. His cricketing successes have been claimed by Shane ...

averaged 98.66 in 1930, and not surpassed by an English batsman until

Herbert Sutcliffe Herbert Sutcliffe (24 November 1894 – 22 January 1978) was an English Professionalism#Sports, professional cricketer who represented Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Yorkshire and England national cricket team, England as an opening batsman. A ...

averaged 96.96 in 1931. His form led to him being selected for the Gentlemen in the two

Gentlemen v Players Gentlemen v Players was a long-running series of cricket matches that began in July 1806 and was abolished in January 1963. It was a match between a team consisting of amateurs (the Gentlemen) and a team consisting of professionals (the Players ...

fixtures played that season at Lord's and

The Oval The Oval, currently named for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club sinc ...

, but his scores in these disappointed. Had Poore met with success in these, he would likely have played Test cricket for

in the latter half of their

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used i ...

against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, but no Test cap for England was forthcoming. In recognition of his success in 1899, Poore was selected as a ''

Wisden Cricketer of the Year The ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', based "primarily for their influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming ...

'' for 1900. He was the only Irish-born player afforded this distinction until

Eoin Morgan Eoin Joseph Gerard Morgan (born 10 September 1986) is an Irish-born English former cricketer and current commentator. He captained the England cricket team in limited overs cricket from 2015 until his international retirement in June 2022. He ...

in 2011. Poore returned to South Africa after the 1899 season to fight in the Second Boer War. After he returned to England, a broken arm caused him to miss most of the 1902 season, but on his return match against the touring Australians, he made an unbeaten 62 against the bowling of

Hugh Trumble Hugh Trumble (19 May 1867 – 14 August 1938) was an Australian cricketer who played 32 Test matches as a bowling all-rounder between 1890 and 1904. He captained the Australian team in two Tests, winning both. Trumble took 141 wi ...

, who was aided by a

sticky wicket Sticky wicket (or sticky dog, or glue pot) is a metaphor used to describe a difficult circumstance. It originated as a term for difficult circumstances in the sport of cricket, caused by a damp and soft wicket. In cricket The phrase comes from ...

. He played two matches in the 1902 County Championship, in addition to playing for The Rest against a combined Kent and Sussex team at

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

. Early in the 1903 season, he was presented with a silver bowl at the County Ground in recognition of his 1899 season. It was hoped he would be available to play again in 1903, but he returned to South Africa that summer. When he returned to Hampshire in the middle of 1904 to great expectations, his form was disappointing. In the nine matches he played for Hampshire in the

County Championship The County Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship, is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales. Established in 1890, it is organised by the England and Wales Cri ...

, he scored 272 runs at an average of 18.13. After missing the 1905 season due to his military commitments in South Africa, Poore played in two matches in the 1906 County Championship, scoring a century (129) against

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

. However, an injury to his leg ended his season and as it turned out, his county career. For Hampshire, he made 36 first-class appearances, in which he scored 2,819 runs at an average of 47.77, with ten centuries. Four years after his previous first-class appearance, Poore captained a combined Army and Navy team against a combined Oxford and Cambridge Universities team at

Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...

, which the Army and Navy won by 6 wickets. Later, while serving in India in 1912 and 1913, he made two final appearances in first-class cricket for the Europeans, with Poore scoring a half century in the 1912 fixture against the Parsees. Described by ''Wisden'' as possessing one of the most powerful cover drives at the time, it was said that, with his height of and massive frame, when he struck a cover drive it would race over the turf with such speed that a fieldsman, no matter how placed, could not stop it. It was also noted that once he became accustomed to English wickets, he developed a strong defensive game. In 55 first-class matches, he scored 3,441 runs at an average of 38.66. His great height, while benefitting his batting, was noted to be a hindrance to him when fielding, with Poore sometimes finding it difficult to get down to the ball. After the cessation of his first-class career, Poore remained a dangerous batsman in club games right up to his mid-fifties, scoring three consecutive fifties during an MCC tour of the

West Country The West Country is a loosely defined area within southwest England, usually taken to include the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Bristol, with some considering it to extend to all or parts of Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and ...

in 1923. Up until his final years, he ran a cricket school in

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

Other sports

Cricket was not the only field in which Poore's sporting talents lay: he was considered a brilliant

, and

, and squash player, in addition to being a capable

. As a swordsman, Poore was adjudged to have been the best

in the 1898, 1899, 1906, and 1907 Royal Naval and Military Tournaments; his success was attributed to the enormous reach of his arms which had suited him so well as a cricketer. He had success as a polo player for the 7th Hussars, winning the Inter-Regimental Tournament in India in 1891 and 1895, and in England in 1899 at

The Hurlingham Club The Hurlingham Club is an exclusive private social and athletic club located in the Fulham area of London, England. Founded in 1869, it has a Georgian-style clubhouse set in of grounds. It is a member of the Association of London Clubs. Hi ...

, where he made the winning hit in the final of the Inter-Regimental Tournament. As a tennis player, he was runner-up to Captain C. S. Smith in the 1894 West of India Lawn Tennis Championship, and won the Matabeleland Tennis Championship at the

Queens Sports Club Queens Sports Club Ground is a stadium in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. It is used primarily used for cricket matches. The stadium has a capacity of up to 13,000. The stadium is the home ground for the Matabeleland Tuskers, who are the current Logan ...

while stationed in Rhodesia in April 1897. He also won several racquets and squash tournaments, including the Norfolk Squash Racquets Championship in 1906. In later life he took up

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

, captaining the Broadstone Golf Club and playing for the England Senior Golfers Society against Scotland in 1936. His all-round sporting prowess led Murray and Vahed (2009) to suggest that he was one of the greatest all-round sportsmen of the

19th century The 19th century began on 1 January 1801 (represented by the Roman numerals MDCCCI), and ended on 31 December 1900 (MCM). It was the 9th century of the 2nd millennium. It was characterized by vast social upheaval. Slavery was Abolitionism, ...

Family and personal life

In 1898, Poore married Lady Flora Mary Ida Douglas-Hamilton, daughter of Captain Charles-Douglas-Hamilton, and sister of the 13th Duke of Hamilton. The couple had no children. Three years after their marriage, Poore's sister Nina Mary Benita Poore, married the 13th Duke, and became Duchess of Hamilton. In 1925, Poore constructed a house on land purchased from Lord Wimborne's estate, Rose Lawn Coppice, in Ashington, Dorset. He became a deputy lieutenant for

in June 1932, and was also a justice of the peace within the county from 1933. Poore died at a nursing home in

Boscombe Boscombe () is a suburb in Bournemouth England. Historically in Hampshire, but today in Dorset, it is located to the east of Bournemouth town centre and west of Southbourne. Originally a sparsely inhabited area of heathland, from around 1865 ...

on 14 July 1938, having been ill since November of the previous year. He was subsequently buried in the garden of his Rose Lawn Coppice residence. Following his death, the '' Hampshire Advertiser'' described him as "one of Hampshire's most famous amateur cricketers". A year after his death, a memorial to him was erected at

Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, ...

. Writing in an introduction to A. A. Thomson's ''Odd Men In: A Gallery Of Cricket Eccentrics'' (1985), Leo Cooper, referencing the unusual manner in which Poore took up cricket, wrote of him: "Of all the people in the history of the game ricket he seems to stand for the Eccentric Ideal."

References

Works cited

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Poore, Robert 1866 births 1938 deaths Wiltshire Militia officers Cricketers from Dublin (city) Military personnel from Dublin (city) People educated at Cheam School Wiltshire Regiment officers 7th Queen's Own Hussars officers English polo players Irish cricketers English cricketers Europeans cricketers Mumbai cricketers English male tennis players British male tennis players English racquets players English male squash players British military personnel of the Second Matabele War South Africa Test cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Hampshire cricketers Gentlemen cricketers Wisden Cricketers of the Year British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Army and Navy cricketers British Army brigadiers British Army personnel of World War I British Army cavalry generals of World War I Indian Army personnel of World War I British Indian Army generals Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Deputy lieutenants of Dorset English justices of the peace Burials in Dorset